Orthodontic Residency Programs in California
California has 5 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, based in Loma Linda, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Each is listed below with its institution, city, 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.
Completing one of these programs is the recognized path into the orthodontic specialty — read on for what each program's status means and what happens after residency.
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At a glance
In California
Programs
5
With a program
Cities
3
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
5 of 5
Every CODA-Accredited Program in California
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List: What California's Accreditation Statuses Mean
The statuses shown above are CODA's own terms, 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 the program must correct within a set timeframe — it is not a warning to avoid the program, only a status mid-correction. "Initial Accreditation" is what CODA grants a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents.
The last- and next-visit years shown are CODA's own accreditation-visit schedule, not anything set by the program itself.
For admissions requirements, program structure, or cost, contact the program directly, and confirm any program's current status with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for the Path Into Orthodontics
Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics is one of 12 recognized dental specialties, and completing a CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in the specialty is how a dentist becomes an orthodontist.
California has 5 accredited programs, compared with 1 in Oregon, 1 in Arizona and 2 in Nevada nearby; wherever you train, our step-by-step guide to becoming an orthodontist covers the full sequence from dental school through residency, our orthodontist career guide what the role involves day to day, and which dental specialty pays the most how orthodontics compares with the other eleven.
Graduates of programs at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California and 3 other institutions who go on to practice in California need a dentist license from the Dental Board of California — see California's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in California
A CODA-accredited residency is the entry point into orthodontics, not the final step — practicing afterward still requires holding an active dentist license in the state where you intend to work.
Check whether California also requires a separate specialty license with the Dental Board of California.
Residents who train in Loma Linda, Los Angeles or San Francisco and go on to practice in California can check the orthodontist salary guide for pay context and search current orthodontist jobs in California to see who's hiring now.
Where California's Orthodontics Programs Are Located
California's 5 programs sit in three cities: two in Los Angeles, two in San Francisco, and one in Loma Linda.
That spread means applicants weighing California options are largely choosing between Southern California and Northern California campuses, with a single Inland Empire program at Loma Linda.
Program location doesn't affect the recognized value of the accreditation itself — CODA accreditation is a national standard, not a regional one — but it can matter for clinical rotations, cost of living, and proximity to family during a residency.
Contact each program directly for details on its setting and affiliated clinics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited orthodontics residency programs are in California?
California has 5 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, located in Loma Linda, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Each is listed above with its current CODA accreditation status, address and program director.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does an out-of-state orthodontics residency count if I want to practice in California?
Yes.
CODA accreditation is a national standard, not a state-by-state one, so a residency completed anywhere in the country carries the same recognized accreditation.
What determines whether you can practice in California is holding an active California dentist license, not where your residency was located.
See our California dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires.
What does "Initial Accreditation" mean for a program?
"Initial Accreditation" is the classification CODA grants to a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents.
It doesn't mean the program is provisional or lesser — it simply hasn't operated long enough to have graduates yet.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
How do I check a program's current accreditation status?
The statuses and visit years listed above come from CODA's own program directory, but accreditation status can change between updates to this page.
Before applying, confirm a program's current status directly with the Commission on Dental Accreditation or by contacting the program.
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," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More California & Orthodontist 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.