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Past IOC Meetings

 

Mandatory Credit: Tourism NSW; Sally Mayman

The Past IOC meetings

  1. 1926, August 16-20, New York City, USA
  2. 1931, July 20-24,  London, England 
  3.  1973, August 13-18, London, England
  4.  1995, May 12-17, San Francisco, USA
  5.  2000, April 28- May 3, Chicago, USA

History of the International Orthodontic Congress (IOC)

In 1926, the 1st International Orthodontic Congress (IOC) was held in New York City. This was the first worldwide congress ever held by a dental specialty and was the brainchild of Dr. William C. Fisher, the president of the then-called American Society of Orthodontists (ASO).  The ASO at that time boasted nearly 450 exclusively practicing orthodontists as members and was celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding in 1901. The component societies of the 1st IOC consisted of 15 orthodontic societies including ten societies from the United States and five societies from Europe. 

The 2nd IOC was held in London in 1931 under the presidency of Dr. J. H. Badcock of the European Orthodontic Society (EOS) and the then-called British Society for the Study of Orthodontics (B.S.S.O.)

Both the 1st IOC and 2nd IOC were outstanding successes and discussions following both successful events led to planning for a 3rd IOC to be held in Montreal, Canada, in 1938.  However, the combination of world economic conditions and the untimely death of Dr. Fisher, led to a cancellation of those plans. World events that followed, further delayed subsequent worldwide meetings until, finally the 3rd IOC was organized and held in London in 1973. The 3rd IOC was sponsored by the EOS and the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and had as its president, Dr. William J. Tulley of the EOS, and Dr. B.F. (Tod) Dewel of the AAO as vice-president. The congress was a huge professional and artistic success although, again, world events caused a number of registration cancellations at the last minute making the financial planning burdensome for both the EOS and the AAO. 

The AAO designated its annual session in 1995 as the 4th IOC. The President that year was Dr. William H. DeKock who was assigned the responsibility of organizing that meeting. Dr. DeKock developed the first draft of the bylaws of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO). The bylaws he drafted were based on the strengths of the already existing national orthodontic societies throughout the world. Dr. DeKock then contacted the orthodontic societies one by one and faxed to them a copy of the draft WFO bylaws he had prepared. He asked if they would join with the AAO in San Francisco in 1995 to form the World Federation of Orthodontists.  Sixty-eight national and regional orthodontic societies joined with the AAO to sign the charter of the WFO at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco on May 15, 1995.  The Herbst Theatre had been the site, fifty years earlier when the United Nations charter was signed in 1945 following World War II.

The 5th IOC was held in Chicago in 2000 in conjunction with the 100th session of the American Association of Orthodontists.

In 2005, the 6th IOC was held in Paris, France with the Societe Francaise d’Orthopedie Dento-Faciale (S.F.O.D.F.) and Syndicate des Specialistes Francais en Orthopedie Dento-Faciale (S.S.F.O.D.F.) Olivier Mauchamp, from Grenoble, France was the Chairman.

The Australian Society of Orthodontists in 2010 sponsored the 7th IOCs in a very successful manner. 

The 8th IOC returned to London, England, hosted by the British Orthodontic Society. This marked the 20th anniversary of the WFO.

Attendance at 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th congresses has been excellent and the communication of new ideas and technologies in orthodontics has been superb.  The camaraderie and discussion among colleagues has reached new heights and is fostering orthodontic development at a very rapid pace. The WFO Guidelines for orthodontic certification boards were developed after two very successful symposiums held during the 6th, 7th and 8th IOC 's. 

In 2020 the 9th IOC would have taken take place in Yokohama, JapanDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 9th IOC organizers transformed the meeting to a virtual event that took place October 4-6, 2020, when the live meeting had been expected to occur. The Virtual 9th IOC was a successful celebration of the 25 years of the WFO, attracting participants from all over the world.

Planning for the 10th IOC, that will be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2025, is now well underway. South America will be hosting an IOC for the first time and organizers promise a unique experience.