Paul C. Armbruster, MS, DDS Interim Head, Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics Director, Advanced Education in Orthodontics Associate Professor LSUHSC School of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics Box 230 1100 Florida Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 Phone: 504-941-8245 Email: parmbr@lsuhsc.edu

Full- and Part-time Faculty Members, click here to complete
semi-annual resident evaluations.

For clinic patient appointments, call 504-619-8572.

The field of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics is responsible for the diagnosis, prevention, interception, and treatment of all forms of malocclusion of the teeth. Treatment of malocclusion involves the application of force to the teeth through orthodontic appliances, or braces, that are attached to the teeth. The force moves the teeth to the desired new position within the mouth.

The Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at the LSUHSC School of Dentistry treats both children and adults with a wide range of malocclusions ranging from fairly simple problems requiring only minor tooth movement procedures to  complex problems requiring comprehensive orthodontics to correct the malocclusion. Two full-time faculty members, 16 part-time faculty members, and one gratis faculty member are actively involved at all levels of teaching and research within the Department.

The postgraduate students in the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics spend two years after completing dental school in additional training to earn their Specialty Certificate in Orthodontics. Four residents are accepted each year into the program. The residents’ training includes advanced courses, case-based treatment planning seminars, reviews of current and pertinent historical orthodontic literature, a research thesis, and active treatment of patients with comprehensive orthodontic problems. Treatment modalities for the orthodontic patients in the postgraduate clinic include extraction, non-extraction, growth modification, and surgery. Each orthodontic patient is presented in a daily seminar where open discussion of the problems, treatment objectives, and treatment plan occurs between the faculty, residents, and any undergraduate dental students present.

The undergraduate dental students are taught two preclinical courses and one clinic course within the department that introduce them to the basic concepts of tooth movement and the various appliances used in treating patients. The clinic course during the third year is a rotation-based course where the students spend time in the orthodontic clinic shadowing the orthodontic residents. Additionally, those students on rotation attend case seminars presented by the postgraduate residents to the departmental faculty. Attendance at these seminars reinforces the diagnostic and treatment planning skills required for orthodontic cases. A rotation is available to the lab tech students allowing them to spend time in the orthodontic lab fabricating appliances to be used in the clinic.

Each year beginning in January, the department screens patients for acceptance into the teaching clinic. A resident and faculty member evaluate the orthodontic problems of potential patients. The patients’ responsibilities and dental school fees are explained at this screening visit to those with cases of good teaching value. Patients who accept the responsibilities are registered in the clinic and typically begin treatment in the fall of the same year they were screened. Individuals interested in becoming an orthodontic patient at the Dental School should call only in early January at 504-619-8572 to be given a screening appointment.

View rosters of full-time and part-time faculty members in the Department of Orthodontics.

Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics