It is based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA [1] The purpose of the WFO is to advance the art and science of orthodontics throughout the world.

Encourage and assist in the formation of national and regional certifying boards in the field of orthodontics when requested; 4.

Sixty-eight national and regional orthodontic societies from sixty-two countries joined with the AAO to sign the charter of the WFO at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco on May 15, 1995.

The Herbst Theatre had been the site, fifty years earlier when the United Nations charter was signed in 1945 following World War II.

The WFO publishes a Journal of the World Federation of Orthodontists and organises an International Congress every five years (IOC).