Orthodontic Residency Programs in North Carolina
North Carolina has 1 CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, based in Chapel Hill.
It's 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 a CODA-accredited orthodontics residency is the recognized path into the specialty — read on for what the program's status means and what happens after residency.
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At a glance
In North Carolina
Programs
1
With a program
Cities
1
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
1 of 1
Every CODA-Accredited Program in North Carolina
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 North Carolina's Accreditation Status Means
The 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." By contrast, "Approval (with Reporting Requirements)" would mean CODA had identified specific deficiencies the program must correct within a set timeframe — that is not the case here. "Initial Accreditation" is what CODA grants a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents, also not the case for this program.
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 its 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.
North Carolina has one accredited program, compared with 1 in South Carolina, 2 in Georgia and 1 in Tennessee 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 the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry program in Chapel Hill who go on to practice in North Carolina need a dentist license from the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners — see North Carolina's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in North Carolina
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; in North Carolina, orthodontics is practiced under a dentist license rather than a separate specialty license.
That step applies the same way whether the residency itself was completed in Chapel Hill or at a program in another state — see the licensure page linked above for what North Carolina itself requires.
Residents who train in Chapel Hill and go on to practice in North Carolina can check orthodontist salary in North Carolina for state-level pay data and search current orthodontist jobs in North Carolina to see who's hiring now.
Where North Carolina's Orthodontics Program Is Located
North Carolina's single CODA-accredited orthodontics program is based in Chapel Hill, in the central Piedmont region of the state, home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's dental school.
Applicants weighing this program alongside options in neighboring states can compare admissions details and program structure directly with each school, since none of that is published in CODA's directory.
CODA accreditation is national, so a program's location relative to where you eventually want to practice doesn't affect its standing — what matters for licensure is the program's accreditation, not its city.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited orthodontics residency programs are in North Carolina?
North Carolina has 1 CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, located in Chapel Hill.
It's listed above with its institution, city and current CODA accreditation status.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm the program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does an out-of-state orthodontics residency count toward practicing in North Carolina?
Yes.
North Carolina licenses dentists — including orthodontists — who completed a CODA-accredited residency regardless of which state it's located in; what matters is the residency's CODA accreditation, not its location.
See our North Carolina dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires before you can practice.
What does "Approval without Reporting Requirements" mean?
It's the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation," in CODA's own words.
It's the standard, unqualified accreditation status — not a distinction of rank, just a program with no outstanding deficiencies CODA has flagged.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
What comes after finishing a CODA-accredited orthodontics residency?
Graduates hold an active dentist license in the state where they intend to practice; in North Carolina, orthodontists practice under that dentist license rather than a separate specialty license.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming an orthodontist walks through the full sequence from dental school through residency and licensure.
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 North Carolina & 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.