The mission of the “Mediterranean Orthodontic Integration Project” is to build a “cultural bridge” between the northern and southern sides of the Mediterranean and to share orthodontic experiences in the different Countries, to facilitate the improvement both of the quality of educational programs and the standard of patients’ care.

The first step in the project (December 2005, Cairo) was to organize a Workshop Meeting of the Orthodontic Associations to analyze the future of Orthodontics and the possible future developments in education, to enhance existing programs and possibly harmonize curricula in the different environments.

All Societies in the area were invited to participate in the workshop. The discussion covered the assessment of existing manpower, the distribution of specialists in the provision for care and the need of treatment, the post-graduate training in each County and the application of the Erasmus curriculum, the availability of official journals, the existence of Continuing Education programs.

The participants agreed on the possibility of developing an “orthodontic culture” in the Mediterranean Area, by developing common programs, harmonizing training, exchanging students and teachers, creating common research programs and protocols. Such a goal can be gradually reached only by intensive discussions and careful planning, thus the need to hold regular international meetings.