APO Awarded as the “ONLY” Orthodontic Specialty Group

By Dr. Ramona S. Locsin

The Association of Philippine Orthodontists was officially awarded the Certificate of Accreditation by the Philippine Board of Dentistry and was duly recognized as the official specialty society for Orthodontics in the country on January 26, 2011. This was done in conjunctions with the Oath-Taking ceremony of the new dentists, dental hygienists and dental technologists at the Fiesta Pavillon of the Manila Hotel.

Present at the occasion were Board of Dentistry members led by Chairman Dr. Daniel G. Feraro, PDA President for 2011 Dr. Roberto M. Tajonera, CEO and President of the Lamoiyan Corporation Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro, Vice-Chairman of the Equicom Group of Companies Mr. Rene J. Buenaventura and Admiral Mateo M. Mayuga (retired) who was the guest speaker that day. Admiral Mayuga delivered an inspiring message to the new professionals which included several anecdotes about his own experiences with dentists as well as the importance of dental health in one’s overall well-being.

Also present were the 251 new dentists, 30 new dental hygienists, 227 dental technologists as well as their families and loved ones. The board-passers who garnered the top 10 scores in the recent Dental Board Examinations were also honored. Following tradition, board topnotcher Dr. Pia dela Cruz Briones of the University of the Philippines gave the response on behalf of the new professionals. She talked about the experiences she and her friends shared as they prepared for the examinations, which some of the older members of the audience listened to with fond nostalgia, and what finally being a part of this elite group means.

Two other specialty societies were present along with APO, the Philippine Pediatric Dental Society, Inc. and the Philippine Prosthodontic Society, which were also given Certificates of Accreditation. Representing APO were the following: Drs. Roberto Tan, Laarni Serraon, Martin Reyes, Diane Lim, Angela Centeno, Cynthia Quismundo, Bernie Lim, Marievic Reyes, Teresa Goduco, Kathy Ong and Mona Locsin.

Accreditation of the Association of Philippine Orthodontists by the Board of Dentistry is a validation of the efforts of APO to further the specialty of Orthodontics in the Philippines. January 26th, 2011 was a happy day indeed.