Dr Con O'Keeffe, OSI President, 2011

The world as we know it is changing. The Celtic Tiger has disappeared, advertising is with us, and the business world has changed dramatically along with the fields of dentistry in general  & the specialty of orthodontics.

One of the founding aims of the OSI was to lobby for the creation of a Specialist Register, to allow the public use of the term ‘Orthodontist’ and to limit the use of that term to someone who is currently on the Specialist Register. One of the roles of the Dental Council is to protect the public from misleading information,  to ensure that there is clarity in the public mind as to who is and who is not a specialist. In this, the OSI and the Dental Council have a common objective. The OSI as a Society and each member as a Specialist & Orthodontist have a duty to help  inform the public as to the differences between a non-specialist and a specialist. In addition, each OSI member as an orthodontist has a duty to each patient to maximise the value of their specialist education & training and to treat each patient to the highest of standards.

We must help to create clarity for the public. If one says he/she is an orthodontist, then the public should have confidence that, indeed, that practitioner has gone through the necessary extra education and training to become a qualified specialist. Similarly, where there is not clarity, we should be willing to highlight and explain the differences.

Each era brings with it new opportunities. In orthodontics, we have seen the developments of new bracket systems, new materials, new IT systems, new customized appliances and new marketing opportunities. However, some things never change. The need for proper, specialist training still remains. The need to not promise unrealistic goals to the public, still remains.

Patients' teeth still respond the same way to the same biomechanical forces - in other words there is no magic formula to make teeth move faster than their biological limits unless one changes the underlying physiology.

Each era also brings threats to the status quo. Advertising was first allowed only recently by the Dental Council, on the proviso that it be truthful. With modern marketing and advertising, it is very easy to project sleek new messages with catchy buzz-words and phrases that blur the line between truth and untruth. Advertising works, marketing works - if it did not, that industry would have disappeared a long time ago. If the marketing people indicate a certain brace works magically, it is up to the speciality to initially analyse it honestly and then dispute the marketing managers. Modern, innovative techniques, faster treatment… But what do they all mean? Are they modern & innovative, and how do they change the underlying physiology to speed treatment? Is it false advertising if it promises a certain outcome in a certain time frame but cannot deliver reliably?

I assume specialist orthodontists are passionate about the dental profession and the orthodontic speciality. I know OSI members are. I am constantly amazed by, and in awe of, the knowledge and ability of orthodontists throughout this country of ours.  The overall quality of orthodontic work carried out is fantastic and the desire to improve even further encouraging. It is correct to say that the economic situation is not ideal but with the positive attitude and ability that is there, I honestly feel we are well set to enter a new and better era in orthodontics in Ireland.