The Texas Dental Association (TDA), chartered in 1871, is the third largest state dental association in the United States. Currently, the Association has more than 9,000 members and is comprised of 26 component dental societies grouped into 4 divisions across the state of Texas. The TDA is part of a tri-partite affiliation with the American Dental Association, as its national representative, and its component societies at the local level. The TDA Board of Directors, the executive body of the Association, is composed of 15 voting members and 2 non-voting ex officio members. The House of Delegates, the legislative body of the Association, is composed of 141 delegates representing 26 component societies, members of the Board of Directors, the speaker of the house, and 1 student delegate from each of the 3 dental schools in Texas. The House meets during TDA's Annual Session. The Association's councils and committees serve as policy recommending agencies. Each of these is assigned to study issues relating to its special area of interest and to make recommendations on these matters to the Board of Directors and the House of Delegates. The Association's official publication is the Texas Dental Journal. Published since 1883, it is the oldest continuously operating dental periodical in the Americas. The Texas Dental Association's central office in Austin employs a staff of 26 professionals.