© European Orthodontic Society. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Orthodontic Society.
This special issue of the European Journal of Orthodontics (EJO), the official publication of the European Orthodontic Society (EOS), has been produced to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the EOS, which was founded in Berlin in 1907. The original intention was to reproduce one article from each decade, but since all publications from 1979 onwards can be accessed online, the decision was taken to select seminal articles from 1907 to 1977. We trust that you will find those chosen to be of interest. They cover a number of topics from the periodontal ligament to bonding, and from experts such as Hawley and Lundström. Whilst the articles have been selected on the basis of their original impact, in the majority of cases they are still of significance.
Since its inception the journal has been published under a number of titles including ‘Report of the Meeting....’, The European Orthodontia Society, The European Orthodontological Society. This resulted in a number of problems and in 1935 the title Transactions of the European Orthodontic Society was officially adopted. These Transactions, which were published annually, and which were not included in the membership subscription but had to be purchased separately, contained the Minutes of the Society together with presentations given at the annual congress. However, not all papers were submitted for publication and the size and content varied from year to year, such that on some occasions the proceedings for two years were combined in one issue. In 1979 it was decided to incorporate the Transactions into a new journal, the EJO, which would be published quarterly and members would receive this journal in place of the Transactions. The factors for this deicision were the ever increasing cost of producing the Transactions, the limited circulation, apart from members, the inevitable delay in the publication of papers and the fact that some speakers were unwilling to present their best work at the Congresses because they were then committed to a publication with only a limited readership. Since that time the EJO has achieved international recognition, it is now one of the leading periodicals in the field, it is published bimonthly, and has a circulation of more than 3000.
Whilst it is the aim of every editor to publish articles with a high scientific and/or clinical interest, there is also a responsibility to encourage young researchers, those from developing countries, and those whose first language is not English. This results in a significant input both from the Associate Editors, the members of the Editorial Board and the referees, all of whom give their time without payment of a fee, to ensure that the level of publication is maintained. The success of the journal is a testament to their unstinting work and also to the nine honorary editors of the journal whose names are shown below:
1925–1927 Edward D. Barrows
1928–1947 Oscar John Henry
1948–1954 Kathleen Corisdande Smyth
1954–1961 G. E. M. (Maurice) Hallett
1962–1967 Peter Thomas Burke
1968–1983 John Cook
1984–1991 William John Ballantyne Houston
1992–1993 Richard Ewart Mills
1994–present Fraser McDonald
The EJO faces a number of challenges in the future including open access to all articles putting at risk the society's income, the reduction in the number of academics who are able to publish clinical data in the modern day ethical environment, and the decline in research funding. The aim of both the EOS and the EJO is to encourage research and to promote orthodontics, and to this end significant funding for research is provided, including the Houston Scholarship and Houston Research Awards, the Beni Solow Award for the best article published in the EJO, and the EOS Research Awards. The publication cost of the journal is also kept to a minimum, and no charge is made for colour reproduction when considered necessary.
Are these challenges facing us today greater than those of our forebears who 100 years ago pushed forwards the frontiers of clinical science, or those that might occur in the next 100 years? Orthodontists have a reputation for imagination and resilience, and there is no doubt that they will rise to meet any future challenges.
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