The 2022 AAO House of Delegates (HOD) met in Miami Beach on May 20 and May 23, in conjunction with the 2022 Annual Session. The HOD took action on numerous resolutions that will impact the association and the specialty.

Member Dues and CAP Assessments Set
● The HOD set member dues at $817 for Fiscal Year 2022-23.*
● The Consumer Awareness Program (CAP) assessment will be $500 for Fiscal Year 2022-23, applied to active members in the United States and Canada. For 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 the assessment will be $600.

* View International Membership Tiered Dues Based on Current World Bank Information
* View an FAQ with the Recent Graduate Discounted Dues Structure, Full-Time Faculty Dues and Part-Time Practice Policy

HOD Approves Limited Orthodontic Treatment Definition
The AAO’s orthodontic treatment information is to be augmented by the following definition of limited orthodontic treatment: “Orthodontic treatment utilizing any therapeutic modality with a limited objective or scale of treatment. Treatment may occur in any stage of dental development or dentition. The objective may be limited by:

–           Not involving the entire dentition
–           Not attempting to address the full scope of the existing or developing orthodontic problem
–           Mitigating an aspect of a greater malocclusion ( i.e. crossbite, overjet, overbite, arch length, anterior alignment, one phase of multi-phase treatment, treatment prior to permanent dentition, etc.)
–           Decision to forgo comprehensive treatment.”

Board Certification Designation on AAO Orthodontist Locator to Change
The revised board-certified designation “Board Certified by The American Board of Orthodontics” is to be placed directly below the other credentials listed on the second page of listings of Board-certified members, on the AAO orthodontist locator, in lieu of the seal. The Find an Orthodontist locator is part of the AAO consumer website, to which tens of thousands of visitors are driven annually by AAO Consumer Awareness Program digital marketing.

AAO Takes Position on Interoperability of Orthodontic Software
Going forward, the position of the AAO will be that developers of orthodontic software should implement open and non-proprietary standards for data interoperability when available. In addition, the development of new open, non-proprietary data standards by stakeholders is encouraged.

Special Committee on Constituent Collaboration to Be Established
HOD Speaker Dr. Dennis Hiller is to create a Special Committee on Constituent Collaboration. The purpose of the committee will be to allow constituents to learn from each other, share information about what is working, and offer solutions to challenges that each constituent may be facing, thus creating opportunities for efficiency and innovation. The committee is to be comprised of a leadership representative from each constituent, an AAO trustee and an AAO staff liaison.

Deficit vs. Balanced Budget Policy Updated
The policy directing the Board of Trustees to submit a budget to the HOD for the upcoming year’s AAO operations has been updated. The Board will no longer be required to submit a balanced budget to the HOD but instead, in the event “a deficit budget is proposed to the House of Delegates, the Board of Trustees will propose recommendations to all constituents prior to the yearly ad interim meetings for how a balanced budget could be achieved.”

Meeting Revenue Sharing Model to be Explored
The HOD directed the AAO Committee on Conferences (CCon) to investigate the creation of a meeting revenue sharing model for all AAO constituent societies when an AAO Annual Session or Winter Conference is held in that constituent’s territory. Established in 2021, CCon is charged with planning all future AAO meetings starting with the 2023 Winter Conference.

Student and Service Members to be Assigned to Components
The AAO will assign all student members to a component based on the location of their orthodontic residency programs. In addition, service (military) members based in North America will be assigned a component based on their addresses on file with the AAO. These assignments do not imply membership in the component organizations, but instead provides a means for component organizations to remain in contact with student and service members who reside in their states.

Click here to view the complete HOD Final Actions Chart with results and vote totals on each resolution that was submitted to the HOD.