is
a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics
A US orthodontist becomes a US board certified orthodontist (Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics) when he or she has completed two to three years of orthodontic residency approved by the American Dental Association and additionally has passed the clinical examination of the American Board of Orthodontics.
According to the American Board of Orthodontics (www.americanboardortho.com) database, only 54 percent of American Association of Orthodontists members currently hold Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) certification, among which only 13 are practicing in South Korea as of February 2022.
ABO qualification is often associated with professionalism and quality of orthodontic treatment, and thus is often considered as an important factor when US post graduate orthodontic programs recruit faculty members.