Terms of Service
Effective Date: January 1, 2026
Welcome to the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance community! We're so glad you're here. Before we embark on this journey together toward creating a more inclusive dental profession, let's talk about the ground rules that help us maintain a safe, respectful, and empowering space for everyone.
We know legal documents can feel intimidating—like sitting in the dentist's chair before a procedure! But we promise to keep this as straightforward and human as possible. These Terms of Service are here to protect you, us, and this incredible community we're building together. So grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and let's walk through this together.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using dentaldiversityandinclusionalliance.com (our "website" or "platform"), you're essentially giving us a warm handshake and agreeing to these Terms of Service. Think of this as our mutual commitment to each other—we promise to provide you with valuable resources, connections, and support for advancing diversity and inclusion in dentistry, and you promise to use our platform responsibly and respectfully.
If something in these terms doesn't sit right with you, we completely understand that not everything is for everyone. However, if you can't agree to these terms, we kindly ask that you discontinue using our website. We want everyone here to feel confident and aligned with our community values.
Here's something important: we're constantly evolving and improving, just like the dental profession itself. That means we may update these terms from time to time. When we do, we'll update the effective date at the top of this page, and if the changes are significant, we'll do our best to notify you through email or a prominent notice on our website. Your continued use of our platform after any changes means you're on board with the updated terms.
2. Who We Are and What We Do
The Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance is more than just a website—we're a movement, a community, and a resource hub dedicated to fostering equity, representation, and belonging in the dental profession. Our platform serves as a gathering place where dental professionals, students, educators, and advocates can connect, learn, share experiences, and work together to break down barriers.
Through our website, you'll find:
- Educational resources and research on diversity and inclusion in dental healthcare
- Networking opportunities with like-minded professionals and allies
- Information about events, workshops, and training programs
- Stories and testimonials from diverse dental professionals
- Tools and guidance for creating more inclusive dental practices and educational environments
- News and updates about diversity initiatives in the dental field
While we pour our hearts into curating valuable content and fostering meaningful connections, it's important to understand that we're providing information and community support—not legal advice, medical advice, or professional counseling. We encourage you to seek appropriate professional guidance for specific situations.
3. Your Responsibilities as a Community Member
Being part of our community is a privilege and a responsibility. We're building something special here, and that requires everyone to contribute positively. Here's what we need from you:
Be Respectful and Inclusive
This might seem obvious given our mission, but it bears emphasizing: treat everyone with dignity, respect, and kindness. We have zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, hate speech, or behavior that contradicts our core values of diversity and inclusion. Remember, we're all here to learn and grow—approach conversations with empathy and an open mind.
Keep It Legal and Honest
When you use our platform, please ensure that everything you do complies with applicable laws and regulations. Don't share false information, impersonate others, or misrepresent your credentials or affiliations. Authenticity is the foundation of trust in our community.
Protect Your Account
If you create an account with us, you're responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials. Choose a strong password, don't share it with others, and notify us immediately if you suspect any unauthorized access to your account. Any activity that occurs under your account is your responsibility.
Respect Intellectual Property
Don't upload, share, or distribute content that infringes on someone else's copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights. If you're sharing resources or materials created by others, make sure you have permission and give proper credit.
Don't Abuse Our Platform
Please don't use our website for spamming, phishing, distributing malware, or any other malicious activities. Don't attempt to hack, disrupt, or interfere with our platform's functionality. And please don't use automated tools or bots to scrape our content or create fake accounts.
4. Intellectual Property Rights
We've invested tremendous time, energy, and passion into creating the content and resources available on our platform. All content on dentaldiversityandinclusionalliance.com—including text, graphics, logos, images, videos, software, and design elements—is owned by the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance or our content providers and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
We're happy for you to view, download, and share our content for personal, non-commercial use, as long as you keep all copyright and proprietary notices intact and give us appropriate credit. However, you may not modify, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our content without our explicit written permission.
If you contribute content to our platform—such as comments, testimonials, stories, or forum posts—you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with our mission and services. Don't worry, though—you retain ownership of your content, and we'll always respect your voice and perspective.
5. User-Generated Content
We love hearing from our community members! Your stories, insights, and experiences enrich our platform and inspire others. However, we reserve the right to review, moderate, or remove any user-generated content that violates these Terms of Service, is inappropriate, or doesn't align with our community values.
When you share content on our platform, you're representing that you have all necessary rights to that content and that it doesn't violate anyone else's rights or any applicable laws. You're also acknowledging that your content may be visible to other users and the public.
6. Privacy and Data Protection
Your privacy matters deeply to us. We handle your personal information with care and respect, as outlined in our Privacy Policy. By using our website, you consent to our collection and use of information as described in that policy. We encourage you to read it thoroughly to understand how we protect your data and respect your privacy.
7. Limitation of Liability
We strive for excellence in everything we do, but we're human, and sometimes things don't go perfectly. Our website and all content are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. While we work hard to ensure our information is accurate and up-to-date, we can't guarantee that everything will always be error-free or uninterrupted.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of our website or services. This includes, but isn't limited to, any loss of data, loss of income, or loss of opportunities.
We're not responsible for the content, accuracy, or opinions expressed by users or third parties on our platform. The views expressed by community members don't necessarily reflect our official positions or endorsements.
8. External Links and Third-Party Services
Our website may contain links to external websites, resources, or services that we don't control. We provide these links because we think they might be helpful or relevant, but we can't guarantee their content, accuracy, or practices. When you click on external links, you're leaving our platform and entering spaces governed by different terms and privacy policies. We encourage you to review those policies before engaging with third-party sites.
9. Termination and Suspension
We hope our relationship is long and fruitful, but we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to our platform at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you've violated these Terms of Service or engaged in conduct that's harmful to our community or mission.
You can also choose to stop using our services at any time—no hard feelings! If you have an account, you can request deletion by contacting us at [email protected].
Even after termination, certain provisions of these Terms of Service—such as intellectual property rights, limitation of liability, and dispute resolution—will continue to apply.
10. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance operates, without regard to conflict of law principles. We believe in resolving disagreements through open communication and good faith discussions. If any dispute arises between us, we encourage you to reach out to us first so we can try to resolve it amicably.
If we can't resolve a dispute through informal means, both parties agree to pursue resolution through the appropriate legal channels in accordance with applicable law.
11. Indemnification
By using our platform, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance and its affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of our website, your violation of these Terms of Service, or your violation of any rights of another person or entity.
12. Miscellaneous Provisions
If any provision of these Terms of Service is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
Our failure to enforce any right or provision in these terms doesn't constitute a waiver of that right or provision. These Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between you and the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance regarding your use of our website.
13. Contact Us
We're here for you! If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about these Terms of Service or anything else related to our platform, please don't hesitate to reach out. We genuinely value your input and want to ensure your experience with our community is positive and meaningful.
You can contact us at: [email protected]
We typically respond within 2-3 business days, though we'll do our best to get back to you even sooner.
Thank You for Being Part of Our Community
These terms might seem formal, but they're really just our way of ensuring that everyone in our community feels safe, respected, and empowered to contribute to positive change in the dental profession. We're honored that you've chosen to be part of the Dental Diversity & Inclusion Alliance, and we're excited about the impact we'll create together.
Here's to building a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable future for dentistry—one connection, one conversation, and one breakthrough at a time. Welcome aboard!