Dr. Mario Polo DMD, MS, FICD

Dr. Mario Polo attended the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and later continued his studies at the University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston, where he received a Master of Science degree and specialty certificates in Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics.

Dr. Polo has been practicing orthodontics for the past 47 years in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is board-certified by the American Board of Orthodontics, is a faculty member at the Department of Orthodontics of the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine, and a Fellow of the International College of Dentists (U.S.A. Chapter).

As the pioneer in 2002 using Botox and other neuromodulators for smile esthetics, Dr. Polo has authored several publications, including two textbook chapters, and has made multiple domestic and international presentations about treatment alternatives for gummy and asymmetric smiles. During the last 24 years, Dr. Polo has treated a significant number of cases using clear aligners, including complex and skeletally-related malocclusions.

A firm supporter of the AAO, Dr. Polo has served its House of Delegates and its Councils, the AAOF, the AAO's Key Contacts, and in 2005, he was President of the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists. Because of his contribution to the orthodontic profession, he was chosen by the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists to receive the 2011 Gerald A. Devlin Award, and in 2021, its Lifetime Achievement Award. For the last 18 years, he has served the AJO-DO as a reviewer, and during the last 3 years, as an Associate Editor.