Orthodontists hold First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade

Attendees at the First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro were able to visit with representatives from orthodontic supply companies. For the first time, representatives from GAC International Inc. and RMO Inc. were present in Serbia and Montenegro.

The First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro was held October 2-5, 2003, in Belgrade. This was an event of great importance in many ways. It was the first congress organized by the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro and marked the end of 17 difficult years for both the society and the country of Serbia and Montenegro (formerly known as Yugoslavia). The society also promoted the first issue of its national orthodontic journal, The Orthodontic Journal of Serbia and Montenegro. In all, 300 people from 27 countries attended this congress.

On the first day of the congress, Dr. Ram Nanda of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, delivered the lecture “Biomechanics and its Clinical Application in Orthodontics” to more than 100 attendees. That evening the Opening Ceremony marked the official beginning of the congress. Dr. Mirjana Šašić, president of the organizing committee for the congress and the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro, and Dr. Dragan Domazet, minister of science and technology of the government of Serbia, addressed the attendees.

The second day of the congress was dedicated to the scientific program. The lectures addressed two topics: functional disorders of the orofacial region and the orthodontic-surgical approach to malocclusion treatment. Dr. Jose Dahan, Dr. Francesca Miotti, Dr. Šašić and Dr. Elias Katsavrias lectured on the first topic. Dr. Samir Bishara, Dr. Mladen Kuftinec, Dr. Olivier Mauchamp, Dr. Nejat Erverdi and Dr. Mirjana Janošević presented information on the second topic. At the end of the day’s program, the attendees were guests at a reception at the Belgrade City Hall. The group then toured the city by boat.

The following day Dr. Athanasios E. Athanasiou, Dr. Darinka Stanišić-Sinobad and Dr. Katsavrias presented information on the dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. Dr. Nanda, Dr. Todor Bojad?iev, Dr. David Tidy, Dr. Stefano Velo and Dr. Branka Vukić-Ćulafić presented lectures on other topics in the afternoon.

The Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro held the First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro October 2-5, 2003, in Belgrade. Pictured here, from left, are several congress participants: Dr. Branka Vukic-Culafic, Dr. Zivojin Vidovic, Dr. Mirjana Šašic and Dr. Mirjana Janosevic. Dr. Vukic-Culafic is vice president of the organization, and Dr. Šašić is president. Dr. Vidovic and Dr. Janosevic are members of the board of the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro.

During the congress, attendees had the opportunity to visit with representatives from orthodontic supply companies. For the first time, representatives from GAC International Inc. and RMO Inc. were present in Serbia and Montenegro.

The scientific program ended with the Closing Ceremony. In her speech, Dr. Šašić thanked everyone for attending the congress and expressed her wish to meet all again at the next congress of the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro in October 2005. The ceremony was then followed by a gala dinner.

On the final day of the congress, Dr. Velo presented a one-day course on new biomechanical applications that avoid the need for patients’ compliance. More than 150 orthodontists attended the course. The European Federation of Orthodontists also held its annual General Assembly. Please see the related article on this page.

The participants of the First International Orthodontic Congress of Serbia and Montenegro expressed their gratitude for both the hospitality and Dr. Šašić’s organizational efforts. They also welcomed the return of the Orthodontic Society of Serbia and Montenegro to the family of European and world orthodontic societies.