Members of the ASO have been creating better smiles, for all ages, for more than 90 years!
Originally formed in 1927, the ASO was reorganised in 1950 with state branches established and an affiliation with the Australian Dental Association (ADA).
The ASO's inaugural Congress was held in 1961. The ASO now holds a Congress every two years with the next one being held in 2024 in Adelaide.
The Foundation for Orthodontic Research and Education was developed by a bequest from the ASO's first President, Dr Stanley Wilkinson. The Foundation runs a members' meeting in non-Congress years. The main activity of the Foundation is supporting research and education in Australian Universities. Virtually all the orthodontic research carried out in Australian Universities is supported by Foundation Research Grants. The majority of the recipients are postgraduate students. The Foundation also provides a scholarship each year for a recently qualified orthodontist to visit an overseas University and become involved in their research.
The Australian Orthodontic Board (AOB) was established in March 1993 and offers a unique peer review certification program for specialists. This certification is a voluntary process with the emphasis on continuing education. In 2006, by agreement with the New Zealand Orthodontic Society, the Board was renamed the Australasian Orthodontic Board to allow NZ and other approved overseas orthodontists to take part in the AOB.
The ASO publishes the Australian Orthodontic Journal containing original research papers, clinical reports, book reviews, abstracts from other journals and other material of interest to orthodontists and continuing education.
In 2004 the ASO established the public health goodwill concept, Give a Smile™, through which ASO member orthodontists volunteer to treat, for no fee, patients selected from public orthodontic waiting lists throughout Australia. Currently more than 60 per cent of ASO members participate in this initiative throughout Australia, with over 1,500 patients treated to date.
