The Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences [MDS] started during the foundation of the College of Dentistry in 1395 A.H. [1975G]. The Department includes the specialization of: 1] Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; 2] Oral Medicine/Diagnosis; 3] Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology; and 4] Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology/Biology/Microbiology. Discipline based courses in the Department had been offered to the undergraduate and postgraduate students with extended clinical and didactic activities intended to meet, carry out and uphold the respective disciplines.The Department is the training center and teaching courses to Saudis.
At present, the MDS Department continues with the task of giving didactic, pre-clinical and clinical teaching in the undergraduate program.
From the time that the Department has been started, the name is Biomedical Dental Sciences till 24 November 1996, and on 25 November 1996, it has been changed to Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences.
Our mission will support the three thrusts of King Saud University: quality education; high impact research and major contribution in service of country and society.
The Department is committed to conduct high quality dental education contributions at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. We have the earliest contact with students in the school which fosters the acquisition of knowledge in the basic and clinical sciences. We aim to implement new teaching techniques that promote independent thinking and life-long learning and ensure student learning resulting in graduates competent in their respective fields.
The Department strongly encourages faculty members as well as students to generate new knowledge in the basic, applied and clinical sciences. New knowledge is disseminated through presentation at scientific meetings and publications in the high impact literature. In our Department we interact and collaborate with other investigators in the school, as well as scientists elsewhere in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Provision of high quality specialized oral health care to the community is a major goal in our Department. The Department provides consultation services to practitioners from outside the school and seeks to formulate a plan at community level in prevention and treatment of oral diseases.
The Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences is an academic leader in putting science into practice and sets the standard for the rest of the Departments through making significant contributions to dental education, discovery research and patient care at exceptional levels of quality.