MS/Certificate in Orthodontics

Welcome to Ohio State’s Orthodontic Residency Program

Our program offers you the opportunity to treat the full range of different malocclusions in children and adults through instruction and extensive experience in diagnosis and treatment planning, biomechanics, orthognathic surgery and other interdisciplinary procedures. Your clinical experiences will include rotations at the Orthodontic and Dentofacial clinics at the College of Dentistry, as well as the Craniofacial Anomalies Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Our 33-month program enables residents to complete active treatment for approximately 80% of their patients.

Degree Granted

MS plus certificate*

Students Accepted

5

Program Length

33 months


 

Application Deadline

August 1

  • PASS application: yes
  • National Match Program: yes
  • GRE: required
  • International students accepted: yes (TOEFL required)
  • National Board Dental Examination (Part 1): yes
  • Stipend: $14,898 (2024-25)
  • Fulfills requirements for eligibility to the American Board of Orthodontics

Clinical Rotations

Patients accepted for treatment in the Orthodontic Clinic are distributed equally among the first-year residents throughout the year. As new patients are assigned, you will gather records and then formulate a treatment plan with the supervising instructor. Because clinical instructors use a variety of techniques (Straightwire 0.018 and 0.022), patients are treated only by the assigned instructor. You can expect to start approximately 65-70 new cases, including early treatment, adult and surgical patients.

Curriculum

The core curriculum courses are taught in a lecture/exam format and include:

  • statistics
  • oral pathology
  • developmental histology
  • research design
  • anatomy of the head and neck

Intra-division courses are taught by the orthodontic faculty at the College of Dentistry, with emphasis on evidence-based review and discussion of the orthodontic literature. These courses include:

  • cephalometrics
  • biomechanics
  • growth and development
  • typodont technique
  • diagnosis and treatment planning
  • surgical orthodontics
  • periodontal/orthodontic interrelationships

Case presentation and literature review. Every Friday morning residents and faculty meet for a formal presentation of a case by a second- or third-year resident and a discussion of selections from the orthodontic literature. Each quarter, a different faculty member chooses the area or topic for review. 

Salary and Benefits

Orthodontic residents received a stipend of $14,898 during academic year 2024-25 (effective 8/16/2024). In addition, half of the in-state and non-resident tuition will be waived during the entire 33-month program. You will be on an annual contract during your residency program. 

Health insurance, parking fees, meals and housing are not covered and must be paid by the individual. There is also a start-up cost of approximately $3,500 for equipment and supplies.

Please note

Students in a clinical residency program can pursue a PhD program as an alternative to the MS degree program. You must be accepted by both the specialty program and the Oral Biology PhD program.

Teaching

Residents are responsible for teaching, preparing and developing teaching materials, including:

  • preparation of teaching materials for the pre-clinical orthodontic component of the DDS program
  • pre-clinical teaching of first- and second-year DDS students, with faculty guidance
  • clinical supervision of patient care for third- and fourth-year DDS students, with assigned faculty
  • assisting faculty in the preparation and proctoring of exams
  • monitoring student progress and providing monthly reports to faculty involved in the DDS program

Research Activities

In addition to earning a certificate in orthodontics, as a resident of the Graduate Orthodontic Program you are required to prepare and successfully defend a master’s thesis during the second semester of your final year and submit a publishable form to appropriate peer-reviewed journals. You will be encouraged to choose a topic and major advisor during your first year and begin the research project in your second year.

Research topics include both clinical and basic sciences through a wide range of opportunities available within the college and university, including but not limited to:

  • orthodontic and surgical outcomes
  • materials science
  • genetics
  • molecular biology

Departmental contact:

Tina M. Thome
Office Administrative Associate
Division of Orthodontics
The Ohio State University College of Dentistry
4088 Postle Hall
305 W. 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH  43210

Phone: 614-292-5972
Fax: 614-688-3077
orthodontics@osu.edu

Admissions contact:

Darryl T. Hamamoto, DDS, PhD
Associate Dean, Graduate Education, Admissions, and Institutional Outcomes & Associate Professor
The Ohio State University College of Dentistry
305 W. 12th Ave
Columbus OH 43210
hamamoto.4@osu.edu

 

Accreditation

The Orthodontic Residency Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: coda.ada.org.

Disclosure of Licensure and Certification Information

Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact information at odee.osu.edu/students/state-authorization#licensure.  Click on the link for State Dental Boards.