Our Journey
When Dr Ted Crawford took over the Presidency of the Australian Society of Orthodontists in 2004, he did so with a mission - an avowed intent to 'do something useful'. Give a Smile is the result of that mission.
Having successfully navigated the operational differences between each state’s dental health department, Give a Smile was established to allow ASO members to receive one patient each year from the public dental waiting lists and to treat them for free in their private practice.
To this day, the Give a Smile Committee runs the program with the invaluable help of a willing team of volunteers, generous supporters and, of course, the many Give a Smile orthodontists throughout Australia. Give a Smile celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2020 as well as the milestone of treating its 2000th patient.
About GAS
Since GAS was launched in 2005, the program has been well-supported by ASO members.Today, there are GAS orthodontists in every state and territory with approximately 70% of eligible orthodontists around the country donating their time and expertise to GAS and receiving one GAS patient each year.
Retiring members account for a small a drop-off in GAS orthodontists each year, however, we also continue to see new eligible orthodontists signing up to become GAS orthodontists. It is imperative that the number of GAS orthodontists remains high. It is encouraging to see that new graduates often express an interest in becoming involved with GAS as soon as they start practising.
Where a new graduate who works as an employee signs up to become a GAS orthodontist, a practice principal where they work must also agree that the practice will take over the treatment of a GAS patient should the recent graduate move away from that practice. Recent graduates working as contractors will similarly need to discuss how GAS patients will be handled in the case of moving practices.
In 2020, Give a Smile’s 2000th patient commenced treatment. The donation of services from the ASO equates to a saving to the public purse around $1m per annum. The reduction in the numbers on public waiting lists around Australia is approximately 10% thanks to Give a Smile™. In some areas, this has caused a reduction in waiting time from years to months. This is something about which the ASO is immensely proud. Without the ongoing support of GAS members, this valuable contribution to the community would not be possible.
Smile stories
The Orthodontics Australia website features Smile stories. These are GAS case studies, which help to highlight the important work that ASO members carry out across the country through the Give a Smile program. if you would like to submit a new Smile Story or for any questions, please email [email protected].
