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PUBLISHED IN DUBAI www.dental-tribune.me March-April 2018 | No. 2, Vol. 8 Introducing Dr. Naif Almosa - Chairman of the Digital Orthodontics Symposium Dubai Interview with Dr. Naif Almosa, Chairman, Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Assistant Professor and Consultant in Orthodontics at King Saud University, Riyadh - Saudi Arabia. dontics Society? What are the benefits of the members and why should non-members reg- ister? The Saudi Orthodontics Society (SOS) is now in its 12th year, and we have held a fair number of confer- ences, annual and semi-annual meetings, workshops, etc. Always with the end goal of excellence in the orthodontic field, we have invited speakers from different parts of the world to bring to us their experience and knowledge. Being a member of the SOS, you get the opportunity to be amongst your peers and stay up to date in orthodontics. In my opin- ion, to learn from and interact with these colleagues would be enough incentive for non-members to reg- ister. Surely, if you go through our website, the SOS members do have the added benefit of preferential rates on some activities as well as ac- cess to specific journals. You are now part of the facul- ty at College of Dentistry, King Saud University. Could you share more information on the Orthodontics programme being run by the college? In the KSU Ortho program, we are actively engaged in the education of undergraduate students consistent with the development of compe- tency in general dentistry. The de- partment offers didactic, pre-clinical and clinical experiences in paediatric dentistry and orthodontics integral to comprehensive patient care. We also offer post-graduate programs for specialty training in Paediatric Dentistry, and Orthodontics. This is a 36-month program leading to a Master’s degree. In addition, three years ago, we started the Doctorate program in both specialities, Pedo and Ortho. The doctorate program is a four years full time program, which includes didactic, clinical, and research activity where the students must write a thesis at the end of the program under supervision of our unique faculty members. Dr. Naif Almosa, following your active and extensive education, how do you reflect on your ed- ucation experiences in Saudi Arabia as well as in Sweden? Under the curriculum provided by the KSU in my undergraduate years, I was able to gain a solid background in dentistry. I cannot speak about the kind of curriculum provided by other schools here or abroad, but it’s a given that our culture some- what limits some learning aspects in terms of the possible exposure we could otherwise gain from or take advantage of. I must admit the educational experience was quite a different scenario to what I encoun- tered in Sweden, but my background in KSU proved to be more than ad- equate to help me adjust and fit it. Do you remember the experi- ence of bridging the gap be- tween your education and your first working experience? The very first patient I treated as a fully independent and registered professional dentist was one of my friends and it was a great and unfor- gettable moment. The reason it im- pacted me was not due to the clinical practical treatment, as this was con- tinuously drilled into us as students; but moreover, the experience from a moral and ethical aspect. I was now in the position not only to treat the patient, but to guide him through several possible outcomes. This is where education lets go of us, and where our personal choices come in to set the tone of our professional world. What advice would you pro- vide your students who look up to you as a mentor and role model for their future life? During my time as the Director of the Internship Program, I made it a point to provide the interns with as much exposure as possible to all the career options they could take. Internship is the transitional stage where they change from a guided student to an independent professional and it is critical that they have an idea of all the possible areas they can enter in the dental profession. It is not a one- stop trip; you will go through dif- ferent experiences. Awareness and learning is very important to me. I would advise the students to never stop learning. Each person you meet will teach you something, whether professionally or as a human being. Professional excellence is a worth- while goal, but do not forget to live your life. How do you rate the level of dentistry in the field of Ortho- dontics in the Middle East re- gion, particularly in the GCC? Dr. Naif Almosa, Chairman, Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Assistant Professor and Consultant in Orthodontics at King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA By Dental Tribune MEA / CAPPmea Dental Tribune MEA has the pleas- ure to interview Dr. Naif Almosa, Assistant Professor at the Division of Orthodontics, and Consultant in Orthodontics. Dr. Almosa received his BDS dental degree from College of Dentistry, King Saud University in 2006 and continued developing further at Odontologen, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden where he com- bined a postgraduate orthodontic residency program and PhD degree. Dr. Almosa joined the orthodontic faculty of the Department of Pedi- atric Dentistry and Orthodontics at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University in 2014, where he cur- rently serves as a full-time faculty. At the College, Dr. Almosa is involved in teaching both undergraduate, post- graduate students and research. In 2014, Dr. Almosa assigned to be the Director of Internship Program for three years in addition to his full- time academic appointment. Cur- rently, Dr. Almosa is the Chairman of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodon- tic department at KSU. Dr. Naif Almosa, please if you can give us some insights into your background of life, work and education hailing from Saudi Arabia? I was born in November 1981, mar- ried and father of three angels. I received the bachelor’s degree of dental science from King Saud Uni- versity (KSU) in 2006 and completed the internship program in 2007. After this I joined the orthodontic residency program at Gothenburg University in 2009 and gained the National Swedish Board of Ortho- dontics in 2012. I started the PhD pro- gram while I was resident in the clini- cal program in 2010 and completed my PhD degree in April 2014. In May 2014, I returned to Saudi Arabia and joined the department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at KSU. In September 2014, I was assigned to be the Director of Internship Pro- gram until the summer of 2017. In April 2017, the Rector of the Univer- sity assigned me as the Chairman of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodon- tic department to present day. As an active member and am- bassador for the Saudi Ortho- dontics Society, how impor- tant is it to stay continuously up to date as an Orthodontist? Very important. In Orthodontics, there is no excuse to stop learning. Technology is very fast in coming up with new discoveries so it is up to us to keep pace and combine it into our clinical practice. I can never empha- size enough how much we need to take advantage of the information that is readily available to us. Orthodontics is growing to be an industry-driven specialty, and I strongly believe that as profession- als the best way for us to be updated and gain more insight and critical thinking in the face of all these new products and technology, is to at- tend the national scientific meet- ings, workshops, and international conferences. What are some of the activities organized by the Saudi Ortho- SUBSCRIBE NOW www.me.dental-tribune.com/e-paper/ issn 1868-3207 Vol. 2 • Issue 2/2017 ortho international magazine of orthodontics 22017 technique Tongue star 2 (TS2) – System for rapid open bite closure case report Use of diode laser in the treatment of gingival enlargement during orthodontic treatment industry report Sensorimotor training with RehaBite during orthodontic treatment Orthodontics in the Middle East is evolving at a rapid pace. I believe that it is improving with the increas- ing addition of new orthodontists who have been graduated from dif- ferent schools around the world. We are also seeing more companies be- ing established here that are enhanc- ing innovations in digital orthodon- tics, and of course, we are now able to have global collaborations through e-learning and scientific meetings in different parts of GCC. I must admit that we are still lacking a more com- prehensive educational program for our patients in GCC, especially with regards to the importance of oral hy- giene and how it impacts orthodon- tic treatment. Unfortunately, most of the parents in our region have no idea when is the proper time for their kids to visit the orthodontist, because in some cases, this usually results to a very serious and more complicated treatment procedure when their children are already grown-up. Digital Dentistry is slowly tak- ing over the dental profession, even in Orthodontics. How do you see the future of dentistry, orthodontics and the imple- mentation of digital into your working profession? Digital dentistry has revolutionized dentistry. There are unlimited pos- sibilities. Prosthodontics has notably seen a lot of progress with its rapid integration of the digital process like the CAD/CAM, and in radiology, there’s the cone beam computer tomography. Orthodontics, with its multidisciplinary needs, has been a bit slower, but digital photography, CAD/CAM, laser and intra-oral scan- ners have brought about so much progress. Again, even with all the ease that technology is bringing to our practice, adequate training is still very much a requirement. Never stop Learning. Digital Dentistry will save time, enhance patient comfort, allow more accurate impressions and show patients creative virtual treatment plan options moving away from the old notion that the dental clinic is “a place to be feared”, changing into “a place to be experi- enced” We appreciate your valuable insights and wish you the very best in your fu- ture endeavours.