Dear ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

it is really a great pleasure for me to invite you to Liberec where between 14^th and 16^th September 2017 the 18^th Congress of the Czech Orthodontic Society will take place in the modern buildings of the Liberec Technical University. It is also a great pleasure to announce that both the Rectors of both cooperating universities, Charles University and Technical university in Liberec, provided their kind patronage to our Congress.

This year’s Congress of the Czech Orthodontic Society will be exceptional in many aspects. The Czech Dental Chamber celebrated the quarter of the century of its existance last year. The Czech Orhodontic Society will celebrate this important milestone this year. In addition to that, organizing of these annual venues of our society will also reach the symbolic threshold of adulthood. Let’s hope it will be a good, full-grown, vintage year.

As every year we invited a variety of renowned experts from home and abroad. We believe and hope that the main topics of the congress will draw your attention. Because, if there is something new in the world of orthodontics, it is the Surgery first approach, which brings a lot of advantages, but may also brigh some drawbacks and complications. One of the inventors and pioneers of this method, prof. Junji Sugawara accepted our invitation and will share his experience and expertise with Surgery first and skeletal anchorage systems in various indications. The goal of the congress course will be, among other things, to introduce to the attendees the correct technique of application and use of SAS skeletal anchorage system in various indications. Doc. René Foltán, who is well known to all of us as an outstanding expert in orthognathic surgery, will introduce his experiences with the Surgery First technique.

If there is something old, but always omni-present and sometimes painfully present, it is the topic of retention and stability orthodontics treatment results. Their studies, knowledge and recommendations for long-term stability will be introduced by leading experts in this field, prof. Simon Littlewood and prof. Piotr Fudalej. The third topic is the dynamically developing technique of vacuum formed Invisalign aligners. Prof. Alessandro Greco will introduce the news from this rapidly evolving segment and connection of digital orthodontics and Invisalign.

This year, the honorary membership of the Czech Orthodontic Society will be awarded to prof. Jean-Pierre Joho. During the Bedrich Neumann honorary lecture prof. Joho will share with us his long years of experience in treating children and much more.

Just like every year, the traditional part of the congress is the two day program for the orthodontic assistants and lab technicians. The program for orthodontic assistants will focus on communication with patients, psychology, stress situation and hygiene in orthodontic offices. The program for lab technicians closely will follow the main congress topics and will focus on lab procedures related to the Surgery First approach and retention appliances.

The scientific program will be also accompanied by the social program for orthodontics assistants and lab technicians in the legendary historic City Hall cellar. The President’s reception also promises an exceptional experience at Jested, an iconic place of Liberec. As to the main theme of the President’s reception we chose, quite accordingly to the futuristic look of the venue, the theme of future.

We are looking forward to meeting you all in Liberec!

On behalf of the organizing committee,

MUDr. Josef Kučera, Ph.D.

Congress president