Society of Orthodontic Specialty Certifying Boards
Committee members: Valmy Kulbersh (USA), Ricardo Machado Cruz (Brazil), Eric Liou (Taiwan)
The Society of Orthodontic Specialty Certification Boards (SOSCB) last met on November 28th, 2021. This meeting provided a forum for the exchange of common goals and challenges affecting orthodontic board certification worldwide. All 20 members, SOSCB representatives of their countries, were invited to participate.
The names of SOSCB representatives for their respective countries are listed below:
Argentina | Tribunal Argentino de Evaluacion en Ortodoncia y Ortopedia Dentomaxilar (TAEOOD) | Dr. Lia Jaquelina Sokolowicz |
Australasia | Australasian Orthodontic Board | Dr. Carolyn Ng |
Brazil | Brazilian Orthodontic Board | Dr. Guilherme de Araújo Almeida |
Europe | European Board of Orthodontics | Dr. David DeFranco |
France | French Society of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics | Dr. Olivier Sorel |
Germany | German Board of Orthodontics and Orofacial Orthopedics | Prof. Dr. Bärbel Kahl-Nieke |
India | Indian Board of Orthodontics | Dr. Ketan K Vakil |
Italy | Italian Orthodontic Board | Dr. Ambra Michelotti |
Japan | Japanese Orthodontic Board | Dr. Noriyoshi Shimizu |
Jordan | Jordanian Orthodontic Society | Dr. Suzan Al-Khaeeb |
Mexico | Asociacion Mexicana de Ortodoncia Orthodontic Board | Dr. Javier Eugenio Venegas Rodriguez |
Palestine | Palestinian Orthodontic Society | Dr. Ahmad Rahhal |
Philippines | Philippine Board of Orthodontics | Dr. Dennis Lim |
S. Korea | Korean Association of Orthodontists | Dr. Seung-Hak Baek |
Saudi Arabia | Saudi Board Of Orthodontic and DentoFacial Orthopedics | Dr. Eman Abdulbaset Alnamnakani |
Spain | Sociedad Espanola de Ortodoncia | Dr. Juan Carlos Perez Varela |
Taiwan | Taiwan Board of Orthodontists | Prof. Eddie Hsiang-Hua Lai |
Thailand | Thai Board of Orthodontics | Dr. Somchai Satravaha |
USA | American Board of Orthodontics | Dr. Roberto Hernandez-Orsini |
Singapore | Singapore orthodontic Board | Dr. Arthur Lim |
The WFO and the SOSCB welcome and thank all these representatives who give their time to improve the quality of orthodontic treatment, to protect their patients and safeguard the specialty of orthodontics.
Purpose and goals of the SOSCB:
A. The purpose of this Society shall be to improve the quality of orthodontic treatment throughout the world by improving the knowledge and skills of WFO member orthodontists by encouraging them to aspire and challenge themselves to achieve orthodontic specialty board certification in their respective countries.
B. GOALS:
1. Invite and encourage established national orthodontic specialty boards to become members of the SOSCB.
2. Encourage, and assist if requested, in the formation of new national orthodontic specialty board in countries that do not already have a national board certification organization.
3. Provide a forum for collaboration and the exchange of ideas between and among member board organizations for the purpose of improving the quality of orthodontic education and treatment.
4. Provide a forum for collaboration and the exchange of ideas among member board organizations for the purpose of improving their board certification process.
5. Provide a forum for orthodontic specialty board representatives to share, discuss and learn about other issues of common interest.
6. Provide a voice for national orthodontic specialty boards in the WFO, by serving as an advisory committee to the WFO Executive Committee.
From the results of the Survey conducted by the SOSCB, among their board representatives, it was identified that there were disparities among the boards regarding the certification process and examination formats among the Orthodontic Boards members of the SOSCB. There were also obstacles that deterred orthodontists tfrom become board certified.
Obstacles for Board certification were identified as follows:
a. The time commitment and time for preparation for the clinical examination.
b. The patient case requirements.
c. A practice environment not conducive to the gathering of case requirements.
d. The cost associated with exam fees and traveling.
e. The oral exam portion of the clinical exam.
In view of these differences and barriers, the SOSCB formulated guidelines that could serve existing and new orthodontic board certifying entities, as a model to try to obtain some standardization on board certification worldwide. The purpose of these SOSCB guidelines is not to dictate how orthodontic boards are to be administered but to offer guidance and recommendations to associations/societies that may want to update their certification process or establish a new certifying board and certification process in their countries. The SOSCB hope is that these guidelines would help remove barriers that are preventing orthodontists from being board certified by the recognized agencies in their countries or geographic locations.
These guidelines will be published in the JWFO shortly.
National and regional orthodontic specialty certifying boards that are sponsored by WFO affiliate orthodontic societies are encouraged to apply for membership in the SOSCB. Click here to access the application form, which includes instructions for the process.
If you need further information about the SOSCB please contact the WFO office at: aademovic@wfo.org