The present publication was first established in 1982 as a regularly issued news bulletin, primarily devoted to reporting news and addressing cultural matters relevant to its readership. From its inception, it functioned as an organized and continuous periodical publication.
In 1985, upon obtaining official authorization from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to publish a specialized dental journal, the aforementioned news bulletin formally ceased publication in its original format and was replaced by a scientific periodical entitled Majallah-i-Dandanpezeshki (Dental Journal).
In December 1986, the Press Supervisory Board of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance approved the continued publication of the journal under the title Journal of the Islamic Dental Association of Iran, to be issued on a monthly basis, in the Persian language, and in accordance with a religious–scientific–health–social framework.
This publication is recognized as the first Iranian scientific dental journal published in ministerial format, with an initial circulation of 1,000 copies. In September 1993, a formal request was submitted to transfer the publishing license of the Dental Journal to the Islamic Dental Association of Iran. The request was examined at the meeting of the Press Supervisory Board held on November 15, 1993, and was duly approved.
Subsequently, on December 7, 1993, the official publication license for the Dental Journal—within the defined religious–scientific–health–social scope, in Persian, and with monthly periodicity—was formally registered and issued in Tehran.
In 1994, the Dental Journal was registered with the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and was assigned a print International Standard Serial Number (ISSN 1024-6428), which was thereafter printed on the cover of each issue.
In January 1997, following a written application submitted to the Domestic Press Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the publication frequency of the journal was officially changed from monthly to quarterly.
On July 27, 1997, pursuant to the approval of the National Commission of Medical Journals, the journal was granted the rank of Scientific–Promotional. Later, at the 42nd session of the National Commission of Medical Science Journals held in February 2002, the Journal of the Islamic Dental Association of Iran was elevated to Scientific–Research status.
The journal’s scope has encompassed the publication of original research articles, review papers, and case reports across various dental specialties and fields of oral and dental health. Its principal objective has consistently been the advancement of scientific knowledge and the dissemination of research achievements within the domain of dental sciences. The journal has been indexed in several national and international databases, including DOAJ, CINAHL, Chemical Abstracts, EM Care (Elsevier), CAB International, Index Copernicus, SID, ISC, Index Medicus (EMRO), Iran Medex, and Magiran.
In 2008, the journal launched its dedicated website (www.jida.ir) and implemented a comprehensive online management system. From that time onward, all editorial processes—from manuscript submission and peer review to final publication—which had previously been conducted manually via courier and postal services, were fully transitioned to an electronic platform. It is noteworthy that the journal was selected as the top journal for two consecutive years at the 11th and 12th Razi Medical Sciences Research Festival, receiving the commemorative plaque and emblem of the festival in recognition of its academic merit.
On August 18, 2008, the journal was assigned an electronic ISSN (1960-2008) by the National ISSN Center of the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Beginning in the spring of 2012, the Dental Journal adopted a bilingual publication model. All accepted articles were published in Persian in print format and in English electronically.
From 2015 onward, the journal has been published exclusively in the English language and solely in electronic format.
In 2020, the Central Council of the Islamic Dental Association of Iran resolved, with the objective of further growth, academic development, and broader scientific engagement, to transfer the publication of the journal to the Iranian Dental Association. Concurrently, the title of the journal was changed from the Journal of the Islamic Dental Association of Iran (JIDAI) to the Journal of Iranian Dental Association (JIDA), and it has since been published under the ISSN 3060-8201.