The American Association of Orthodontists’ (AAO) 2019 Annual Session will be held May 3-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, with an expected attendance of 16,000, including more than 4,400 international attendees representing 96 countries. Orthodontists and their professional staff members will gather for five days of learning, discussion, study and collaboration. More than 240 lectures will be presented during the Annual Session by the world’s leading orthodontic clinicians, researchers and experts in practice management.
As the oldest and largest dental specialty organization in the world, the AAO is dedicated to providing unparalleled continuing education opportunities to support excellence in patient care among its more than 19,000 members in the U.S., Canada and abroad. AAO orthodontists are dentistry’s specialists in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.
“The 2019 AAO Annual Session is an incomparable opportunity to gain knowledge and insights into emerging treatment topics that will benefit orthodontists at all stages of their careers,” said AAO president Brent Larson, DDS, MS. “While we hope members can attend in person, we recognize that not everyone is able to be present. Those individuals can take advantage of livestreaming of four half-day lectures on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, and earn up to 12 hours of CE. Topics will include Sleep Apnea, Pre-adolescent Treatment, and Evidence/Advances.” Find details here.
The AAO Annual Session Exhibit Hall, the largest show of its kind in the world, will be open Saturday, May 4 through Tuesday, May 7. More than 350 exhibitors will fill nearly 125,000 sq. ft. of space in the Exhibit Hall to showcase the products and services that are essential to contemporary orthodontic practices.
Special events offered exclusively to 2019 AAO Annual Session attendees include a performance by the World Classic Rockers at the May 4 Opening Ceremonies; and two May 5 events, a keynote speech by renowned filmmaker Ron Howard at the Excellence in Orthodontics Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, and that evening’s AAO Celebration featuring Tom Thumb & the Hitchhikers, a rock band comprised of orthodontists.
AAO Named Lectures
Highly anticipated lectures that are named for pioneering orthodontists will be presented Saturday, May 4.
Jacob A. Salzmann Lecture – Hugo de Clerck, DDS, PhD, of Brussels, Belgium;
“Miniplate Skeletal Anchorage: An Update and New Perspectives.”
Edward H. Angle Lecture – Peter Buschang, PhD, of Dallas, Texas; “Thirty Years of Achievements: Our Proudest Moments.”
John Valentine Mershon Lecture – Greg Huang, DMD, MSD, MPH, of Seattle, Washington; “Results from the National Dental Practice Based Research Networks (PBRN) Adult Anterior Openbite Study.”
Awards Recipients and Ceremony
Outstanding individuals and their accomplishments will be celebrated at the Excellence in Orthodontics Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Sunday, May 5.
Jaime de Jesús-Viñas, DMD, MS, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the recipient of the 2019 James E. Brophy AAO Distinguished Service Award. It is presented to those who have made contributions to orthodontics in addition to other valuable and devoted services to the AAO and to its membership.
Peter Buschang, PhD, of Dallas, Texas will be presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in Orthodontic Research, which recognizes significant contributions to the science related to the specialty of orthodontics over the course of the recipient’s lifetime.
J. Moody Alexander, DDS, MS, of Arlington, Texas will receive the AAO 2019 Humanitarian Award. The award recognizes significant contributions to improve the quality of human life that extends beyond the usual scope of private practice, academic functions or organized dentistry.
Mr. Paul Gange, Sr., president of Reliance Orthodontic Products, will be the first to be awarded the AAO Outstanding Contribution Award. This new award recognizes outstanding service to the specialty of orthodontics made by a non-orthodontist.
Anne Marie Kuijpers-Jagtman, DDS, PhD, of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, will be presented the 2019 Louise Ada Jarabak Memorial International Teachers and Research Award presented by the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation for her significant contributions to orthodontic teaching and research.
Michael Riolo, DDS, MS, of Seattle, Washington, will receive the 2019 Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award, presented annually by the American Board of Orthodontics to an orthodontist who has made a notable contribution to the science and art of orthodontists.
“We hope the 2019 AAO Annual Session is a wonderful and memorable experience for all attendees,” Dr. Larson said.
Detailed information on speakers, lectures and workshops is offered at https://s3.amazonaws.com/aao-upload/prod-meetings/2019/04/08135410/AAO-2019-Annual-Session-Program-Grid_rev-04.08.19.pdf. Registration is available at https://register.xpressreg.net/EventRegistration/AAOS0518/Register/Landing/65fcb7e5-989c-43e8-9a53-f8b76104e97b.
About the American Association of Orthodontists
Members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) help children, teenagers and adults achieve healthy, beautiful smiles.
Orthodontists are uniquely qualified specialists who diagnose, prevent and treat dental and facial irregularities to correctly align teeth and jaws. Orthodontists receive an additional two to three academic years of specialized education beyond dental school at an accredited orthodontic residency program.
Founded in 1900, the AAO is the world’s oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents more than 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. The AAO encourages and sponsors key research to enable its members to provide the highest quality of care to patients, and is committed to educating the public about the need for, and benefits of, orthodontic treatment. Comprehensive orthodontic treatment is a complex medical process, and the AAO has long held the position that it is in the best, and safest, interest of the public to have that treatment conducted under the direct and ongoing supervision of a licensed orthodontist.
Only orthodontists qualify for AAO membership. For more information, and to find AAO orthodontists, visit aaoinfo.org.
