Orthodontics is a dental specialty described by the General Dental Council (GDC) as "concerning the diagnosis, prevention, interception and treatment of irregularities of the teeth, dental occlusion (bite) and growth of the face in both children and adults".
Important: Eligibility for Specialty Training
You must have completed Orthodontics ST1 to ST3 or equivalent training before applying to ST4 level.
Applicants must be registered as a specialist with the GDC before post commencement.
Why undertake Specialty Training?
While most dental graduates look forward to a career providing a full range of oral health care to patients in general dental practice, many have an interest in a specific aspect of dentistry.
Dentists can achieve specialist status by gaining entry to one of the Speciality Training programmes.
Non-urgent advice: Orthodontic curriculum
The content of the curriculum was developed by Specialty Advisory Committees who report to the relevant Dental Faculties of the Royal Colleges.
View the curriculum on the GDC’s website.
Salaries for specialty trainees
Salaries for specialty trainees vary across the 4 nations of the UK.
For information about pay and conditions in England, go to NHS Employers.
For Northern Ireland, go to the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
For Scotland, go to the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates (SGHSC).
For Wales, go to Health in Wales.
Page last reviewed: 30 September 2022