Orthodontics is practiced wherever there are people with teeth. This medical field covers properly aligning patients' teeth and jaws. This could require in-mouth hardware or surgery, so these and other techniques are covered in such a degree plan.

Requirements for the PhD program often involve the student having already obtained a Master’s degree. Additionally, a thesis or dissertation primarily consisting of original academic research must be submitted. In some countries, this work may even need to be defended in front of a panel.