WFO reaches milestone of 100 affiliate organizations

            In April, the WFO reached a milestone in its membership growth with the addition of four affiliate organizations. To date, 100 orthodontic organizations have joined the WFO. Over the past decade, the WFO has grown by 31 affiliate organizations. In 1995, 69 orthodontic organizations signed the WFO Charter.

The new affiliate organizations are the Emirates Society of Orthodontists, the Slovenian Orthodontic Society, the Iraqi Orthodontic Society (IOS) and the Asian-Pacific Orthodontic Society (APOS). The APOS, a regional organization, represents orthodontists in the following countries: Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India and Australia.

            Dr. Akram Al-Huwaizi, secretary-general of the IOS, said the affiliation with the WFO has had an enormous impact on his organization. The IOS, for example, recently rewrote its bylaws and founded an orthodontic journal. The organization’s affiliation with the WFO will also help to encourage Iraqi orthodontists to join the IOS, he said. There are 150 orthodontists in Iraq, but only 109 orthodontists are members of the IOS. In addition, approximately 40 IOS members are applying to become fellows of the WFO.

            To learn more about the WFO affiliate organizations, use the WFO’s online directory. This resource allows you to search for affiliate organizations by country. The search results will provide the name of the affiliate organization and contact information for its president. Go to www.wfo.org. Select the Directory link.