About BCSO

The British Columbia Society of Orthodontists was created in 1963 and almost all orthodontists in BC are members.

Purposes of the BCSO:

1. Promotion of high standards of orthodontic practice in the Province of British Columbia.
2. Encouragement and sponsorship of research in orthodontics.
3. Dissemination of knowledge and information in orthodontics to its members and to the public.
4. Co-operation with other societies with similar interest in furthering the above purposes.
5. Encouragement of good fraternal and professional relationships among its members.

The BCSO currently meets four evenings a year, usually in September, November, February and May. The May meeting is customarily the Annual General Meeting.

History
The following is an exert from Dr. W.G. Hastings' book, “55 Years of Hospital Dentistry,” (pages 57-60).

Orthodontia - The Cleft Palate Committee- The Diagnostic Centre

The history of the hospital's Cleft Palate Committee and the Children's Hospital Diagnostic Centre is told under the heading of Orthodontia because down through the years they have been interwoven one with the other. As the story of our Orthodontia section unfolds we will see that through it we gained recognition of the worth of a Dentist on a medical team.

Orthodontia

The Hospital has always wanted the special skills of Orthodontists. This is illustrated in an excerpt from the minutes, the very early minutes of the Official Board where they welcomed with great enthusiasm the services of an Orthodontist (name unknown). It is implied that he was to be available for consultations and would be doing some treatment in his office. It was up to Dr. Whalley to actually start Orthodontic treatment in the Hospital. His contributions are outlined in the Chapter headed The Dentists 1948-49. Although Dr. Fraser's name as an Orthodontist was preceded by Dr. Lloyd Chapman and paralleled by Dr. Richard Cline, Art was the one who took the Orthodontic problem to heart and worked long and hard on our behalf. Dr. Chapman left to practice in Seattle in 1957 and Dick resigned due to poor health in 1961. Dr. Arthur Hayes joined us and it was left to him and Art Fraser to carry the load for a good many years. Dr. Fraser was to play a major roll in the formation of the Children's Hospital Cleft Palate Committee, the story of which will be told later. It was with this committee that Drs. W. Sproule and Jackson were to serve. There was some fee for services involved although it was necessary for them to be members of the department. They conducted nearly all of their treatments at the diagnostic centre and attended a minimum of our monthly staff meetings. There was something missing in this relationship and perhaps the greatest loss was in that we were not to share in the treatment plans of these handicapped patients.

Orthodontia in the hospital environment and its problems peculiar to this kind of a relationship has plagued us for many years. First off it was difficult if not impossible due to lack of orthodontic staff to perform this type of long term dental treatment for a number of years.  We were under constant pressure from the medical staff and latterly from the government to supply Orthodontic treatment. There were of course no funds to pay an operator; however, we could supply some basic equipment. So the Orthodontists had to be volunteers. The equipment we had purchased dating back to Dr. Whalley's time was not found to be suitable for the various band and arch techniques. Although it was tried, treatment in the hospital just never seemed to get off the ground. The next step was to treat patients in private offices. Here we ran into what only can be described as the free clinic syndrome. When you offer services to indigent  patients it is quite a shock to find that in many instances there is very little appreciation for the services rendered, sometimes there was still less desire to have it done at all, and topping it all was the failure of the patients to keep their appointments. There are two reports on the files of surveys conducted outside of our department that included a time analysis of the duties of our receptionists and assistants. The conductor of this survey and analysis was horrified by the time spent trying to track patients down and getting them in turn to show up for their appointment. The report even went to the extreme and suggested that such patients didn't deserve treatment. We can all remember reporting for duty only to have the appointments decimated by cancellations and no shows. We persevered at the hospital clinic but how could you expect a private office to put up with such nonsense. As I understand it removable appliances were quickly lost or thrown away and in extreme cases fixed appliances were ripped off. So much for treatment in private offices.

There came a time when the B.C. Society of Orthodontists provided Orthodontic Diagnosis on a rotational basis and as a matter of fact they still do, but there were no offers to follow up with treatment. It was to be done on request but we didn't use this volunteer help for there was no way we could follow the case through to completion. We did, however, use their expertise to help in the treatment planning of exceptional cases. Before leaving this era of Orthodontia to history, let us assure those involved that we appreciated just how horrendous the problem was and appreciated their trying. We thank them for the treatment and service they performed.

In the late seventies a group of our staff dentists saw the need for limited orthodontia and formed a committee within the hospital to increase their skills in this specialty  This they did by diagnosis and treating cases together and by bringing in mentors and taking courses. Through their dedication quite a number of deserving patients have been treated. They set their own guidelines so they would realize their limitations. To these dentists we give special thanks. They saw the need and they provided the service. We have here also a very good example of how working the hospital environment can increase your skills in your chosen profession while serving the needy patient at the same time. Just one more plus that you enjoy when you join the staff of the Dental department.

Who can say what the future roll of Orthodontia will be in our hospital. The dedicated few mentioned above have stopped treatment as the Hospital has not the budget to cover the lab bills. It is pretty well assured that the cleft palate patients will be handled through the cleft palate committee.

Initially the Orthodontic treatment was a contribution given by Dr. Fraser but for the last decade 2 part-time Orthodontists were hired on a sessional basis, with such an arrangement existing to this very day. Payment for Orthodontic treatment is now provided by the provincial government.

As to earlier history of orthodontics in British Columbia, Dr. Lea was probably the first orthodontist in the province, possibly practicing as early as 1914. That year he was the president of the BCDA. He was also the president of the VDDS in 1915-1916, and College Registrar for 24 some odd years. Dr. Lea moved between Vancouver and Victoria and it is not known if he limited his practice exclusively to Orthodontics. Dr. Westcott and Dr. M.J. Walley were both mentioned as doing orthodontics, Dr. M.J. Walley as chief of staff of the Dental Department of Children's Hospital.

The first fully trained orthodontist was Dr. J. Ryan, followed by Dr. C. Craig and Dr. K. Whalley. Their contemporaries, Dr. D. Cline and Dr. L. Chapman, were not formally trained.

A formal note of thanks to Dr. W. G. Hastings for compiling the above information.

John G. Ryan Distinguished Service Award

Dr. John G. Ryan always attended BCSO meetings, was president of the BCSO 1968/69, was involved in a number of organizations, and influenced the way we practice orthodontics in B.C. He was strongly opposed to fee guides in orthodontics.
He was born in Ladysmith B.C. and died of cancer in 1988. He completed his undergraduate degree at UBC in 1941, dental school at U of T, entered the dental corp., married Chris and completed his orthodontic training at U. of Michigan in 1949 with a master’s degree. His first office was at 925 West Georgia with one chair and he moved to West Broadway only after the building at 925 was torn down.

Intent
To recognize a member orthodontist or other worthy person for outstanding contributions and exemplary distinguished services rendered over a number of years for the benefit and advancement of the orthodontic profession in British Columbia.

Selection
A candidate for this award shall be selected by the executive of the British Columbia Society of Orthodontists with the immediate past president acting as chairman. It is not incumbent upon the committee to select a recipient for this award annually. Nominees may be proposed by any member of the British Columbia Society of Orthodontists.

Inscription
In recognition and appreciation of outstanding contributions and exemplary distinguished services rendered for the benefit and advancement of the orthodontic profession and this Association in British Columbia.

Award Presentation
This award shall be presented at the annual general meeting of the British Columbia Society of Orthodontists. The recipient shall be presented with a distinguished service plaque and the transaction noted in the minutes of the British Columbia Society of Orthodontists.

Recipients to Date:
Dr William Sproule
Dr. Robert Hicks           
Dr. Yale Malkin - 2001
Dr. Michael Wainwright - 2005
Dr. Robin Jackson - 2007