NORTH YORK, ONTARIO, CANADA — The Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO) offers its 587 members continuing-education opportunities and information on issues of concern. Currently, working with orthodontic residents and enhancing member communications are two of the goals for the leadership of the CAO.

"The primary focus is on the students, with the view to improve membership participation of Canadian orthodontists for the future," CAO President Dr. Arlene Dagys said. "Specifically, we are interested in identifying those students training in the U.S.A. who will be coming into Canada to practice. We encourage them to become members of the Canadian Orthodontic Residents’ Association (CORA), which, as of September 1998, has representation on our Board of Directors."

To enhance communications with the members and the public, the CAO looks to its Web site. The Association is reformatting and redesigning the Web site to make it more user friendly and up to date.

To foster the interests of its members, the CAO interacts with the government, dental and specialty organizations, regulatory bodies, insurance carriers and the general public. The CAO is actively working with Canadian government officials regarding the administration of the National Plan that funds orthodontic treatment to registered Indians, eligible Inuit and Innu in Canada. The Association also continues to review third-party involvement in orthodontic practices.

Every year the CAO organizes an Annual Scientific Session to meet the continuing-education needs of members. Members who pay their membership dues are granted free access to the meeting. During the 1998 Annual Scientific Session, the CAO celebrated its 50^th anniversary. The 51^st Annual Scientific Session in September 1999 will include a joint meeting with the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The CAO also sponsors meetings with government officials, as well as the Canadian Orthodontic Residents’ Association reception during the Annual Session of the American Association of Orthodontists.

Members can become involved with the CAO by attending the Annual General Meeting that is held during the Annual Scientific Session, volunteering for committees, providing articles for the member newsletter, being elected as a provincial director or being nominated for a line officer position. The CAO has two standing committees, Publications and Nominations, as well as 14 special committees, which include Planning and Priorities, Membership, Insurance, Scientific Meetings, Liaison to Canadian Dental Association, AAO-CAO Liaison, Membership Directory, Standards of Practice, Historian/Archivist, Liaison to World Federation of Orthodontists and the Canadian Orthodontic Residents’ Association.

The CAO has six membership classifications: active, life, retired, honorary, student and academic. Active membership in the CAO requires approval by the CAO Board of Directors. An application for membership must be submitted by the applicant and must be endorsed by two active members of the Association who have personal knowledge of the applicant. The application must be accompanied by the payment of the required fees together with evidence indicating successful completion of a graduate level program in orthodontics that is approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. Applicants must also submit a copy of a provincial license or registration.

To become an academic member, individuals must meet the above criteria with the exception that they must submit evidence indicating successful completion of a university graduate level program in orthodontics and verification that they are employed full time by an orthodontic department. In addition, the CAO offers free membership to qualifying students who are enrolled in a graduate orthodontic program.

The CAO Board of Directors meets four times during the fiscal year and considers membership applications at that time. Current officers of the CAO Board of Directors include President Dr. Dagys, President-elect Dr. Ron Wolk, 1^st Vice President Dr. Richard Marcus, 2^nd Vice President Dr. Ken Glover, and Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Amanda Maplethorp.

For more information about this organization, contact F. Diane Gaunt, national administrator for the CAO. In North America, the toll-free telephone number is 1-877-CAO-8800. Individuals outside of North America should call 1-416-491-3186. The fax number is 1-416-491-1670. The address is 310-2175 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, Ontario M2J 1W8 Canada.