American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) is a non-profit professional association for orthodontists founded in 1929.

History

The organization was first established as ''the American Board of Orthodontia'' in 1929 and later changed its name to the American Board of Orthodontics in 1938. The board was established by the American Association of Orthodontists in

Estes Park, Colorado Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Cor ...

Albert Ketcham Albert H. Ketcham (August 3, 1870 – December 5, 1935) was an American orthodontist and a past president of the American Society of Orthodontists. Life and career He was born in Whiting, Vermont, and attended high school at Vermont Academy, Sa ...

Award was established by the organization in 1935 to give the highest recognition to an individual in Orthodontics. In 1950,

American Dental Association The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's ...

recognized ABO as the official certifying agency of the specialty of

Orthodontics Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...

in the United States. Charles H. Tweed was the first certified orthodontist in the United States and Martin Dewey was the first Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. In 1950, ABO required graduates from residencies of Orthodontics to present 15 cases and a thesis to get

board certified Board certification is the process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are more than 25 boards that ...

. In 1964, a written examination was implemented by the ABO. In 1978, the association discontinued the thesis requirement from the graduates. In 2011, a New Examination Center opened in St. Louis for ABO Clinical Examinations for graduates. The mission of The American Board of Orthodontics is to elevate the quality of orthodontic care for the public by promoting excellence through

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

, education, and professional collaboration. The society also confers awards every year which are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of Orthodontics.

References

{{Orthodontology Scientific organizations established in 1934 1934 establishments in the United States Orthodontic organizations