AAAHC re-accredits Associated Dental Care Providers

American Dental Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADPI) announced today that Associated Dental Care Providers has been re-accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care ("AAAHC").

Associated Dental Care Providers, founded in 1985, is a dental group practice with 12 locations in the metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson areas. "Associated Dental Care Providers' accreditation is well-deserved and is recognition of their commitment to high quality standards and clinical excellence," said Gregory A. Serrao, Chief Executive Officer.

American Dental Partners encourages its affiliated dental groups to pursue AAAHC accreditation as a means to set and maintain measurable quality benchmarks and achieve the highest possible standard of patient care. Dr. Jesley C. Ruff, Senior Vice President and Chief Professional Officer of American Dental Partners, works with the Company's affiliates in the pursuit of accreditation. "We hope that by having our affiliated dental groups be part of a select group of dental practices accredited by the AAAHC, American Dental Partners will be at the forefront of promoting clinical excellence in the dental profession," said Dr. Ruff. "While AAAHC accreditation is a rigorous and demanding process, we believe it will help our affiliated dental groups continue to recruit high quality professionals and enhance relationships with patients and local dental communities," Dr. Ruff added.

The AAAHC was formed in 1979 to assist ambulatory health care organizations improve the quality of care provided to patients. Accreditation is a voluntary process through which ambulatory health care organizations are able to measure the quality of their services and performance against nationally recognized standards. Currently accrediting over 3,800 organizations, the AAAHC is the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation.

American Dental Partners is one of the nation's leading business partners to dental group practices. The Company is affiliated with 26 dental group practices which have 242 dental facilities with approximately 2,131 operatories located in 18 states.

SOURCE: American Dental Partners, Inc.