As May 15 dawned in Australia, New Zealand and across Asia, WFO social media launched video greetings from Dr. Hanyi Lee of Singapore and Dr. Eyelul Ogut Ozugur of Turkey — both representing the WFO Future Leaders in Orthodontics Society (FLOS) — and Dr. Simon Littlewood of the United Kingdom. The WFO members wished followers a Happy World Orthodontic Health Day, with Dr. Littlewood saying, “What a great job we have — and what a big difference we can make for our patients!”
Since 2017, World Orthodontic Health Day has provided an excellent opportunity to spread the positive messages of orthodontic treatment and interact with members of the public of all ages who would like to know more. The event is celebrated annually on May 15.
As an organization with more than 120 affiliate organizations worldwide, the WFO understands that the positive connotation of a healthy, beautiful smile may often transcend cultural and geographic differences. In celebration of this fact, the theme of the 2025 WFO World Orthodontic Health Day was: “A World of Smiles.”
This year, the WFO offered members and affiliates a more diverse array of WOHD promotional tools than ever, with a toolkit featuring flyers, fact sheets, social media graphics, a press release and customizable email templates, with many items customized for member practices, affiliate organizations and educational institutions.
Video tools included:
• A waiting room slideshow with before/after treatment stories and fun facts for patients and parents to enjoy.
• A video script with filming tips, providing an easy way to produce and share a video about orthodontic treatment and WOHD.
Videos could feature orthodontists, residents or, as in the case of Smileworks Dental (see below), patients willing to address a variety of questions about their treatment choices and experiences.
“Our 2025 theme was developed to highlight the fact that people in all regions and many cultures share smiles with those they know and care about and in many places, with strangers as well,” said Dr. Nikhillesh Vaiid, Former WFO president. “A healthy, beautiful smile can bring happiness to everyone who sees it.”
Affiliate organizations, university programs and individual orthodontists worldwide celebrated WOHD 2025 in a variety of ways.
Practices, residency programs and organizations spread positive messages
Individual practices, including Adventure Dental, Vision & Orthodontics of Colorado (United States), and Smileworks Dental (Singapore), joined in the good wishes for World Orthodontic Health Day by posting on Instagram. Smileworks featured “Celebrating Smile Journeys,” an engaging question-and-answer video with orthodontic patients. (Click on the practice names above to view their shared material.)
Residents from Chang Gung University in Taiwan posted on Instagram about their celebration of World Orthodontic Health Day. Dr. Eric Liou, director of the residency program and WFO Executive Committee member representing Central and East Asia, joined the group and in the video explained how WFO resources support education of orthodontic residents and continuing education for orthodontists worldwide.
Residents and faculty of the National University Centre for Oral Health in Singapore
promoted the importance of good oral health habits and the relationship of oral health
to mental and physical wellbeing, showing people from various countries and cultures
in a Facebook video, “Let’s Spread Happiness Everywhere.”
Additional orthodontic events taking place on other dates in May, sponsored by the
Hellenic Professional Union of Orthodontists (HPUO) and the Kosovo Orthodontic
Society, included information and messaging to attendees regarding
World Orthodontic Health Day.
Sri Lankan children examined for orthodontic treatment need
Members of the Sri Lanka Orthodontic Society celebrated World Orthodontic Health Day with outreach programs for school children from three government schools in the Gampaha district of Sri Lanka.
Approximately 1,000 children were examined to identify orthodontic treatment needs. The OPTI (Orthodontic Treatment Prioritization Index) for public sector orthodontic patients—an index developed and validated by Dr. W. M. Senadeera (a former president of the SLOS)—was used to prioritize the children’s treatment needs.
SLOS members contributed to a fund to provide necessary supplies and materials to the government orthodontic units serving the three schools, to facilitate the treatment of children in need of orthodontic treatment. The SLOS also provided a health education program for the children.
SLOS President Dr. Ajith Premaratne also reports that the organization conducted an awareness campaign on World Orthodontic Health Day on social media, newspaper coverage, the organization’s web page, and via interview discussions on national television programming and on YouTube.
