The 12th Saudi International Dental Conference
From the 12th - 14th April 2008G (6th - 8th Rabi’ II 1429H), the long awaited 12th Saudi International Dental Conference of the College of Dentistry of King Saud University was finally held at the Cultural Palace of the Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The conference was a good mixture of formal cultural events and a vibrant scientific program which addressed issues relating to “integrating science into dental practice”.
The celebration commenced with an opening ceremony attended by highly distinguished guests led by His Excellency, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdurrahman Al Othman, President of King Saud University and other dignitaries and guests from United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and other Arab Gulf countries. After the formal opening ceremony, an extensive exhibition of dental and medical equipments and materials by different companies was also formally opened by His Excellency. The companies included: Keydent, Al-Turki Medical Group, Abdulrehman Al-Ghosaibi GTC, Dentech Business Solutions, Sanad Healthcare, Asnan Establishment for Medical Services, Safwan Maintenance and Trading, Sirona, Al Razi Medical Supplies, Medical Vision, Melat Trading, Al Ajaji Trading Establishment, Samir Photographic Supplies Co. LTD., Al Jeel, International United, Al Faisaliah, Smile Innovation Products Co., Soroof International, Soroof Medical Equipments, Top Dental Lab, Al Yarmouk Med-Lab Modern Factory and Riyadh Bank.
The College is grateful for its major sponsors namely: the Saudi Dental Society, Nobel Biocare, Arabian Products Factory for Medical Disinfectants, Bashir Shakib Al Jabri Medical & Pharmaceutical Services Co. Ltd., Cigalah Group and Nakanishi Inc.
There were thirteen (13) scientific sessions at which various speakers from Ohio, USA; Leeds, UK; Nijmegen, Netherlands; Leipzig, Germany; Doha, Qatar and different institutions in Saudi Arabia gave excellent presentations which constituted the core of the whole scientific meeting. The opening presentation was a lecture given by Prof. Monty Duggal of Leeds Dental Institute, United Kingdom on “The compromised pulp – facilitating pulp healing” and Prof. John Jansen of Radbound University Nijmegen Medical Center, Netherlands on “The influence of implant surface characteristics on bone response”. He was followed by other keynote speakers. The presentations covered various oral health-related topics, new advances in dental practice, and issues on qualitative research.
The meeting also offered the opportunity for other participants to present their research in poster presentations. A total of sixty-one (69) abstracts were accepted by the Scientific Committee and presented at the meeting of which forty-one (41) were original researches and twenty-eight (28) were poster presentations.
The continuing education courses were held simultaneously in the College of Dentistry Campus on 15th April 2008. It attracted a wide attendance of academicians, clinicians and students. The conference featured four (4) courses: (1) “Contemporary Fixed Prosthodontics” given by Prof. Stephen Rosentiel, Professor and Chair, Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry of the Ohio State University, College of Dentistry, Ohio, USA; (2) “Pediatric Dentistry and Traumatology in the Modern World – Providing Quality Dental Care for Children Through Sickness and Health” given by Prof. Mandeep Duggal, Consultant and Head of Paediatric Dentistry, Child Dental Health Leeds Dental Institute, UK; (3) “CEREC Restorations: A Basic Training Course” conducted by Dr. Omar Zidan, Associate Professor of Operative Dentistry, Department of Restorative Sciences, University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, USA (4) “Implant Dentistry Build Your Confidence” given by Dr. Walid Sadig, Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Prosthetic Dental Sciences, Dr. Ra’ed Al Sadhan, Assistant Professor and Chairman of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, Dr. Farhad Atassi, Associate Professor and Dr. Abdulaziz Al Rasheed, Assistant Professor, both from the Department of Preventive Dental Sciences of the College of Dentistry, King Saud University.
The 2nd Meeting of the Deans of the Colleges of Dentistry in Saudi Universities attended by the Deans of the different dental schools from Saudi Arabia was a major highlight of the event. The meeting was hosted by Prof. Abdullah Al Yahya, Dean of the College of Dentistry of King Saud University with other Deans of the Dental Colleges namely: Prof. Tarek Al Khateeb of King Abdulaziz University, Prof. Abdullah R. Al Shammery of Riyadh College of Pharmacy and Dentistry, Dr. Abdullah Awad Al Refeidi of King Khalid University, Dr. Fahad Al Harbi of King Faisal University, Dr. Mohammed Al Mohaimeed of Qassim University, Dr. Walid Radah Murshid of Taiba Universit and Dr. Hesham Khalil of King Saud University in Al Kharj.
The meeting was attended by more than 971 participants and was a success both scientifically and socially with the support of the King Saud University Administration, College of Dentistry Administration and the members of the Organizing Committee under the able leadership of Prof. Abdullah S. Al Yahya. The achievement of this year’s conference proves the significant growth of the dental education and professional workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.