JEDDAH – The Faculty of Dentistry and University Dental Hospital at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) here are scheduled to organize a four-day Fifth King Abdulaziz University International Dentistry Conference, under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, starting Oct. 21. During the conference, the first hackathon in dentistry patent rights at the regional level will be organized. The conference's program will include a meeting for the committee of deans of faculties of medicine in the Kingdom. A hackathon is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and others, often including domain experts, collaborate intensively on software projects. King Abdulaziz University President Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman Obeid Al-Youbi said it will be one of the biggest dentistry conferences in the region, as it is set to receive over 2,000 male and female practitioners in dental medicine. The conference is held every four years and its motto is "Excellence in education, practice and patient care". This is in line with the university's Vision and the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The conference coincides with the Faculty of Dentistry obtaining the American Academy Accreditation from the Center for Academic Development and Assessment (CADA), as the first faculty outside the US to obtain this accreditation. Prof. Dr. Al-Youbi said: "The conference is distinctive as it will table the latest topics that keep pace with the latest developments in the field of dentistry and face the most prominent challenges in the specialization in our society. Three scientific lectures and symposia will be held simultaneously, in addition to a number of lectures, seminars and workshops throughout the holding of the conference. An exhibition is also being organized on the sidelines of the conference. Elite of the dentistry-related big companies will be participating. Dr. Al-Youbi added: "The conference will host elite international speakers, distinctive in different fields of dentistry to narrate their experience and the latest levels reached by modern dentistry. It will also host prominent local speakers to highlight the development and competence reached by the Kingdom in this field, apart from hosting the most prominent personalities and decision-makers in all that is related to oral and dental health." During the conference, the first hackathon in dentistry patent rights at the regional level will be organized. The conference's program will include a meeting for the committee of deans of faculties of medicine in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the conference Dr. Abdulaziz Meeza, said that the symposia will focus on many issues that are of concern to the health practitioners in general and the oral and dental health practitioners in particular.
