title: A review of the Transactions of the British Society for the study of orthodontics 1907 — 1971
Creators: name: Taylor, Geoffrey Stuart
Publisher: name: University of Glasgow
Year: 2004
Subjects: subject: British Society for the Study of Orthodontics.

description: A Review of the Transactions of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics 1907-1971. The British Society for the Study of Orthodontics took an early decision, after its foundation in 1907, to publish details of all papers, case reports and demonstrations given at its meetings, together with the Reports from the Annual General Meetings. These accounts were published in the monthly journal, the Dental Record, and at the end of each year were bound together and sent to all members as the Transactions of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics. This pattern continued with only minor modification from 1908 until 1971, when publication of the Transactions ceased. In all fifty-seven volumes of the Transactions were published. Publication was interrupted during both the First and Second World Wars. The formation of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics is important in the development of orthodontics in the United Kingdom and the Transactions are equally important in publicising the Society's activities. The aim of this study is to catalogue all the papers appearing in the Transactions over this period and to assess the influence of the Transactions on the development of the orthodontic speciality. The Transactions revealed that there was widespread discussion prior to the decision to form this, the first dental specialist society; many people expressed misgivings. The aims of the Society were clearly set out at its early meetings and attempts were made to avoid problems, which had emerged in orthodontic societies elsewhere. It was possible through study of the Transactions to assess the success of the Society's original objectives. The nature of the communications to the Society appeared to change over the period of its sixty-three years existence. In the early years case reports formed the largest category of papers given, but as time passed an increasing number of viewpoint papers appeared. Towards the end of the publication period an increasing number of sample studies were published. The topics covered similarly changed. For instance, the Society and Transactions were founded in the era when faulty respiration was considered to be an important cause of malocclusion and both the airway and need for arch expansion were frequently discussed. In the inter-war period the Transactions showed that there was little evidence to support a direct relationship between malocclusion and the various types of nasal obstruction. The deleterious effects of extraction were much commented upon in the early years, later the need for extractions was more widely accepted and was not seen to be causing so much harm as earlier had been stated. The Transactions chronicle the increasing sophistication and effectiveness of appliances, especially as new materials, such as stainless steel, were introduced. The inadequacies of orthodontic teaching at both the initial and postgraduate stages and the availability of orthodontic treatment to the population as a whole was clearly demonstrated in papers appearing in the Transactions. The volumes mentioned repeated attempts to improve teaching and contained detailed recommendations about what and how much orthodontics should appear in the dental curriculum. Likewise the reality that in the early years orthodontic treatment was restricted to a very small segment of the population was recognised and various schemes, to widen the availability, were put forward. The Transactions confirmed the dramatic increase in treatment subsequent to the introduction of the National Health Service and evaluated the effectiveness of this treatment. The development of orthodontics in North America received frequent comments in the Transactions, many seem to have been critical. Finally this study of the Transactions showed that although they were important in the development of orthodontics in the United Kingdom they did not achieve either the quality or influence secured by the American Journal of Orthodontics, which had been founded just after the Transactions. The course of the Transactions was obviously intertwined with the history of the Society and their relationship is described. Finally the development of any speciality is dependent upon its members, in particularly those who became its officers. It was the custom for the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics, each year, to be addressed by the current President. These Presidential Addresses revealed much about the state of orthodontics at that time and also about the Presidents. The Presidential Addresses were reviewed and also short biographical details of all the Presidents were included in an appendix.