Yesterday, September 10, 2026, marked a historic day for Latin American orthodontics. The Latin American Board of Orthodontics (LABO) was officially founded; it is an independent organization directly linked to the Latin American Association of Orthodontics (ALADO), with the mission of evaluating orthodontists from our continent and certifying them with a diploma of clinical excellence upon their successful completion of theoretical exams and presentation of clinical cases. The inaugural board will operate on a rotating basis and comprises the following members: Dr. Carlos Alberto Tavares (President – Brazil), Dr. Lia Sokolowicz (Vice-President – Argentina), Dr. Nasib Balut (Secretary – Mexico), Dr. Adriana Pascual (Treasurer – Argentina), Dr. Ricardo Machado Cruz (1st Director – Brazil), Dr. Jorge Daniel Aguirre (2nd Director – Bolivia), Dr. Lincoln Nojima (3rd Director – Brazil), Dr. Daniel Cerillo (4th Director – Mexico), and Dr. José Luís Muñoz (Bolivia) and Dr. Javier Valdez (Mexico) as board members. I extend special thanks to the Brazilian Board of Orthodontics (BBO) for their generosity in authorizing LABO to use their documentation and structure as models for our new organization, as well as to the other members of my ALADO executive board for all their support.
