MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA -- Propelled by the objective to bring Colombian orthodontists together, the founders of the Sociedad Colombiana de Ortodoncia (SCO) formed the society in October 1945. Today, the SCO has 645 members who are distributed throughout the country. The majority of the orthodontists are concentrated in the cities of Bogota, Medellin and Cali.

Eligibility for membership
To be eligible for membership, applicants must be enrolled or must have graduated from a two-year (minimum) program that is accredited by the SCO or the Asociación Latinoamericana de Ortodoncia (ALADO) in accordance with an agreement with the orthodontic societies from South America.

Annual Meetings
Since its foundation, the SCO has consistently organized an annual meeting in order to improve the scientific and academic background of its associates. Numerous well-known international lecturers have participated in the annual meetings. In addition to its annual meetings, the SCO also organized the first Latinoamerican Research Meeting in Orthodontics with the support of ALADO. This meeting took place in October 1996 in Cartagena, Colombia. This successful meeting drew participants from Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama and Colombia. The SCO is currently preparing for the second Latinoamerican Research Meeting, which will be held October 7-10, 1998, in Medellin, Colombia, in conjunction with the SCO Annual Meeting.

Issues of Concern
The SCO has accredited seven postgraduate programs in Colombia. Despite this effort, an educational crisis is evident in the country due to the proliferation of unaccredited short intensive orthodontic courses. Therefore, the largest concerns of the society are the legal regulation of the specialty, and the preparation and training of general and pediatric dentists, as well as postgraduate students.

Current Projects
The SCO approved a strategic plan to establish short- and long-term goals. This plan was conceived three years ago. Since that time, the SCO has established a headquarters office in Medellin and appointed an executive director.

The SCO is also studying the establishment of a board mechanism, which will promote the members’ search for excellence. In addition, the SCO is designing a Web page for the Internet. To contact the SCO, send an electronic mail (E-mail) message to the following address: sco@epm.net.co.

From left, the current officers of the Sociedad Colombiana de Ortodoncia are: Dr. Walter Lopez, vocal; Dr. Carlos Villegas, treasurer; Dr. Samuel Roldan, president; Dr. Juan Carlos Velez, executive director; Dr. Gloria Castro, secretary; Dr. Diego Rey, vice-president.