Setting the stage for the AJO-DO: the haphazard times before orthodontic specialty journals

The professional distinction of "surgeon-dentist," created in France in the 18th century, stimulated dentistry's early advance as a learned profession. By 1841, Pierre-Joachim Lefoulon coined the term "orthodontosie," which was the root of "orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics" as a distinct academic field and a specialty. In 1907, the American Orthodontist became the first scientific journal in the world completely devoted to orthodontics. Its failure after 5 years of publication prompted former editor Martin Dewey to find a new publisher for an orthodontic specialty journal. In 1915, the International Journal of Orthodontia was created with Dewey as editor. After some years, its name was changed to the American Journal of Orthodontics, which later became the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, or AJO-DO. Today, the AJO-DO at 100 years is a mainstay of scientific advancement in orthodontics.