Dentistry Certificate: 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.

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 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 via the ADEA's website at https://www.adea.org/dental_education_pathways/PASS/applicants/.

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. at https://natmatch.com/dentres/.

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 D.D.S. or D.M.D. 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: This personal statement includes your specific interest in Temple's Orthodontics certificate program, your research and future career goals, and your previous academic and research achievements. The statement should not exceed 2,000 words.

Standardized Test Scores:
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.

ADAT: Scores from the Advanced Dental Admission Test are not required.

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: The following documents required for the Orthodontics certificate program are to be sent directly to the Kornberg School of Dentistry in one envelope to the address listed above:

A check in the amount of $50 made payable to Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry. This covers a separate application fee required when applying to the Orthodontics program. Payment should be remitted in a U.S. bank check or U.S. money order as international checks are not accepted.
A 2x2 photo of the applicant’s face.

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: 189

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	14
OHSC 9993	Master's Research Qualifying Examination	1
OHSC 9996	Master's Thesis in Oral Biology	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 Anomolies 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		189

Course is repeatable for additional credit.

Proposed Plan of Study Outlined by Year and Term

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 9991	Research in Oral Health Sciences¹	4
OHSC 9993	Master's Research Qualifying Examination	1
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference¹	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 Review¹	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 Techniques¹	2
ORTG 8431	Thesis; Scientific Writing and Preparation Course 1	1
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomolies Conference¹	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education¹	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic¹	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic¹	6
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds¹	2
	Term Credit Hours	62
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 Sciences¹	4
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference¹	4
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review¹	1
ORTG 8419	Orthodontic Principles and Techniques¹	1
ORTG 8421	3-D Imaging and Computer Generated Orthodontics	2
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review¹	1
ORTG 8424	Biology of Tooth Movement	2
ORTG 8513	Operations Management for Orthodontic Practice II	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomolies Conference¹	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education¹	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic¹	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic¹	4
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds¹	2
	Term Credit Hours	43
Year 2
Fall
OHSC 9991	Research in Oral Health Sciences¹	4
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference¹	4
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review¹	1
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review¹	2
ORTG 8425	Classic Literature Review	1
ORTG 8426	Multidisciplinary and Adult Orthodontics	2
ORTG 8430	Advance Orthodontic Principles and Techniques¹	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomolies Conference¹	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education¹	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic¹	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic¹	6
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds¹	2
	Term Credit Hours	39
Spring
OHSC 9991	Research in Oral Health Sciences¹	2
OHSC 9996	Master's Thesis in Oral Biology	1
ORTG 8400	Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Conference¹	4
ORTG 8410	Current Literature Review¹	1
ORTG 8416	Clinical Biomechanics	1
ORTG 8423	Progress Conference and Case Review¹	1
ORTG 8427	American Board of Orthodontics Preparation Course	2
ORTG 8430	Advance Orthodontic Principles and Techniques¹	2
ORTG 9487	Dento-Facial Anomolies Conference¹	1
ORTG 9489	Extracurricular Education¹	2
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic¹	12
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic¹	4
PERG 8350	Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Dental Treatment Planning Grand Rounds¹	2
	Term Credit Hours	35
Summer
ORTG 8428	ABO Mock Boards	1
ORTG 9587	Graduate Orthodontic Clinic¹	6
ORTG 9588	Graduate Orthodontic Screening Clinic¹	3
	Term Credit Hours	10
	Total Credit Hours:	189