Dr. William DeKock, immediate past president of the WFO, takes on new role as secretary-general

In 1995, an idea became a reality with the formation of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO). At that time, orthodontic leaders had realized the importance of bringing the worldwide orthodontic community together through a global organization. And so, during the 95th Annual Session of the American Association of Orthodontists and the 4th International Orthodontic Congress in 1995, representatives from 69 organizations in 62 countries convened in San Francisco, California, USA, to become charter members of the WFO.

As this organization has taken root and grown, Dr. William DeKock of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, has given his support and time to help strengthen the WFO. For the past five years, he has served as president of the WFO. He now passes this responsibility on to Dr. Lee Graber of Kenilworth, Illinois, USA, and will take on his role as the secretary-general of the WFO. In this new position, Dr. DeKock will be responsible for the administration of the WFO and the WFO Secretariat in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

During Dr. DeKock's tenure as president, the WFO has fostered a new level of recognition for the specialty, as well as enhanced communication among orthodontic colleagues from across the world.

"The establishment of the WFO has given the international orthodontic community a commonality of purpose," Dr. DeKock said. "All organizations within the WFO have recognized the importance of the orthodontic specialist. The WFO now gives further recognition to that title when orthodontists are accepted as WFO fellows. In some countries, the WFO has helped long-standing orthodontic organizations with problems that are unique to them, but familiar to other orthodontic organizations. Intercommunication through the WFO Gazette and the International Orthodontic Congress has exponentially improved communication in the orthodontic specialty."

The benefits of the WFO also exist on an individual level. Each WFO fellow receives a certificate of membership and a subscription to the WFO Gazette. WFO fellows are also eligible for reduced registration fees at international congresses, such as the 5th International Orthodontic Congress in Chicago, and at annual meetings of several affiliated organizations, such as the American Association of Orthodontists, the European Orthodontic Society and the Asociación Latinoamericana de Ortodoncia.

Overall, Dr. DeKock is pleased with the continuing growth of the organization and the structure of the WFO. The WFO is based on the recognition of national and regional orthodontic organizations. These organizations achieve affiliate status after a lengthy review of their bylaws, categories of membership, and membership requirements for each category of membership. Orthodontic specialists who belong to these affiliated organizations are eligible to join the WFO as fellows. To date, 87 affiliated organizations and more than 5,000 fellows belong to the WFO. The WFO has been instrumental in assisting newer associations as they develop their formal bylaws and organizational structure.

"While I anticipated interest in a world organization of orthodontic specialists as a result of the interest leading up to the WFO formation in 1995, I did not expect the enthusiasm with which the concept has been embraced," Dr. DeKock said. "At the heart of the WFO is the national affiliated organization in each country. Since each national president must sign off on the qualifications of each WFO fellow, the process effectively places the affiliated national organization in each country in charge of the orthodontic standards in each country."

As Dr. DeKock begins working with the WFO in his new role, he hopes that the WFO's influence on the standard of orthodontic care throughout the world continues to grow.

"The WFO has only begun to establish its presence in some areas of the world," Dr. DeKock said. "As it becomes more established, it will accomplish one of its goals to help establish an increasingly high standard of orthodontic care throughout the world. I hope the WFO continues to collect data on the status of orthodontics and the orthodontic specialty throughout the world. For example, maintaining a list of all orthodontic training programs that are recognized by our affiliated societies will make the WFO a repository from which national organizations can obtain information."

Dr. DeKock is in private practice in Cedar Rapids, and he served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Iowa for 26 years. He is a past president of the American Association of Orthodontists.