ABO meets with the Brazilian Board of Orthodontics and the Association of Philippine Orthodontists

The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) met with representatives from the Brazilian Board of Orthodontics (BBO) and the Association of Philippine Orthodontists (APO) May 16 in Chicago, Ill., to discuss the board-certification process for orthodontists in Brazil and the Philippines. The meetings were held in conjunction with the 2011 Annual Session of the American Association of Orthodontists.

One of the ABO’s four missions is to assist other countries around the world with board certification for the specialty of orthodontics, said Dr. Jeryl English, the immediate past president of the ABO. He and the other ABO directors welcomed the opportunity to meet with representatives from each organization.

“At this time, the ABO can best promote board certification by assisting, when requested, in the development of new or existing board certifying bodies, including help with guidelines regarding case selection and development, development and refinement of the written and clinical examinations and grading methods, and suggestions regarding recertification,” Dr. English said. “We also provide a measuring tool for objective grading of final records, and we can provide PowerPoint presentations that can be translated into other languages.”

The BBO was represented by Dr. Telma Martins de Araújo, president; Dr. Ademir Roberto Brunetto, president-elect; Dr. Deocleciano Carvalho, secretary; Dr. Sadí Flávio Horst, treasurer; Dr. Eustáquio Afonso Araújo, director; Dr. Roberto Rocha, director; Dr. Carlos Estevanell Tavares, director; Dr. Jonas Capelli Jr., director; Dr. José Nelson Mucha, immediate past president; Dr. Roberto Mario Lima, past president; and Dr. Carlos Jorge Vogel, past president. In a separate meeting, Dr. Roberto Tan, president of the APO, and Dr. Ermelinda Sabater-Galang, immediate past president of the APO, met with the ABO directors on behalf of the Philippine Board of Orthodontics.

The orthodontists discussed board-certification issues, including protection of the public, how to prevent examination fraud, record-keeping practices, exam question issues and digital records. They also discussed the possibility of a world board of orthodontics. “However, it was acknowledged at these meetings that a universal specialty board is not a realistic objective at this time, and even reciprocity between board organizations is not practical, as there are no standards for educational requirements, the specifics of board eligibility or board requirements,” Dr. English said.

“These meetings provided all three organizations with an excellent learning opportunity,” he said. “The ABO will continue to assist other orthodontic certifying boards whenever requested. Ultimately, orthodontic patients will benefit as the number of board-certified orthodontists increases all over the world. The ABO believes that an orthodontist is a much better practitioner if board certified and must recertify periodically.”

The ABO has reached out to other orthodontic certifying boards in the past. ABO directors participated in the board-certification forums that were held in conjunction with the 6th International Orthodontic Congress in 2005 in Paris, France, and 7th International Orthodontic Congress in 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The ABO is also represented on the World Federation of Orthodontists’ Committee on National and Regional Orthodontic Boards. Fourteen other orthodontic certifying boards from around the world are part of this committee as well.