The history of orthodontic education: A century of development and debate

•The history of orthodontic education in the United States spans more than 100 years.•Angle set a high standard for students in his private schools.•We should maintain that level in university education today.•Our focus should be on bone and the dentofacial complex, not just on moving teeth.

The history of orthodontic education in the United States spans more than 100 years. A number of exhortations have been repeated over the years by some of the best minds in orthodontics. First, our standards of excellence must be maintained. Angle set a standard for the specialty by demanding that students in his proprietary school achieve a high level of knowledge in growth and development, biomechanics, and mechanical skills; that standard is no less important today in postgraduate orthodontic departments. Second, orthodontics is not just moving teeth. Throughout our history, authors have stressed that teeth are “incidental” to orthodontics, and we need to be concerned with bone and the dentofacial complex. To be sure, much has changed about our specialty and its biologic foundations; we must adapt along with the discoveries in biology and the innovations in technology. But we should always strive for excellence—in ourselves and our specialty.