The dental education specialism in KSA: Are we there yet?

In response to swiftly evolving technology and the emergence of innovative educational tools, health professions education has gained momentum. Dental education, in particular, is a specialism devoted to continuous evaluation and development of dental curricula, ensuring that quality standards are met. Furthermore, dental education specialists are concerned with encouraging dental educators to implement up-to-date teaching and assessment tools and techniques. The status of this specialism, however, is different among various institutions. The primary objective of this research is to analyse the current situation of the dental education specialism in KSA.

In March 2020, an extensive search was performed to collect data from the official websites of all 72 Saudi universities and colleges. The data were analysed to record the available information regarding the dental education specialism at these institutions.

The results indicated that about 40% of public dental schools had dental education departments with various roles and structures, and none of the private dental institutions had any special dental education departments. Furthermore, there were no specific centres devoted to health professions education, unlike at many international institutions.

This research contains a review of the dental education specialism in KSA. The results indicated that the role of the dental specialism may not be well-appreciated. It is recommended that institutions seeking to secure international accreditation and produce competent graduates should actively engage with health professions education.