The College of Dentistry at King Khalid University was established based on the recommendation of the University Council in its first session for the academic year 1421/1422 AH. The recommendation was presented to the Higher Education Council in its nineteenth session held on 10/11/1421 AH, and the council decided, in decision number (9/19/1421), to approve the establishment of a College of Dentistry at King Khalid University, making it the first of its kind in the southern region.
His Majesty the King, the President of ministers’ council, and the Chairman of the Higher Education Council approved the session's minutes with the gracious directive No. 89/M dated 6/2/1422 AH. Accordingly, the first batch of male students was accepted to study starting from the academic year 1424/1425 AH. In line with the rapid development plan for King Khalid University, the first batch of female students was accepted in the academic year 1430/1431 AH at the Samer Complex for Health Colleges.
In the same year 1430 AH, the student section was transferred to the college buildings and clinics in Graiger campus, where studies and work continued until the college moved to its new buildings in the university city in Al-Fara’a in 2022 AH. The study at the College of Dentistry began in the year 2004 with the admission of 39 male students in the first level and 25 female students in the first level in the year 1430 AH. Currently, there are 466 male and female students in all twelve levels of the college, divided into male and female sections, with 225 male students and 241 female students. The college has qualified and graduated 1,432 dentists who are currently serving their country in the fields of oral and dental health care in both government and private sectors. The number of male graduates from the college reached 988, while the number of female graduates reached 444 by the end of the 1444-1445 academic year.
The strategic plan for the College of Dentistry at King Khalid University for the years 2021-2026 is based on the university's strategic plan, reflecting its essence in Islamic values of justice, consultation, and equality. The college's strategic plan outlines the goals and strategies that support the college in achieving excellence in education, practical training, scientific research, patient care, and community service. The college's strategic plan is reviewed and updated every five years.
The college is committed to implementing total quality procedures in all its service activities. The college has obtained both the American and British quality certifications according to ISO 9001-2008 standards, which include 32 quality procedures. The college is in the process of building bridges for cooperation through mutual cooperation agreements and service contracts with some globally recognized universities known for their expertise and pioneering in various academic fields.
Strengths of the college
- The College of Dentistry at King Khalid University ranked 201-300 in the field of Dentistry and Oral Sciences in the Shanghai Global Academic Ranking of World Universities for the year 2024.
- The College of Dentistry at King Khalid University has managed to achieve most of the targeted standards in the current strategic plan. The research and scientific publications published by the faculty members have distinguished themselves in high-ranking scientific journals indexed in the ISI classification.
- The college also distinguished itself by achieving a ratio that aligns with global recommendations for the number of students to faculty members. Additionally, the performance of the college's graduates in professional and national examinations was excellent.
- In addition to increasing patient satisfaction with the therapeutic services provided at the college clinics.
Improvement plans for the college
The college has identified several areas and priorities for improvement to align with the tremendous development witnessed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in accordance with the requirements of Vision 2030. Among the most prominent of these areas are:
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Attracting the college's graduates to assist them in professional development, support, and qualification to compete in the job market, and to benefit from their expertise in developing the work at the college.
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The college also aims to benefit from the facilities available in the central scientific research laboratories at King Khalid University to conduct more applied research and keep pace with the scientific acceleration in the field of dentistry.
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The college also aspires to increase faculty participation in community service and volunteer programs to support development projects in the Asir region and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a whole.
The college's most notable achievements
- The college ranked 201-300 globally in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities for the year 2024.
- The college's relocation to its new buildings in the university city in Al-Fraia, which include infrastructure and facilities such as clinics, laboratories, study halls, administrative offices, rooms, and courtyards for student services, is of the highest standard and in line with the latest global specifications that meet the needs of the targeted groups.
- In addition to graduating thousands of male and female students with a Bachelor's degree in Dentistry and Oral Surgery, the College of Dentistry at King Khalid University has positioned itself as one of the largest providers of oral and dental health services in the southern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with an average of around 13,000 patients receiving treatment in the college's clinics annually.
- The faculty members, interns, and college students received numerous global, regional, and local awards and honors in the field of scientific research and patient treatment at the university dental hospital during the year 2024.
- The college is one of the most prominent contributors to serving the community of the Asir region and its volunteer programs, with nearly five thousand beneficiaries in the Asir region benefiting from the college's community partnership and volunteer programs.
- The college organizes school health programs in the fields of oral and dental health periodically and regularly as part of the field training program for college students and the internship training program for interns. The target each academic year is to cover no less than ten schools in the Asir region, with an average number of students between 2,000 and 3,000.