Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Please accept my cordial invitation to the 19th Congress of the Czech Orthodontic Society to be held from 4 to 6 October 2018 in Český Krumlov.

The beautiful South Bohemian town of Český Krumlov has been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992. As the event will take place in the Riding School situated in the compound of the Český Krumlov Castle, the historical potential of the town will be utilised to the full.

However, the chosen topics will be up-to-date indeed. Tooth retention is the first topic – it is one of the most complex issues faced by orthodontists and their perennial crux medicorum. Currently, there are perhaps no better qualified experts in this field than the invited main speakers, Prof. Adrian Becker and Prof. Stella Chaushu, a team from the Hadassah University in Jerusalem. With contributions of the other speakers, such as Doc. Pavlína Černochová, Dr. Ivo Marek, Dr. Jiří Krug, etc., the management of impacted teeth will be covered in a comprehensive manner during the first two days of the Congress. We believe that collaborating dentoalveolar surgeons will also benefit from their attendance.

The third Congress day will be dedicated to the most common malocclusion – Class II. Dr. Cesare Luzi, Dr. Skander Ellouze, Professor Alberto Caprioglio, Dr. Morten Laursen, Prof. René Foltán and others will discuss various ways of treating this anomaly, including the therapy by means of fixed appliances, Invisalign aligners and a surgical-orthodontic treatment method.

An honorary membership of the Czech Orthodontic Society will be conferred upon Dr. Olga Stecherová who has significantly contributed to the development of orthodontics not only in South Bohemia. In addition, however, we will witness another absolutely unique event. For lifetime achievement in the field of orthodontics, honorary membership in the Czech Orthodontics Society will be also awarded to a living legend, Professor William Proffit who will give us the gratifying experience of listening to his Bedřich Neumann Honorary Lecture.

As usual, the Congress will also include sections for orthodontic assistants and dental technicians and an exhibition of firms. The section for the assistants will focus on modern 3D technologies (scanning, plastic retainers, etc.), interdisciplinary cooperation and management, as well as marketing of orthodontic practices. The programme of dental technicians will relate to one of the main topics of the Congress – it will be dedicated to the appliances for the Class II treatment, as well as to 3D technologies. The exhibition of the firms will take place in the foyer of the riding hall and in the adjacent exhibition areas.

Our task is to provide not only a high scientific standard of the Congress, but also a rich cultural and social programme. To its success, a social evening for orthodontic assistants and dental technicians and, last but not least, also a president’s gala evening should contribute. Its style should be in line with the Baroque-Rococo backdrop provided by the riding hall.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Český Krumlov.

On behalf of the organizing committee,

MUDr. Ladislav Bemát, Ph.D.

Congress president