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by Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa T he Saudi Dental Society was estab- lished in 1401H (1981G). Its tempo- rary headquarter is at King Saud University. The University shall see to the realization of the Societies' ob- jectives and shall financially and morally support the Society. The Society is direct- ly related to His Excellency the President of the University. Dental Tribune Middle East interviews Dr. Ahmed Al-Kahtani, Presi- dent of the Saudi Dental Society and much more... Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa: Wel- come Doctor, please if you can give us a short introduction about yourself and your experience in dentistry? Dr. Ahmed Al-Kahtani: I am Dr. Ahmed Al-Kahtani, Associate Professor of End- odontics and Head of the Division of End- odontics in the Department of Restorative Dental Sciences at the College of Dentist- ry in King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I am also the President of the Sau- di Dental Society. Please tell us about your role as President of the Saudi Dental Society? Including up- coming SDS events, courses, plans for the coming year and relationship with oth- er dental societies and associations in the Middle East? SDS continuously hold monthly activities for its members whereby a dental special- ist or a dental company is invited to give a seminar on a particular topic of major den- tal interest. In this way, members gain ad- ditional knowledge and also interrelate with each other on a professional level. In January 28th-30th 2013, we will be holding the 24th Saudi Dental Society Internation- al Dental Conference at the Riyadh Inter- national Convention and Exhibition Cen- ter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The three full- day program will feature oral presenta- tions and continuing educational courses given by renowned international speakers. You are all cordially invited to participate in our big event which is held annually. What about the role SDS plays in the Sau- di Dentistry scene? The Saudi Dental Society is a community of dental professionals. Its mission is to dis- seminate dental knowledge and concern, promote scientific research and establish a closer relationship amongst its members lo- cally and internationally. As Associate Professor and Consultant and Head of the Endodontic Division in the College of Dentistry, you must be very busy? I have always enjoyed my role as academi- cian because it plays a vital role in building a character in a person and influence their lives. Sharing your knowledge is always a noble task. In the College of Dentistry, as Head of the Endodontic Division, I manage the efficient running of the day to day ac- tivities of the Endodontic staff and assure that professional objectives are met. As a Consultant, I have always been com- mitted to help people. By being a dentist will enable me to provide the healthcare needs of my countrymen. How important is King Saud University for the Saudi Dentistry? King Saud University is the first university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and it has always provided the best education and quality training to almost all the dentist in the Kingdom. Together with the Minis- try of Higher Education, it has always been supportive in providing quality instruc- tions in the diverse fields of arts and sci- ences. They have continually supported its graduates in their pursuit for advanced specialty training abroad and numerous valuable researches. How does the University differ from oth- ers in Saudi universities and the region? King saud university is the first in its rank in the kingdom and also in the middle east. What do you consider an important re- gion specific factor that contributes to the health of the dentistry scene in the Mid- dle East? In the Middle East, not only in Saudi Ara- bia, more programs are needed to support the growing needs of the community for quality dental services, providing other fa- cilities and extend health care support in other locations especially for low income regions and population especially the other countries in the Middle East who are cur- rently facing conflicts and crisis. They are in deep need of medical and dental care. What have you learned from your current position in Dentistry which you would im- part to other practicing dentists? Dentistry in general is a dynamic health profession. For my colleagues, my advice is that they should not be contented with just being a general dentist. Aim high, acquire additional knowledge and training, go for a specialty. I have learned that it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of teaching end- odontics which is my specialty. It is impor- tant to increase the student’s enthusiasm and understanding first prior to putting it into actual training and practice. Some examples of community events you provide? How does this help build your members and participants in the SDS events? The Society supports several community services in many regions in Saudi Arabia. Our members give free dental services to children in their schools and adults in the community hospitals. Our membership in the Society is continually growing. An evi- dence is the increasing participation during our annual dental conferences where mem- bers from all parts of the Kingdom come to Riyadh to share their knowledge and expe- riences. Do you have any goals for the university to achieve in the next 5 to 10 years - either large scale or small? The College of Dentistry of King Saud Uni- versity in particular not only established several research programs that aims to pro- duce innovative methods and quality re- searches but with the support of the Uni- versity now has build the first Dental Hos- pital in the Kingdom that will continual- ly provide excellent dental health care and community services for the citizens of Sau- di Arabia. The construction of the Dental Hospital is underway and will soon be fin- ished. We are anticipating that the Univer- sity will continually support our goals. How is the school adapting to the chang- ing professional market? The Kingdom never cease to encouraged more Saudis to pursue careers in the health care that is why King Saud University pro- vided free education to develop and train competent dental professionals. How big is the influence of the Dental In- dustry in Saudi Arabia? There is a big influence of the dental in- dustry in Saudi Arabia equally to that of the medical industry. This is why the Uni- versity supported the College of Dentistry in establishing the Dental Hospital which will serve the public very soon. This is only in addition to the huge number of private Dental Clinics all over the regions that ca- ters to the public who could not all be seen in the dental clinics of the College of Den- tistry and several other hospitals. How many companies are there in Saudi Arabia more or less? I believe there are more or less 100 den- tal companies alone in Saudi Arabia. They are either companies officially distribut- ing dental products and materials abroad or manufacturing locally materials or prod- ucts used in dentistry. How many dentists operate in Saudi Ara- bia and how high is their level? In the Saudi Dental Society membership alone, we have a list of 7833 dentists on Aim high, acquire additional knowledge and training, go for a specialty. ”The Saudi Dental Society is a community of dental professionals.“ 28 DENTAL ACADEMIA TRIBUNE DENTAL TRIBUNE Middle East & Africa Edition | Jan-Feb 2013