The Discipline of Orthodontics aims to provide high-quality education, research, and clinical services in the field of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Anomalies.
Orthodontics is an area of dentistry that prevents, diagnoses, and treats dentofacial growth anomalies, as well as misalignments of teeth and jaws.
A qualified specialist in orthodontics is able to manage a large variety of malocclusions including craniofacial syndromes, combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgery cases, and complex interdisciplinary cases.
There is an increasingly growing demand for postgraduate orthodontic education in New Zealand, especially from junior dentists who want to enrol in an orthodontic programme, or senior dentists who have an interest in expanding their basic orthodontic skills in an accredited academic institution, which is delivering evidence-based orthodontic education.
An orthodontic internship at Otago is currently available to registered dentists with the aim to provide a full-time (37.5-40 hours per week) educational experience in clinical orthodontics in a world-class academic institution, under the guidance of knowledgeable and renowned academic educators.
Find out more about the Orthodontic Internship
Postgraduate education and training in Orthodontics at the University of Otago consists of an advanced and intense three-year programme that includes significant clinical and research components, the successful completion of which leads to the award of a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (Orthodontics), and registration as a specialist in Orthodontics in New Zealand and Australia.
The aim of the programme is to educate and train highly qualified orthodontists who are able to manage a large variety of clinical problems including craniofacial syndromes, surgical cases, and complex multidisciplinary cases.
During their programme, students will receive comprehensive training in orthodontics, with a broad evidence-based academic background, and a high-quality clinical experience with orthodontic patients under the guidance of expert supervisors in a safe and efficient work environment.
You will have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with many different orthodontic mechanics, philosophies, and treatment techniques including: straight wire, low-friction, segmented arch, and lingual mechanics, along with clear sequential aligners, and various functional appliances.
On completion of the course you will be eligible to register as a specialist orthodontist, with competency in treating a wide spectrum of simple and complex malocclusions.
The DClinDent in Orthodontics at the University of Otago has been developed to comply with international standards for a high-quality postgraduate education in orthodontics, which are described by the World Federation of Orthodontics (WFO), and endorsed in New Zealand and Australia.
Our staff have extensive expertise in both clinical practice and research. Our clinical supervisors are highly skilled in the management of complex malocclusions, including interdisciplinary and combined orthognathic-orthodontic treatment, and the care of patients with special needs or craniofacial anomalies, temporomandibular dysfunction, and sleep apnoea.
The high quality of research produced by the Discipline of Orthodontics at Otago is internationally regarded. Areas of research strength include:
Important emerging lines of research include craniofacial genetics, carried out in conjunction with Genetics Otago, and craniofacial imaging in conjunction with the Department of Computer Science.
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Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.
Orthodontics
Department of Oral Sciences
Faculty of Dentistry
Email orthoclinic@otago.ac.nz
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