Yugoslav Orthodontic Society is now known as the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro
The society is organizing the First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro, which will be held in October 2003

As of February 2003, the Yugoslav Orthodontic Society is now known as the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro. This name change reflects the changes within the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On February 4, 2003, the Yugoslav Parliament adopted “The Constitutional Charter of the State Community of Serbia and Montenegro.” With the adoption of this charter, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was renamed the State Community of Serbia and Montenegro.

This is not the first time the organization has undergone a name change. In 1964, the orthodontic sections from all of the republics of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia founded the Orthodontic Section of Yugoslavia.

In 1970, the organization changed its name to the Yugoslav Orthodontic Society and, in 1974, the society organized the 51st European Congress of Orthodontists. This society was active until 1990 when the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia split apart. From that moment, the society no longer existed. Gone too were the society’s memberships in European and world orthodontic societies.

On March 17, 2000, a group of eminent orthodontists from all of the universities within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia revived the orthodontic society and named it the Yugoslav Orthodontic Society. The society was formally registered with the Federal Ministry of Justice on March 29, 2000, as a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit society. On April 28, 2000, the society became the 87th affiliate organization of the World Federation of Orthodontists. It also applied for membership in the European Orthodontic Society.

Although the society name has changed once again, the aims and activities of the society remain the same, said Dr. Mirjana Šašić, president of the society. She notes the organization strives to advance the expert and scientific knowledge in orthodontics, to encourage research in orthodontics, to organize activities to improve the health care of the country’s citizens, and to care for the social and economic position of its members. To date, the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro has 125 members.

Currently, the society is organizing the First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro. This congress will be held October 2-5, 2003, in Belgrade. WFO fellows are encouraged to attend this congress.

At this congress, the society will promote the first issue of the Orthodontic Journal of Serbia and Montenegro. The congress will also be host to the annual meeting of the Board of the Federation of European Orthodontists on October 5.

The organization is also a member of the organizing committee for the 6th International Orthodontic Congress and 3rd Meeting of the WFO, which will be held September 11-15, 2005, in Paris.

The officers of the organization are Dr. Šašić, president; Dr. Branka Vukić-Ćulafić, vice president; Dr. Goran Bogosavljević, secretary; and Dr. Branka Boromisa-?ikić.

For more information on the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro and its upcoming meeting, go to the society’s Web site at www.uoj.org.yu.