Some 77.91 percent of dentists in the Kingdom are foreigners, according to a study conducted by associate professor at the Faculty of Dentistry at King Saud University Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Bakr, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced its decision to stop hiring foreign dentists to provide job opportunities for Saudis. Ministry figures show that there are 26 dental colleges in the Kingdom, eight of which are private. An average of 3,000 dental graduates hope to join the labor market annually. The number of officially registered dentists in 2015 was 10,150. Former president of the Saudi Dental Association Dr. Mohammed Al-Obeida suggested provide training to dentists in health specialties, universities and the private sector and to open scholarships abroad for dentists this year. He said that graduates of dentistry from outside the Kingdom make up 20%. Director General of Dentistry at the Ministry of Health Dr. Saud Orfali confirmed to Al-Watan Arabic daily that the objective is to pave way for the recruitment of Saudi dentists in the private sector as well as granting licenses to facilitate the employment of doctors in the private sector. However, economic analyst Hussein Al-Sarib told Al-Watan Arabic daily that the decision to ban the recruitment of dentists from abroad will have a gradual negative impact. Owners of health facilities will be forced to employ fresh dentistry graduates with little experience on high salaries, which will raise the cost of treatment. — SG
