The International Association for Orthodontics (IAO) and the American Association for Functional Orthodontics (AAFO) have Merged!

November 19, 2008

The American Association for Functional Orthodontics (AAFO) has become part of the International Association for Orthodontics (IAO) effective November 19, 2008. The newly combined organization will retain the name International Association for Orthodontics and will be based in Milwaukee, WI U.S.A.

The reason for combining the two associations is to create an even stronger voice for orthodontics worldwide. All AAFO Members are now IAO Members.

Over the course of the next year AAFO benefits will be integrated into the IAO structure including more orthodontic courses and seminars offered on the topic of functional orthodontics.

The American Association for Functional Orthodontics (AAFO) was founded in 1982 by Dr. Craig Stoner, a general dentist practicing in Winchester, Virginia, and the late Dr. J. Robert Bronson, an orthodontist who practiced in Front Royal, Virginia. The association began as a functional jaw orthopedic study club and later grew into a significant functional orthodontic organization.

AAFO leadership has been and will continue to work closely with the IAO to help implement AAFO benefits into the present IAO structure. Some highlights of this cooperative effort include creating a column in the International Journal of Orthodontics on the topic of functional orthodontics in 2009. Also in 2009, all AAFO The Functional Orthodontist journals will be added to the IAO website, creating a larger and more detailed online database of historic articles along with current journals teaching the newest methods and philosophies regarding orthodontics, functional orthodontics, and TMD.