Dr. Anthony M. Puntillo Elected to the Board of Directors of The American Board of Orthodontics

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) House of Delegates, in a virtual meeting on April 25, 2021, elected Anthony M. Puntillo, D.D.S., M.S.D., of Chesterton, Ind., to serve as a director of the  American Board of Orthodontics (ABO).  

The ABO is the only orthodontic specialty board recognized by the American Dental Association and in affiliation with the AAO. Board certification is a process by which an individual orthodontist is voluntarily examined by his/her peers regarding orthodontic knowledge and clinical skills. The successful completion of the ABO examination process is a demonstration to the dental profession and the general public of the orthodontist's pursuit of continued proficiency and excellence in orthodontics. 

Each ABO director represents one of the eight constituent organizations of the AAO and serves an eight-year term, which culminates in the position of president. The ABO directors are responsible for establishing policy with regard to the board certification of specialists in orthodontics.

Dr. Puntillo, who represents the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists (GLAO), will become president of the ABO in the 2028‐2029 year. Dr. Puntillo is president and founder of Puntillo & Crane Orthodontics in Crown Point, Ind. Now in its  27th year, the practice has four offices in Northwest Indiana. Dr. Puntillo holds a master’s degree in orthodontics and an orthodontic specialty certificate, along with a dental degree, all from Indiana University. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of the varsity football team.

Certified by the ABO since 2003, Dr. Puntillo is a member of the College of Diplomates of the ABO and has been an Examiner for the ABO Clinical Examination since 2011.

Dr. Puntillo is a national leader in implementing digital technology in the orthodontic office and has given numerous presentations on the digital orthodontic practice at national and international meetings. He served as a part‐time clinical faculty member at Indiana University’s School of Dentistry in 2 the Department of Orthodontics from 2011‐2018. He also was a member of the AAO Committee on Technology from 2009‐2017 and served on the AAO Big Data Task Force from 2018‐2019.

At the regional level, he is the 2020‐2021 president of the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists and has served on the GLAO board of directors since 2010. He is a past president of the Indiana Association of Orthodontists and the Northwest Indiana Dental Society, and is 2021‐2022 vice president of the Midwest Component of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists. 

In the Northwest Indiana community, Dr. Puntillo has served on the board of directors of Northwest Indiana Bancorp in Munster, Ind., since 2004 and is the current chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. He is a past director of the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Indiana. 

On being elected to the ABO board, Dr. Puntillo said, “Our profession, like virtually every other, is experiencing the disruptive impact of our societal digital transformation. I am honored and humbled to  have been chosen as a director of The American Board of Orthodontics and eager to share my time,  knowledge and talents with the Board to assist in advancing the mission of elevating the quality of  orthodontic patient care.”