Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

by Dr. Khaled Abouseada, BDS, MS, Orthod. cert. I am constantly striving to implement the critical initiatives required to meet and exceed my reader's expectations. My target is consistent with my burn- ing desire to be influential in introducing scientific excellence embodied in a promi- nent professor who is aiming to create a su- perior rate of devotion to our field of in- terest. I have the honor to introduce with grace and respect Prof. Dr. Abbas Zaher, a celebrity who is accustomed to worldwide attention. I will definitely focus in my valuable inter- view on the professional artist who with his tremendous knowledge and vast expe- rience is well known for creating natural and flawless smiles on peoples faces after reshaping their dental flaws bringing the face into better proportion with his talented excellence thus straightening not just their teeth but their whole being. But I will also stress on his remarkable prominent role as a widely regarded professor in the Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University. I was blessed to be one of his students in Alexan- dria who learnt from his endless priceless most influential potentials in diverse areas, updates about new launches, his ethics in orthodontic principles of medical practic- es thus setting an unrepeatable example for highest standards of performance and com- mitment. I cannot disregard mentioning his extreme graciousness and friendliness ex- tended to all his students allowing them to reach continued growth maintaining team motivation, awareness and appreciation of the value of orthodontics and its welfare in Alexandria and the whole region. You have definitely thought of other ca- reer paths before considering orthodontics, would you talk to us about them. This is a story, I always like to tell!! When I finished high school, I was dreaming of a career in hotels and restaurants manage- ment. I like the domain of customer’s ser- vices and I had a lot of ideas to exercise. I guess my fate directed me to the Facul- ty of Medicine for one year and later on to the Faculty of Dentistry. Exercising dentist- ry with t this background made me orient- ed to satisfy my patient’s (customers) main concerns. I think it is very important to cus- tomize your treatment plan to cater to the patient’s needs rather than only what you see as necessary treatment. Were there any teachers or other people who stand out in your mind as encourag- ing you to pursue this career. Professor Mahmoud El Hadary, the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry and later the President of Alexandria University, was in- strumental in guiding me through choos- ing dentistry as a career and throughout my studies in the Faculty. He encouraged me to be involved in the students’ activities and entrusted me in leadership roles. His supportive advice in choosing to study or- thodontics put me on the first steps in my current path. Professor Samir Aboul Azm, the Head of the department of Orthodon- tics in Alexandria University, at that time, influenced my early years in the depart- ment. He had a vision for the specialty and was instrumental in including me in the service of the profession and the special- ists. Since then I have assumed a role in the Egyptian Orthodontic Society board of di- rectors. The one person, who had great im- pact on my professional attitude and per- cepts, was Professor Samir Bishara. He was my mentor and advisor during my PhD studies in the University of Iowa in the USA. He implanted the scientific seed in my way of thinking in orthodontics and in life. I can say that in addition to my father who was my first and eternal mentor, these three prominent teacher were my god fa- thers in my professional life. It would be highly appreciated if you give a golden piece of advice to a student con- sidering to shape his or her future with a career in orthodontics First do not consider malocclusions as the problem. Malocclusions happen to be at- tached to a person’s mouth. These per- sons are seeking your help to improve their smiles, looks and self-esteem. My first ad- vice is to handle each patient as an individ- ual. The classifications are designed to fa- cilitate communications with colleagues but are never the basis for your protocol of treatment. There are no two patients alike. Measurements and cephalometrics analy- sis give you an idea about the extent and the trend of the problem. Do not attempt to treat patients to cephalometrics “norms” or averages. Tailor the treatment plan accord- ing to individual and consider the aid from other specialists as needed. Always relate your ideas to your patients before the start of the treatment and do not surprise them with the need for adjunctive procedures at the end of treatment. You are a well-known entity in the orth- odontic science, how much of you are there in this field? My patients are occupying a large part of my professional life, after that, I can easi- ly say that in the field of orthodontics I am divided between Scientific research and teaching, and looking after the specialty welfare in Egypt and at the international level. I enjoy teaching to graduate students and conducting researches that attack clin- ical problems. In this respect, I also enjoy travelling and lecturing about evidence based clinical knowledge. In what way your fruitful knowledge and rich experience will assist you in handling your responsibilities in the Egyptian Orth- odontic Society. It would be appreciate if you inform us on what your work revolves around in this organization. Travelling around the world whether to attend conferences or to lecture gave me great opportunities to interact with col- leagues from various backgrounds. Also participating in the organization of several international events shaped my experience, which is helping put, the society at the in- ternational levels. In addition, personal- ly knowing the renowned international speakers facilitates the organization of sci- entific meetings for the society and inviting excellent speakers. I was elected to serve on the board of directors of the World Fed- eration of Orthodontists for ten years and from 2005 to 2010 I served as Vice President of the WFO. During those years I gained experience in the governance of interna- tional association, which also help in the organization of the specialty in our coun- try. We are currently building the Egyptian Board of Orthodontics in order to improve the level of the service of Orthodontics for the Egyptian patients. Would you talk to us about your experi- ence as being vice president of the World Federation of Orthodontics? It was most enriching experience. Besides being involved in the governance of one of the largest specialty organization, I had the privilege of being associated with a board of trustees made of a dedicated and tal- ented group of individuals. Each and all of them had an impact on my profession- al development. it was an opportunity to join in the establishment of two very im- portant documents by the World Feder- ation of Orthodontists; the international board of orthodontics and the guidelines for orthodontic education. In addition, I had a golden chance to meet with many colleagues from almost every corner of the world. This also was an opportunity to ex- tend help and assistance in the formation of first time specialty organization in many parts of the world. Now, I have traveled to all continents and a major part of the globe. I can say that I have developed friendships in almost every corner of the world. And that is the most benefit I received from my service on the WFO board for 10 years and I treasure it tremendously. Please identify your goals and ambitions for the next 2 years and your plans to achieve them and cultivate your profound knowledge in implementing them. My goals for the Egyptian Orthodontic Society include; establishing the already agreed upon Egyptian Board of Orthodon- tics, in addition, to devise an awareness plan for the general public about the bene- fits of orthodontic treatment and the train- ing and studies in order to become special- ized in orthodontics. These two ambitious goals require the assistance of all our mem- bers and large amount of funds. There are conflicting studies that were rarely clear-cut, would you like to talk about any of them? What contemporary scientific issue are you most concerned about now? I am most concerned with scientific re- search that will directly apply to our clin- ical work. Some of the interesting subject that I am interested in is the enamel conser- vation during and after orthodontic treat- ment. My studies include, prevention of de- calcification, treatment of early enamel de- calcification, bacterial growth and control during treatment, enamel color change af- ter treatment and what would influence it, 3D imaging and its application, orthogna- thic surgery and finally multidisciplinary treatment. What is the best part of the work you do that gives you the most satisfaction? Con- versely what is the downside of your work? I enjoy tremendously my clinical work. Dealing with patients and changing their lives is my passion. I am lucky to have my work as my hobby. Teaching is anoth- er passion of mine. It is a pleasure to inter- act with the residents; they are always ani- mated and keep me motivated. On the oth- er hand, I don’t like the administrative part of working at the faculty. I dislike reports and completing forms. Do you know where your strength lies? My strength in orthodontics lies in being critical and observational. As I say in my lectures: “Orthodontics is the art of see- ing”. I you can see the problem then you can diagnose it and treat it. In order to see well, you have to listen (to your patients) well! How long it takes to come to a statistically significant scientific conclusion that needs to be published and the benefit of being published? Any study well designed and using the cor- rect statistical tests can lead to scientific in- formation that will benefit the readers and the practice of orthodontics. How far being an eminent professor al- lows you to explore other interests in life like spending time with your family or working on hobbies. My family is a priority. It was hard to find the time for my kids when they were young- er and when I was most busy in studying and in strenuous work for the development of my career. I always kept hobbies such as reading, travelling and hunting. As I have mentioned before, I am lucky that my work is my hobby. I enjoy lecturing and travel- ing and will seize every opportunity to vis- it new places and get to know its people. Prof. Dr. Abbas Zaher If you were to define orthodontics, how would you complete this sentence: “Ortho- dontics is the science that allow the prac- titioner to improve the patient’s smile and hence his/her self-esteem as well as the function, health and longevity of the den- tition " Every person faces profitable produc- tive moments. Would you like to talk to us about the most rewarding incident you had and the greatest achievement you have reached. I am proud of my achievement as profes- sor; it was a long and strenuous path. One of the most rewarding moments was when I finished my PhD; at that day I earned the title “Doctor” which is my favorite desig- nation Conclusion: With objective assurance and consulting activities, he definitely added value to the title "Professor" which is interchangeable with the name of Dr. Abbas Zaher who is considered an eminent Orthodontist in Al- exandria in particular and worldwide in general. I am always trying to approach my mission from the broadest perspective by consis- tently exceeding expectations and setting standards for excellence in proving servic- es for my readers. I favor introducing ce- lebrities and ideas with a global or region- al impact fueled by people committed to delivering exceptional results and creat- ing extraordinary brands. I will try to re- main tightly focused on continuously add- ing value by providing objective and inno- vative ideas. All of our strategies and ac- tions will be molded by a set of core val- ues that are shared by each and every asso- ciate. Perfection and capturing our reader's attention has always been our desired des- tination in this section. Remarkable moments with unrepeatable celebrity 23Dental ortHo triBUneDental tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | March-April 2013