Align Technology Commits Additional $1 Million to the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation to Support the Next Generation of Orthodontic Educators and Leaders

Five-year pledge to the AAO Foundation advances research, education, mentorship and leadership that will help shape the future of the specialty

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGN), a leading global medical device company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Invisalign® System of clear aligners, iTero™ intraoral scanners, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software for digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry, today announced a new $1 million, five-year commitment to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Foundation building on the Company’s most recent $1 million pledge made in 2021. The commitment helps fund the Foundation’s mission, including its Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign, which is focused on developing the educators who will train, mentor and inspire the next generation of orthodontists.

"The future of orthodontics depends on the people who teach it," said Brett Schott, vice president and executive director, AAO Foundation. "Full-time faculty train our residents, lead the research that moves patient care forward, and mentor the leaders our specialty will rely on for decades. Align's ongoing commitment helps us invest in those educators when the need is real. We are grateful for a partnership that continues to advance the specialty of orthodontics."

AAO Foundation’s Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign, a key component supported through Align’s contribution is a three-year effort launched in 2024 to endow three two-year fellowships for orthodontic faculty at dental schools in the United States and Canada. The campaign builds on the AAO Foundation's long record of investment in the specialty and is designed to strengthen the pipeline of full-time orthodontic faculty, helping ensure programs have the educators and researchers needed to train future orthodontists and advance the specialty.

Since 1994, the AAO Foundation Awards Program has provided $17.7 million in funding, supporting 297 fellowship awards and 404 research grants. Align’s support helps advance those efforts and underscores its longstanding role as an AAO Foundation Platinum Corporate Partner.

"Most orthodontists can name a faculty member who helped shape them as the clinician they are now. Those educators give so much to this profession, and the AAO Foundation has done remarkable work making sure that impactful legacy continues," said Frank Quinn, executive vice president and managing director, Americas, Align Technology. "We are honored to help advance the future of orthodontics and the doctors who will be part of it. Supporting this fellowship campaign and the AAO Foundation overall is our way of saying thank you to the faculty who train, mentor and inspire every orthodontist." Quinn currently serves on the AAO Foundation Board of Directors.

This commitment is part of Align's ongoing effort to advance oral healthcare, expand access to orthodontic treatment, deliver digital orthodontic innovation, and support the next generation of educators and clinicians.

About the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation

The American Association of Orthodontists Foundation is the charitable arm of the American Association of Orthodontists. Its mission is to advance the orthodontic specialty by supporting education and research that leads to excellence in patient care. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the AAO Foundation provides funding for orthodontic research, faculty and resident education, academic fellowships, and charitable initiatives.

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® System, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for over 302.0 thousand doctor customers and are key to accessing Align’s 600 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Over the past 29 years, Align has helped doctors treat approximately 23.5 million patients with the Invisalign System and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align™ Digital Platform, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.

For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about the iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com. For additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a list of exocad reseller partners, please visit www.exocad.com.

Invisalign, iTero, exocad, Align, Align Digital Platform and iTero Lumina are trademarks of Align Technology, Inc.