Orthodontic Residency Programs in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 5 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, based in three cities: Greensburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Each program is listed below with its institution, city, current CODA accreditation status, and the years of the Commission on Dental Accreditation's last and next accreditation visits, pulled directly from CODA's own program directory.
Completing one of these programs is the recognized path into the orthodontics specialty — read on for what each program's accreditation status means and what comes after residency.
Verify before you apply
At a glance
In Pennsylvania
Programs
5
With a program
Cities
3
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
5 of 5
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania's Accreditation Statuses Mean
The status shown above for each Pennsylvania program 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 a program must correct within a set timeframe — it isn't a signal to avoid a program, only a status mid-correction. "Initial Accreditation" is what CODA grants a program that's accredited but hasn't 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 general dentist becomes an orthodontist.
Pennsylvania has 5 accredited programs, compared with 2 in New Jersey, 1 in Maryland and 11 in New York 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 Seton Hill University, Albert Einstein Medical Center and 3 other institutions who go on to practice in Pennsylvania need a dentist license from the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry — see Pennsylvania's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania, orthodontics is practiced under a dentist license rather than a separate specialty license.
Residents who train in Greensburg, Philadelphia or Pittsburgh and go on to practice in Pennsylvania can check orthodontist salary in Pennsylvania for state-level pay data and search current orthodontist jobs to see who's hiring now.
Where Pennsylvania's Orthodontic Residency Programs Are Located
Pennsylvania's programs cluster in Philadelphia, with additional programs based in Greensburg and Pittsburgh.
If you're weighing a program outside Pennsylvania as well, remember that CODA accreditation is a national standard — a program's location doesn't affect whether a Pennsylvania license will later recognize it, only how far you'll need to relocate for residency.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited orthodontic residency programs are in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has 5 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, located in Greensburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Each is listed above with its institution, city 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.
What does "Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" mean?
"Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" is the classification CODA grants a program that "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation." It's CODA's standard fully-approved status, not a ranking against other programs — it simply means CODA hasn't identified outstanding deficiencies as of the last review.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying, since status can change between accreditation visits.
Do I have to complete an orthodontic residency in Pennsylvania to practice there?
No. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires before you can practice.
What comes after finishing a CODA-accredited orthodontic residency?
Graduates hold an active dentist license in the state where they intend to practice; in Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania & 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.