OrthoCAD

OrthoCAD is Align Technology’s Windows program for orthodontists and dentists who scan with iTero: it opens the digital study models from your iTero account and lets you view, measure and analyse them – tooth widths, Bolton ratios, arch dimensions, overjet and overbite, and ABO scoring. If you searched for “OrthoCAD download” or “OrthoCAD Lite”, note that there is no Lite or free edition. Align offers one product, OrthoCAD, and the installer is published on itero.com for iTero customers.

The installer itself costs nothing to download, but OrthoCAD is proprietary software tied to Align’s iTero service: patient models come from your MyiTero account, and the program talks to Align’s servers. That is why we list it as shareware (conditionally free) rather than free. It was originally developed by Cadent, which Align acquired, and the default model folder is still called C:CadentModel Repository.

OrthoCAD at a glance

What it does

• Displays upper and lower iTero models in frontal, occlusal, gallery and ABO views, with open/close jaw, hide-arch and fixed-angle rotation controls.
• Occlusogram: a 2D or 3D colour map of the distances between opposing arches, with a colour legend.
• Diagnostics tool: tooth widths with virtual calipers, space analysis, Tanaka-Johnston and Moyers predictions, Bolton analysis, arch measurements and overbite/overjet.
• Free measurements: point-to-point, point-to-plane and plane-to-plane.
• Cross-section tool to slice through the occlusion at any position.
• ABO Discrepancy Index and ABO Phase III grading, with scoring sheets you can print, save as JPEG or export as a report.
• Jaws alignment, notes on the model, and case presentations that can be exported to video.

Align’s manual describes OrthoCAD as a measurement aid for orthodontists and dentists that displays, measures, analyses and adjusts digital 3D study models. It identifies OrthoCAD as a medical device and includes a CE compliance statement.

How dental teams use it

Open a patient’s scan from MyiTero

1. Log in to MyiTero in the browser and open Orders.
2. In Past Orders, find the patient, select them and click the OrthoCAD button, then confirm “Open iTero”.
3. The first time, choose a models repository folder (default C:CadentModel Repository).
4. The model opens in OrthoCAD; later you can reopen it from File > Open (*.3dm files) or the recent-files list.

Run a space and Bolton analysis

1. Open the Diagnostics tool and generate the soft wires along the arches.
2. On the Teeth Width tab, measure each tooth with the virtual calipers.
3. Read the Space, T-J/Moyers and Bolton tabs, which use those widths.
4. Add arch width and OB/OJ measurements, then print or save the view as JPEG for the record.

Score a case for the ABO

1. Open ABO DI, work through the element list (overjet, overbite, open bite, crowding, occlusion, crossbites), and let OrthoCAD total the score.
2. Preview, print or export the DI report; use ABO Phase III for finished-case grading.

Link scans to the practice system

Align states that OrthoCAD integrates with the Dolphin Management orthodontic practice management system to link scan data with patient records.

Install and first run

• Where: the OrthoCAD installer is listed on the itero.com Software Downloads page with the current version next to the link; the installation guide and user manual are on guides.itero.com. Use your iTero login to open cases.
• Installer: a standard InstallShield wizard – accept the licence agreement and click Install. To set up several workstations, save the installer to a shared folder.
• Updates: each time you download models, OrthoCAD checks the installation and asks before upgrading; existing models are not affected.
• Requirements: minimum Windows 8.1 (32-bit), 4 GB RAM, 1024×768 display and 2 Mbps internet; recommended Windows 10 or later (64-bit), 16 GB RAM, 1920×1080 and 100 Mbps. Satellite connections are not supported; a keyboard and mouse or touchpad are required.

Gotchas: anti-virus software must be configured to let OrthoCAD reach Align’s servers, and 3D display problems usually mean the graphics driver needs updating – both are called out in Align’s manual.

Limitations

• No Lite, free or stand-alone edition; it is built around iTero data and an iTero account.
• Windows only; Align publishes no macOS version.
• Models use Align’s proprietary 3DM format.
• It is a study-model analysis tool: Align’s manual describes no implant planning, no CBCT/DICOM viewing and no import of other scanners’ files.

OrthoCAD vs alternatives

For iTero users there is no real substitute: OrthoCAD is the vendor’s own analysis tool. If you need orthodontic analysis on CBCT rather than surface scans, SlicerCMF offers open-source landmark and surface-distance tools for craniofacial research, though it is no longer actively developed. For simple distance checks on exported STL files, Meshmixer has a measure tool but no orthodontic analyses. To view the CBCT volume itself, 3DimViewer is a free option.

FAQ

Where do I get the OrthoCAD download?

Align lists the OrthoCAD installer (currently 5.9.1.50) on the Software Downloads page of itero.com, with an installation guide alongside it.

Is OrthoCAD free?

The installer is free to download, but OrthoCAD is proprietary Align software used with iTero scans and an iTero account. There is no free “Lite” edition.

Is there OrthoCAD for Mac?

No. Align documents OrthoCAD for Windows only and publishes no macOS version or Mac requirements.

How do I log in to OrthoCAD?

You log in to MyiTero in a browser, open the patient’s order and click the OrthoCAD button; the desktop program then opens that model.

Is OrthoCAD the same as iTero Lab?

No. iTero Lab is a separate Align program listed on the same downloads page with its own version number.

Can OrthoCAD plan implants?

No. Align describes it as a measurement and analysis aid for digital study models; it has no implant-planning functions.

Last checked against official sources: 28 September 2026 (developer website: itero.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.