SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALGN) today announced the 2011-2012 Invisalign Gallery University Challenge. In this competitive program, any accredited orthodontic program in North America can submit their best Invisalign treatment outcomes in one of four clinical categories: Class I, Class II, Class III, and multidiscipline. All submissions will be reviewed by private-practice orthodontists and judged based on treatment difficulty, records quality, and outcomes achieved.

"For the past two years, Align has sponsored the Invisalign Gallery program, which encourages clinicians to share their best Invisalign treatment outcomes with their peers," explained Dr. Eric Kuo, Align's vice president of clinical technology. "As Invisalign treatment has become more and more widely accepted, education on clear aligners has become an integral part of orthodontic training, so we wanted to recognize orthodontic residents and their clinical instructors for the excellent outcomes achieved at their universities."

The orthodontic residents who receive the top score in each clinical category and their supervising faculty members will be invited to present their treatment results at the 2012 Invisalign Summit for orthodontic practices in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 15-18, 2012. At the last Invisalign Ortho Summit held in November 2010, nearly 1,500 orthodontists and their staff members were in attendance. Align Technology will also divide an award pool of $34,000 among the orthodontic programs of the first, second, and third place winners. All submitted entries will also be published in the 2011-2012 Invisalign Gallery University Challenge yearbook.

The deadline for Invisalign Gallery University Challenge submissions is August 15, 2012. For official program rules, please visit www.InvisalignGallery.com/university.

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs, manufactures and markets Invisalign, a proprietary method for treating malocclusion, or the misalignment of teeth. Invisalign corrects malocclusion using a series of clear, nearly invisible, removable appliances that gently move teeth to a desired final position. Because it does not rely on the use of metal or ceramic brackets and wires, Invisalign significantly reduces the aesthetic and other limitations associated with braces. Invisalign is appropriate for treating adults and teens. Align Technology was founded in March 1997 and received FDA clearance to market Invisalign in 1998. The Invisalign product family includes Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Invisalign Assist, Invisalign Express 10, and Vivera Retainers. To learn more about Invisalign or to find an Invisalign trained doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com.

Cadent Holdings, Inc. is a subsidiary of Align Technology and is a leading provider of 3D digital scanning solutions for orthodontics and dentistry. The Cadent family of products includes iTero and iOC scanning systems, OrthoCAD iCast, OrthoCAD iQ and OrthoCAD iRecord. For additional information, please visit www.cadentinc.com.

CONTACT: Investor Relations Contact

         Shirley Stacy

         Align Technology, Inc.

         (408) 470-1150

         sstacy@aligntech.com



         Press Contact

         Shannon Mangum Henderson

         Ethos Communication, Inc.

         (678) 261-7803

         align@ethoscommunication.com

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