Orofacial Pain Residency Programs
There are 14 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orofacial pain in the United States, in 11 states.
Every one is listed below with its institution, city, state, current accreditation status, and the years of CODA's last and next accreditation visits, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Read on for what the statuses mean, where orofacial pain sits among the recognized dental specialties, and what comes after residency.
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At a glance
Nationwide
Programs
14
With a program
States
11
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
12 of 14
Every CODA-Accredited Program in the United States
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. CODA classes these as advanced dental education programs; status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List: What the Accreditation Statuses Mean
Every status shown above is CODA's own term, not this site's. "Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" is the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation." "Approval (with Reporting Requirements)" means CODA has identified specific deficiencies or weaknesses the program must correct within a set timeframe — it is not a warning to avoid the program, just a status CODA is actively tracking. "Initial Accreditation" marks a program that has not yet enrolled and graduated at least one full class of students, so it is not yet considered fully operational.
The last- and next-visit years are CODA's own accreditation-visit schedule, not anything set by the program.
For admissions requirements or program structure, contact the program directly.
Orofacial Pain Among the Recognized Specialties
Orofacial pain is one of the 12 dental specialties recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, an agency of the American Dental Association; it was recognized in 2020, and its certifying board is the American Board of Orofacial Pain.
CODA classes the programs above as advanced dental education programs, the same category as every other specialty residency, and completing one is the recognized path into the specialty.
Our guide to dental residency and board certification explains how specialty residencies, the Match and board certification fit together in general, and the dentist career guide covers the path from dental school onward.
After Residency
A residency is not a license: an orofacial pain specialist practices under a dentist license in the state where they work — and, in some states, a separate specialty license as well — and what each state requires before it will issue one is set by that state.
See our state-by-state dentist licensure pages for what the boards themselves publish, and our step-by-step guide to becoming a dentist for the full sequence from dental school through licensure.
When you are ready to look at what's hiring, search current dentist jobs nationwide.
Where the Programs Are
Los Angeles and Boston are the only cities with more than one program; the rest are spread one to a city across nine other states, so most of the country has no orofacial pain program within its own borders.
The Institution column above names each program's sponsor directly, and the website links go to the sponsor's own page, which is where admissions details live.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited orofacial pain residency programs are there?
There are 14 CODA-accredited orofacial pain programs in the United States, in 11 states.
Each is listed above with its institution, city, state and current CODA accreditation status.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Is orofacial pain a recognized dental specialty?
Yes.
Orofacial pain is one of the 12 specialties recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, recognized in 2020, and its certifying board is the American Board of Orofacial Pain.
CODA accredits its residency programs as advanced dental education programs, the same category as the other specialty residencies.
What does "Approval with Reporting Requirements" mean for a program on this list?
It is CODA's own classification, meaning CODA has identified specific deficiencies or weaknesses in one or more areas of the program that must be corrected within a set timeframe.
It is not a warning to avoid the program — CODA's own definitions page frames it as a compliance timeline, not a ranking.
Ask the program and CODA directly about its current standing before you apply.
Do I have to complete the residency in the state where I want to practice?
No. CODA accreditation is national, so a residency completed in any of the 11 states carries the same accreditation standing everywhere.
What a state requires before it will license a dentist is set by that state, not by a program, so check the state's own dentist licensure page and confirm with its dental board before you plan around a residency.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," "Withdrawn," or a "teach-out" qualifier — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Dentist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.