A Survey of the Status of Orthodontics Among Organizations Within the World Federation of Orthodontists

Objectives: To re-accomplish a survey of the affiliated organizations of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO) originally surveyed in 1997. Methods: An electronic survey was sent to all affiliated organizations of the WFO addressing specialty recognition, training, practice methods and characteristics of WFO affiliated organizations. Comparisons were made across geographic regions and not individual countries, in accordance with the previous survey. Results: The response rate was 68%. Orthodontics is a well-recognized specialty with generally increasing educational, clinical and organizational standards worldwide. Board certification exists in relatively few countries, with the most commonly-cited reason being lack of demand. Emerging trends in clinical practice including temporary anchorage devices and cone beam computed tomography were widely-utilized. Conclusions: The 1997 survey was the first time a comprehensive evaluation of orthodontics throughout the world was evaluated, and the 2012 study represents the first comparisons to the 1997 data.