A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health

The Postgraduate Orthodontic Program at the ATSU ASDOH is accredited by the Council on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.  The Program is 30 months in length and comprises clinical training, didactic coursework, teaching experiences, and a research project leading to a research manuscript.  ATSU-ASDOH awards a Certificate of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics and Master’s of Science in Orthodontics to those completing the program. Graduates of the program are educationally qualified to take the Phase III examination of the American Board of Orthodontics. The recommended ADA Accreditation Standards for Dental Specialty and the AAO Recommendations for Orthodontic Specialty are the basis for the ATSU ASDOH program.

Approximately 60 percent of residents’ time is devoted to clinical treatment, 20 percent to seminars and small-group classes, and the remainder to independent research and teaching. The program also provides orthodontic care for the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul to serve the community.

Patient care begins within the third week of the program and culminates with comprehensive case examinations at the end of the final year. As part of The Center for Advanced Oral Health and in close cooperation with the Advanced Education in General Dentistry, our orthodontic program provides residents the opportunity for interdisciplinary seminars and treatment of complex cases.

The working hours of the program are 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Residents are expected to attend special programs that may be held in the evenings or on weekends. In addition, preparations for patient care and didactic courses and research are expected to require additional time.

Residents will:

• Attend the Tweed Study Course
• Attend professional conferences
• Complete rotations in TMD as well as craniofacial rehabilitation, and
• Complete a capstone research project in the field of orthodontics that will be suitable for publication in a major orthodontic journal.

The residents are also exposed to various advanced treatment techniques, including SureSmile, temporary anchorage devices (TADs), lingual braces, Invisalign®, soft-tissue lasers, digital orthodontic models, and three-dimensional imaging.

Residents will take the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) written examination before graduation and are strongly encouraged to complete the clinical examination and become board certified shortly after graduation. To aid with ABO certification, residents will begin treatment on 10 board eligible cases within the two months of residency. They will be expected to start an additional 50 cases in the first six months. In total, residents can expect to start approximately 70-80 cases, plus an additional 20-30 transfers during their 30-month residency.

Please refer to https://www.atsu.edu/asdoh/programs/orthodontics/application_process.htm for more information regarding the program and requirements.