EDITORIAL

Public relations--Never ending

L ong before the advent of institutions dealing in methods for the improvement of relations, the leaders within our own budding special field of dentistry were advocating a broad viewpoint with respect to orthodontic knowl- edge.

In Volume 1, Number 1 of our own JOURNAL (circa 1915) Martin Dewey, then editor, said: “One of the most important points to be considered is the fact that the orthodontist himself derives great benefit through the education of the general practitioner along orthodontic lines. It has been observed that the majority of cases referred Do the specialist are from practitioners who arc most familiar with the subject, the benefits to be derived from the treatment of malocclusion, and who possess enough knowledge on orthodontia to diagnose and advise the patients properly.”

In a sense but slightly less than parallel with a statement made only 3 years ago (<‘our public relations must affect our relationship with the public, with the general practitioner, and with each within our own specialty”), Dewey went on to say, more than 50 years ago: “There are three parties who will benefit from the general practitioner receiving orthodontic information-the dentist, the patient, and the orthodontist.”

In comparing and selecting parallelisms in the thoughts of today and those of a half-century ago, one must pause and consider the words of Frederick Bogue Noyes of the University of Illinois, taken from an address before the 1915 annual meeting of the Illinois State Dental Society: “The training of an orthodontist should be planned not simply to develop the highest degree of efficiency, and attain the most rapid advancement in a special field, but to keep the specialty in touch with the general profession and coordinate it with other specialties for the benefit of humanity.”

Through the years orthodontics did not listen to the few voices; rather, it became immersed in its own techniques and politics attendant thereto.

The years following World War II have changed the presentation of ortho- dontic knowledge and education, and with this change has come a different approach to the practice of our specialty. Coupled with a higher standard of living for the American family, we have reaped a harvest of results, most of which have been to our lasting credit, but some, nevertheless, in criticism of our approach.

As is the custom in all things, some individuals, with a finger on the pulse

Volume 67 Number 3

Editorial 305

of orthodontics, instituted a modern approach to public relations for the specialty.

With an almost unbelievable increase in the rolls of the orthodontic specialty came the growing success of orthodontics’ own American Association of Ortho- dontists. Slowly at first, but with vision, the Association has approached its problem of public relations from the aforementioned three-point aspect of relationships with the public, with the general practitioner, and with each individual orthodontist.

A modern experienced public relations firm has been employed to conduct public relations workshops as needed, to secure news media coverage, and to provide the mechanics for the production of slide film presentations for lay audiences, exhibits, pamphlets, film clips, and speakers’ bureau activities, all with the cooperation of the Council on Public and Professional Relations and the AA0 central office.

The Council and the central office have counseled with writers from many and different publications. With pardonable pride, reprints of articles from such publications as Kiplinger’s Changing Times, Parents Magazine, and Glamour are maintained in a large available supply at the central office.

Perhaps as important, and maybe even more so, is the fact that some magazine articles were not printed after consultation with the publishers.

All in all, the most salient point in the maintenance of an ongoing public relations program is that both the public and the profession be supplied with truthful information without the effect of particular techniques and politics.

Information is gradually being stored from periodic questionnaires sent to the entire membership of the American Association of Orthodontists. There can be no argument with an average national opinion.

E. E. A’.