British Orthodontic Society

12 Bridewell Place
London UK EC4V 6AP
207-353-8680
www.bos.org.uk

The BOS is dedicated to promoting the study and practice of orthodontics, improving professional standards and encouraging research in the specialty.

Misión:

The British Orthodontic Society is a charity which aims to:

- Promote the study and practice of orthodontics.

- Maintain and improve professional standards in orthodontics.

- Encourage research and education in orthodontics.

The British Orthodontic Society has over 1800 members and is the largest specialist dental society in the UK. It represents orthodontists who work in practice, the hospital and community service and in universities.It came into being on 1 July 1994 by the unification of the five existing national orthodontic societies. The oldest of these, the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics dates from 1907 making one of the oldest orthodontic societies in the world. The ethos of the society is to further the understanding and practice of orthodontics which it does through education, research and representation. To achieve these ends the BOS publishes its own journal, the Journal of Orthodontics, and invests heavily in research through the establishment of a foundation to provide funding.

The BOS also organises numerous meetings and conferences the largest of which is the annual British Orthodontic Conference. This is one of the largest orthodontic meetings held in Europe and has hosted speakers and delegates from the four corners of the globe. It is regarded as one of the best meetings in the scientific calendar not only for the quality of the lectures but also for a diverse and popular social programme.

 

The British Orthodontic Society (BOS) was founded on 1 July 1994. It represented the unification of the five existing UK orthodontic societies:

British Society for the Study of Orthodontics (BSSO):

Founded in 1907, this was the first national orthodontic society. It had its origins in London, where on 21 October 1907, George Northcroft invited 15 colleagues to discuss establishing a society to promote orthodontics. The inaugural meeting of the BSSO took place on 5 December 1907, when JH Badcock was elected as the Society's first President. Originally conceived as a study group, it became a well respected scientific organisation. For most of its existence, it published the "Transactions of the BSSO" annually which contained all papers presented to the society in the preceding year. Following the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948 and the increasing demand for orthodontic treatment, there was a perceived need for representation nationally. The BSSO eschewed political involvement. This led to the creation of the BAO, COG, COS and AUTO, which represented orthodontists working in specialist practice, hospital orthodontics, community orthodontic clinics and the universities.

Consultant Orthodontists Group (COG):

The COG was formed in 1964 to represent the interests of orthodontic consultants working in the hospital service and membership was restricted to those holding an NHS consultant contract. The group held their own clinical and political meetings twice a year. The COG fostered and maintained strong links with the Royal Surgical Colleges and their Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC)as well as the British Dental Association (BDA). Some years later, the Senior Registrars in Orthodontics Group (SROG) was formed to represent those undergoing higher training to become hospital consultants.

British Association of Orthodontists (BAO):

Representing orthodontists in specialist practice, the BAO was established in 1965 following a meeting at the Unicorn Hotel in Stow-on-the-Wold. The unicorn logo was subsequently adopted by the BAO. The founding members were Jack Alexander, Hans Eirew and Bill Frankland who went on to become, respectively, the first Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary of the BAO. The Association sought recognition for specialists in orthodontic practice through specialist registration.For this reason, full membership was, in 1971, restricted to practitioners holding a postgraduate qualification. The Association produced its own publication, "The Orthodontist" for a number of years, as well as holding an annual conference. BAO meetings concentrated on practical and clinical issues as well as practice management, with an element of political discussion.

Community Orthodontists Section (COS):

This group was formed in 1978 under the aegis of the BAO, which provided financial support.It was established to look after the interests of orthodontists working in the Community Dental Service. The BAO continued to support the COS financially even after it became an autonomous organisation

Association of University Teachers of Orthodontics (AUTO):

AUTO was formed to represent those orthodontists employed by the universities and who devoted much of their time to teaching and research.

Unification: The creation of the BOS as a unified Society took over 15 years. The process was initiated due to a realization that many members belonged to more than one group and also that the BSSO, BAO and COG were, to some extent, duplicating their activities. At a joint meeting of the BAO and BSSO in Oxford in 1975, one BAO member, Roger Thomas, proposed that the societies combine. A further impetus to unification took place in 1978 with the creation of the British Orthodontic standards Working Party. This organization was set up jointly between the BSSO, BAO and COG under the chairmanship of Professor Barry Leighton. This joint Working Party had the objective of making recommendations regarding standards in Orthodontics. Subsequently, representatives from COS and AUTO joined. The Working Party has produced numerous authoritative reports on many aspects of orthodontic standards and has done much to improve the quality of national orthodontic care. In 1980, Mr R Bird, President of the BSSO produced a discussion paper: "Organisation of the Orthodontic Societies into a single Society".

In 1983, a joint meeting of the officers of BSSO, BAO, COG and AUTO proposed the holding of a joint conference. The first meeting of the Conference Committee took place in December of that year and elected David DiBiase as the first Chairman. The first British Orthodontic Conference took place in Bournemouth in 1986. The success of this conference further strengthened the move towards unification. In September 1990, a Unification Working Party was set up, initially between the BSSO and BAO. The constitution was finally agreed at the BOC, held in Glasgow in 1993.

Following this, the BOS became a unified society on 1 July 1994.

Map of British Orthodontic Society 12 Bridewell Place, London UK EC4V 6AP

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