KORNBERG SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

Learn more about the certificate in Orthodontics.

About the Certificate

The postgraduate certificate in Orthodontics at Kornberg School of Dentistry emphasizes evidence-based, patient-centered and outcome-driven care. The Orthodontics curriculum incorporates advanced understanding of cutting-edge orthodontic instrumentation, with a focus on wire manipulation and clinical biomechanics. Study of dental literature, research, theories, technological advancements and therapeutic procedures is applied to the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Skills are also developed for the sound management of one’s own clinical practice.

Matriculation in the Orthodontics program starts in July of each year. Dentists are expected to maintain continuous residency status over the course of the program. Completion of the certificate also awards residents a concurrent Master of Science degree in Oral Health Sciences.

Time Limit for Certificate Completion: 26 months

Campus Location: Health Sciences Center

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: Full-time study is required.

Job Prospects: The postdoctoral certificate program prepares residents to become qualified specialists in orthodontics with expertise in applied basic sciences, clinical biomechanics, compassionate care for patients, and diagnosis and treatment planning. Residents receive advanced didactic and clinical instruction across all aspects of the discipline in preparation for a career as an orthodontist in settings such as academics, clinical practice and research. Graduates are prepared to pursue certification by the American Board of Orthodontics.

Licensure/Certification: Students who complete the certificate in Orthodontics are eligible to sit for the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) exam. A written examination must first be completed before the clinical examination can be taken. When both examinations are successfully completed, the orthodontist may become board certified by the ABO. The awarded certificate is time limited. By the end of the time-limited certificate, the board-certified orthodontist must have taken the appropriate renewal examination to retain board certification.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Non-matriculated students may enroll in some courses with permission from the course instructor and approval from the Kornberg School of Dentistry's Office of Graduate Education.

Financing Opportunities: Limited financial support is available for dental residents.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Summer: August 15 to start the following year

APPLY ONLINE to this professional certificate program through ADEA PASS®.

Also APPLY ONLINE to the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program.

Applicants for the Orthodontics certificate program must utilize the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS), which is a centralized application service sponsored by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) for individuals applying to advanced dental education programs. The ADEA PASS® application must be completed.

All Orthodontics applicants must submit their application materials to PASS by August 15 to allow PASS sufficient time to process their materials and submit them to Temple by our September 1 deadline. Please check with PASS to ensure that your information has been received as they will only forward completed records to Temple University for assessment.

All Orthodontics applicants are also required to apply to the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program through National Matching Services Inc.

Six individuals are selected each year for full-time matriculation into the Orthodontics certificate program. Preference is given to academically accomplished candidates and those with demonstrable maturity in research, clinical care or service. Individuals with high GPAs and strong letters of recommendation are encouraged to apply. The admissions process ensures a fair, unbiased and nondiscriminatory admissions policy.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 3

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from dental school faculty or supervisors. At least two of the letters must be written by faculty who can evaluate the applicant’s clinical skills.

Degree Required for Admission Consideration: Applicants must hold the DDS or DMD degree from a U.S. or Canadian dental school accredited according to the standards of the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

International applicants must verify that their training is equivalent to a CODA-accredited institution by using one of these foreign academic credentialing services: World Education Services or Education Credential Evaluators.

Statement of Goals: In no more than 2,000 words, address your specific interest in Temple University's Orthodontics certificate program, your research and future career goals, and your previous academic and research achievements.

Standardized Test Scores:
ADAT: Not required.

GRE: Required.

NBDE: Required. All applicants must have passed the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I and Part II. If the applicant is currently a senior dental student, results from Part II may be forwarded directly to Kornberg School of Dentistry once received.

TOEFL iBT: 100 minimum required.

Transcripts and Credential Evaluation: Official transcripts from all colleges, universities and dental schools attended must be submitted. Transcripts should include GPA and class rank. Submit transcripts through the ADEA PASS® application.

Note that PASS does not accept undergraduate college transcripts. Applicants must send official transcripts for their undergraduate study directly to Kornberg School of Dentistry at the following address:

     Dept. of Orthodontics
     Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry
     3223 N. Broad Street (600-00)
     Philadelphia, PA 19140

Resume: Current resume or CV required. Submit resume through the ADEA PASS® application.

Supplemental Documents: A 2x2 photo of the applicant’s face is required for the Orthodontics certificate program. It is to be sent directly to the Kornberg School of Dentistry to the address listed above or to dentalgrad@temple.edu.

Fees: A $75 application fee is required. Applicants receive the link to submit the fee after they have submitted their application through ADEA PASS. 

Acceptance: Applicants who are accepted into the Orthodontics certificate program are rank-ordered, and their names are submitted to National Matching Services Inc. Notification of their match with a program occurs on the date chosen by National Matching Services Inc.

Certificate Requirements

Number of Credits Required: 179

Required Courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
OHSC 8011	Molecular Oral and Craniofacial Biology	1
OHSC 8012	Advanced Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics	1
OHSC 8013	Introduction to Evidence-Based Dentistry	1
OHSC 8014	Clinical Anatomy of the Head and Neck	1
OHSC 8015	Research Methodology and Study Design	1
OHSC 8016	Cases in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	1
OHSC 8017	Oral Microbiology and Immunology	1
OHSC 8018	Biostatistics	1
OHSC 8019	Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology	1
OHSC 8033	Bioethics and Critical Thinking in Dentistry	1
OHSC 9991	Research in Oral Health Sciences 1	4
OHSC 9993	Master's Research Qualifying Examination	1
OHSC 9996	Master's Thesis in Oral Health Sciences	1
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference 1	16
ORTG 8401	Orthodontic Technique Lab	6
ORTG 8403	Orthodontic Diagnosis and Treatment Plan Seminar	2
ORTG 8404	Orthodontic Biomechanics	2
ORTG 8407	History of Orthodontics	1
ORTG 8408	Craniofacial Cephalometrics	3
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review 1	4
ORTG 8414	Growth and Development of the Craniofacial Complex	2
ORTG 8416	Clinical Biomechanics	1
ORTG 8417	Introduction to Basic Principles of Orthodontics (Lab)	2
ORTG 8418	Introduction to Basic Principles of Orthodontics (Seminar)	3
ORTG 8419	Orthodontic Principles and Techniques 1	3
ORTG 8421	3-D Imaging and Computer Generated Orthodontics	2
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review 1	4
ORTG 8424	Biology of Tooth Movement	2
ORTG 8425	Classic Literature Review	1
ORTG 8426	Multidisciplinary and Adult Orthodontics	2
ORTG 8427	American Board of Orthodontics Preparation Course	2
ORTG 8428	ABO Mock Boards	1
ORTG 8430	Advance Orthodontic Principles and Techniques 1	4
ORTG 8431	Thesis; Scientific Writing and Preparation Course 1	1
ORTG 8513	Operations Management for Orthodontic Practice II	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomalies Conference 1	4
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education 1	8
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic 1	54
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic 1	23
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds 1	8
Total Credit Hours		179

¹

Course is repeatable for additional credit.

Suggested Plan of Study Outlined by Year and Term

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Fall		Credit Hours
OHSC 8013	Introduction to Evidence-Based Dentistry	1
OHSC 8015	Research Methodology and Study Design	1
OHSC 8017	Oral Microbiology and Immunology	1
OHSC 8018	Biostatistics	1
OHSC 8019	Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology	1
OHSC 9993	Master's Research Qualifying Examination	1
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference 1	4
ORTG 8401	Orthodontic Technique Lab	6
ORTG 8403	Orthodontic Diagnosis and Treatment Plan Seminar	2
ORTG 8404	Orthodontic Biomechanics	2
ORTG 8407	History of Orthodontics	1
ORTG 8408	Craniofacial Cephalometrics	3
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review 1	1
ORTG 8414	Growth and Development of the Craniofacial Complex	2
ORTG 8417	Introduction to Basic Principles of Orthodontics (Lab)	2
ORTG 8418	Introduction to Basic Principles of Orthodontics (Seminar)	3
ORTG 8419	Orthodontic Principles and Techniques 1	2
ORTG 8431	Thesis; Scientific Writing and Preparation Course 1	1
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomalies Conference 1	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education 1	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic 1	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic 1	6
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds 1	2
	Credit Hours	58
Spring
OHSC 8011	Molecular Oral and Craniofacial Biology	1
OHSC 8012	Advanced Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics	1
OHSC 8014	Clinical Anatomy of the Head and Neck	1
OHSC 8016	Cases in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	1
OHSC 8033	Bioethics and Critical Thinking in Dentistry	1
OHSC 9991	Research in Oral Health Sciences 1	2
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference 1	4
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review 1	1
ORTG 8419	Orthodontic Principles and Techniques 1	1
ORTG 8421	3-D Imaging and Computer Generated Orthodontics	2
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review 1	1
ORTG 8424	Biology of Tooth Movement	2
ORTG 8513	Operations Management for Orthodontic Practice II	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomalies Conference 1	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education 1	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic 1	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic 1	4
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds 1	2
	Credit Hours	41
Year 2
Fall
OHSC 9991	Research in Oral Health Sciences 1	2
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference 1	4
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review 1	1
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review 1	2
ORTG 8425	Classic Literature Review	1
ORTG 8426	Multidisciplinary and Adult Orthodontics	2
ORTG 8430	Advance Orthodontic Principles and Techniques 1	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomalies Conference 1	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education 1	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic 1	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic 1	6
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds 1	2
	Credit Hours	37
Spring
OHSC 9996	Master's Thesis in Oral Health Sciences	1
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference 1	4
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review 1	1
ORTG 8416	Clinical Biomechanics	1
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review 1	1
ORTG 8427	American Board of Orthodontics Preparation Course	2
ORTG 8430	Advance Orthodontic Principles and Techniques 1	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomalies Conference 1	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education 1	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic 1	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic 1	4
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds 1	2
	Credit Hours	33
Summer
ORTG 8428	ABO Mock Boards	1
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic 1	6
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic 1	3
	Credit Hours	10
	Total Credit Hours	179

¹

Course is repeatable for additional credit.

Contacts

Department Contacts: