Faculty at Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Dental Hospital dentists and Operation Smile Oral Health Educators have conducted a workshop for dentists focused on cleft lip and cleft palate prosthetic rehabilitation and prosthodontists concerned with treating cleft conditions.

Sponsored by Operation Smile UAE, the two-day, hands-on course consisted of online didactic sessions, as well as face-to-face practical skills training sessions in the prosthodontics laboratory at Dubai Dental Hospital, the clinical arm of MBRU, using conventional techniques enabling participants to further develop their knowledge and technical skills to treat patients with cleft conditions who require prosthetic rehabilitation effectively.

“We are pleased to offer this insightful workshop in collaboration with the Operation Smile UAE team as part of our ongoing efforts to provide continuing dental education for striving dentists, increase exposure to the latest developments in dentistry, and enhance the cooperation between different entities in the region and beyond,” said Dr. Khawla Belhoul, Senior Director, Dubai Dental Hospital.

“Operation Smile is a global nonprofit specializing in expert cleft surgery and multidisciplinary care. We provide medical and dental expertise, research, and care through our dedicated staff and volunteers around the world. Our training and education programs elevate safe clinical standards and strengthen a global network to reach more people at different stages in their lives. This workshop showcased how impactful a well-planned and effective inter-institutional collaboration could be”, emphasized Dr. Pedro Santiago, Operation Smile’s Lead Global Advisor in Oral Health.

“MBRU faculty contributed to the course’s practical and online components, sharing their in-depth experience of different types of cleft conditions, patient assessment, and treatment planning, which familiarized the learners with different prosthetic treatment options.” said Dr. Manal AlHalabi, Dean of Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine, and Consultant in Pediatric Dentistry at Dubai Dental Hospital.

“This was the first innovative obturator course in the world that utilized MBRU-developed 3D-printed models of maxillary conditions to enable hands-on training of the dentists in a pre-clinical setting,” highlighted Professor Keyvan Moharamzadeh, Associate Dean of Education at Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine and Consultant in Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry at Dubai Dental Hospital.

Operation Smile UAE, a branch of the global surgical nonprofit Operation Smile, was established in January 2011 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan wife of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.