European Federation of Orthodontics held its General Assembly in September in England

The European Federation of Orthodontics (FEO) held its General Assembly September 29, 2001, in Harrogate, England, during the Annual Conference of the British Orthodontic Society.
The FEO is the federation of European scientific orthodontic societies. The aims of this non-profit organization include the promotion of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics in the continent by improving understanding and cooperation between the constituent associations; the harmonization of programs and training sessions; and the encouragement of research. Presently, the FEO is comprised of orthodontic scientific societies from Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.

The president of the British Orthodontic Society, Dr. Neville Bass of London, England, welcomed the FEO delegates to Harrogate and expressed the pleasure of his society to host the General Assembly. In addition, he welcomed the delegates to the British Orthodontic Conference, the largest dental conference in the United Kingdom. More than 1,400 delegates registered for this conference.

FEO President Prof. Athanasios Athanasiou of Athens, Greece, chaired the General Assembly. WFO President Dr. Lee Graber of Kenilworth, Illinois, USA, was the honorary guest. Observers from Germany and Israel also attended the General Assembly.

Dr. Graber thanked the FEO for the invitation to attend the General Assembly. He acknowledged that all FEO societies are WFO affiliated organizations and conveyed the greetings of the WFO Executive Committee. He also noted that there are many similarities between the two organizations.

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Dr. Graber, personally, and the WFO received hundreds of messages, including one from the FEO, expressing concern and offers of support. Dr. Graber said these messages were all very much appreciated and meant much to American colleagues.

Dr. Graber also discussed the 2005 International Orthodontic Congress (IOC) in Paris. He noted the IOC is a truly European venture in conjunction with the WFO and the French orthodontic societies. Dr. Olivier Mauchamp of Grenoble, France, serves as the chairman of the 2005 IOC. He provided the FEO delegates with further information on the progress of administrative and scientific preparatory work. As of November 2001, the IOC's Web site is now active (www.wfoparis2005.org). Dr. Mauchamp also noted that the organizing committee will soon appoint a destination management committee, advertising will start in 2002, and a concurrent Dental Assistant Congress will be planned.

After the presentation on the 2005 IOC, FEO Secretary-General Dr. Allan Thom of Tunbridge Wells, England, then presented a detailed report on the Federation's activities during the past year. He mentioned that the FEO grows in strength and stature. Requests for educational and other support have been received from member countries, and the FEO must discuss how it can offer assistance to ensure a sincere European orthodontic fraternity.

Treasurer Dr. Aldo Carano of Taranto, Italy; Vice-President Dr. Thierry De Coster of Brussels, Belgium; and Web Master Dr. Giorgio Fiorelli of Arezzo, Italy, gave reports on the treasury and the FEO Web site.

The FEO delegates also discussed the following issues:

• the establishment of an FEO award for scientific articles,
• the development of a list of speakers from member societies,
• the assessment of the current situation of scientific publications in Europe,
• the expansion of the FEO's Web site, which would include the addition of sections on European postgraduate programs and non-European scientific societies, and
• the formation of committees for providing experts' opinions on orthodontic education.

The General Assembly attendees agreed to proceed with the establishment of an FEO Award. The FEO Award will recognize a scientific paper that has made a significant contribution in research and clinical investigation that has advanced orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. Each year, the FEO will present one award for the best paper published the previous year in the national journal of an FEO member society. The objective of the award is to encourage and enhance the publication of original research results and clinical applications of orthodontic interest. The winner will receive a certificate and financial reward. The FEO Board of Trustees and the presidents of the member societies will constitute the Award Committee. If the president or a representative of the member society is on the FEO Board of Trustees, the society will not appoint another delegate. The presidents of the member societies will select up to two articles published in their society's official journal. The selected papers should be submitted in English or accompanied with an English translation. Letters of nomination, describing the details of the paper in the context of the objectives of this award, should also accompany the articles. This information will be submitted to the secretariat of the FEO.

In regard to the list of speakers, the delegates agreed to ask the society presidents to circulate the relevant information and seek members who are interested and willing to present lectures/courses to member societies. The aim of the list is to help small societies find speakers. The speakers will receive reimbursement for travel and hotel costs, but no honoraria.

The next FEO General Assembly will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on September 29, 2002. The new Board of Trustees will be elected at this meeting.

For more information on the European Federation of Orthodontics, visit the FEO Web site at www.sido.it/feo.