Dental caries rate has reached high and alarming percentages in children of the Kingdom. Several studies have shown that 9out of 10 children in the Kingdom suffer from the epidemic of dental caries, and that affect them physically, psychologically, and socially due to tooth loss, pain, malnutrition, poor school performance and frequent absences from school. College of Dentistry at King Saud University believes in the need for effective prevention against dental caries, and the role of research in supporting these efforts, thatís how the Dental Caries Research Chair was established. The chair aims to conduct evidence-based advanced researche at both local and international levels about children caries, scientifc recommendations which would reinforce the health policies to confront this disease in the Kingdom, and a clear national strategy planning to control it, taking into account the environmental circumstances of the Saudi community and the behavioral and social lifestyles of its individuals. Currently, the chair runs laboratory and hereditary studies, epidemiological studies, and economical studies about dental caries in children by a specialized team of faculty members chaired by Dr. Hassan S. Halawany, Assistant Professor in the Department of Periodontics and Community Dentistry.
This chair aims to conduct research projects related to factors that stimulate bone regeneration, and advanced polymers, in addition to establishing a global research partnership with research centers and universities in the United States of America and Italy. Dr. Khalid A. Al-Hezaimi, the Assistant Professor in the Department of Periodontics and Community Dentistry oversees the chair and arranges the participation of the research team that includes Prof. Myron Nevins, and Dr. David Kim from Harvard University, and Prof. Massimo Simeoni, and Dr. Emilio Mascara, from the University of Milan, Italy. Currently, the chair conducts within its advanced scientifc research laboratories experiments to test the effectivity and safety of two new products that the joint research team has just invented. The frst product under scientifc experiments is related to the Platelet Derived Growth Factors, which is a recent product that restores bone atrophy in the jaws and has a large ability to repair bones, whereas the second product is related to the mucograft feld which is considered a new alternative for gingival grafts.
Dental Implant and Osseointegration Research Chair
King Saud University has sup-ported lately the establishment of Dental Implant and Osseointegration Research Chair which aims to de-velop scientifc research that gener-ates knowledge in the area of teeth loss disability and replacement, and contributes in the development of a distinct generation of researchers and graduate students in this feld. Dr. Abdullah M. Al-Farraj, the Assistant Professor in the Department of Prosthetic Dental Sciences oversees the researches chair. Currently, the chair works on identifying the need for dental implants in the Kingdom, the extent of tooth loss disability and the ability of its replacement by implants, building up knowledge through the creation of new methods for treatment of tooth loss, and facilitating the exchange of scientifc experiences in the area of dental Implants and os-seointegration research.
Dental Biomaterials Research and Development Chair