Authenticity, solidarity, sustainability set the pillar for the agile emerging health system that had responded with maximum possible efficiency to abrupt and unanticipated events at local, regional, and global levels and maintain continuity of services and ensure population health safety in collaboration with other state agencies. The health sector in Saudi Arabia was unique since foundation because it was carefully aligned with social, political, and economic determinants of health. The sector was blessed with generous governmental support. Population health is a priority since establishment.

Regardless the efforts that documented Saudi Arabia modern history, few had assessed the formal management of health sector. In the context of social history, in depth analysis of health sector in Saudi Arabia is pivotal for comprehensive understanding of the historical background of one of the most complex sectors because of its multidimensional nature and the need for multilateral assessment. Collaboration between historians and health research is the cornerstone for unbiased, comprehensive, and precise documentation and assessment. Thus, academic institutes and official authorities should invest to support research activities that aim to document and assess history. Scientific evidence should enrich the literature and establish a reference library for art and culture movement to infuse their materials with necessary information based on solid scientific literature.

Documenting the history of health sector in Saudi Arabia is an opportunity for researchers, historians, artists, and contents creators to draw the sector history architecture in the context of the historical period and portray the impact of social, political, and economical dilemma. History departments at academic institutes may consider opening up for engagement of health researchers and develop training programs to equip researchers with necessary tools to verify and assess the available unaudited data. Unless efforts united to write various chapters of health sector in Saudi Arabia across different historical periods, we will continue to be challenges with resources limitation and the need to assess available publications might be influenced by political tendencies or personal perspectives. It is to stand united to lay the foundation for assessing health sector from historical perspective.

Occupational health focuses on maintaining and promoting highest degree of physical, mental, and social wellbeing of workers in all occupations. Dental professionals are no exception and at risk of different occupational hazards that range from toxicity to chemicals routinely consumed in dentistry, risk for cross infection, to musculoskeletal diseases/ disorders consequential to sub-optimal working posture. Awareness of these occupational hazard and implementation of mitigation and/ or preventive strategies can provide safe practice environment and create a protective ecosystem for all concerned and improve the total dental professionals’ quality of life.

Multilateral recognition and acknowledgement of occupational hazard risk among dental professionals is necessary to ensure holistic approach to addressing concerns and challenges and establish evidence-based policies. The interaction between policy makers, researchers, and professionals is pivotal to support and enhance establishment of evidence-based policies, awareness campaigns, and occupational health and wellness programs. Policy makers often are distracted by patients-centered and/ or population-centered approach. Yet, it is the researchers and professional societies responsibility to collaborate and conduct activities and project that assess and prioritize professionals needs and demands, and draft evidence-based policies and recommendations. Professional societies are responsible for orchestrating awareness campaigns and push through professional needs. Professionals should adhere to protective measures to preserve their health and actively participate in activities that improve the work place ecosystem. Occupational health insurance is increasingly becoming a necessity for dental health professionals.

Management of dental professionals’ exposure to occupational health hazard requires multilateral collaboration. It is vital to preserve the smile and health of dental professionals; the creator of population smile.

Health needs for people with disabilities are complex because of interaction between physical, mental, psychological, social, physiological, and economic determinants. Nevertheless, health of people with disabilities is linked to parents/ caregivers socioeconomic, education, and awareness status. Oral health for people with disabilities presents a unique challenge because referral to oral/ dental care is often dependent on health professionals literacy and awareness and parents/ caregivers’ acknowledgement of oral/ dental health concerns. Furthermore, dental/oral health professionals including dentists are not engaged in holistic health management for people with disabilities in most institutes. Therefore, the impact of oral health on physical and mental health is well documented. Given the medical issues that people with disabilities may suffer from, oral health maintenance is becoming a priority. The role of dental professional is pivotal to ensure delivery of high standard services and care and oral health policy makers and researchers should focus on building a model that allows for interaction between dental services and other health services.

Although the value of oral health in people with disabilities is well-documented and acknowledged by professionals, researchers, and policy makers, initiatives that supported integrated oral health services into health service packages for people with disabilities are moving forward slower than anticipated because of limited data available to evaluate needs, demands and problem magnitude. Holistic approach to address oral health concerns in people with disabilities require integrated clinical model is necessary to achieve the objective. Multidisciplinary activities should be designed to ensure the wheel of education, research, and clinical services are functional and interactive. It is important to revise national health research priorities to ensure inclusion of oral health and disability health into the list in order to establish evidence-based practice guidelines and policies. Caregivers and parents training on maintain oral hygiene for people with disabilities must be a priority to reduce the economic, medical, and psychological burden. Furthermore, dental, medical, and allied health professions academic institutes should revise the curriculum to respond to the rising need for a reform that ensure high standards disability friendly healthcare system.

Join the conversation! Share your thoughts on how we can improve oral health care for individuals with disabilities in the comments below.

By: Dr. Weam Banjar; Researcher

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized films as a powerful tool to disseminate health information, document health-related historical events, promote health and raise awareness, improve understanding, shape public perception, encourage positive behavior, and construct health-related narratives. WHO concluded the 2024 cycle of the “Health for All” Film Festival (HAFF) during the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA-77). HAFF set an example of the global impact of films, with participants from 110 countries submitting their work, which shed light on three main categories: universal health coverage, emergencies, migrants and refugees’ health, and mental and physical health. Additionally, two special prizes focusing on specific categories are determined annually.

Saudi Arabia has recognized soft power as a public diplomatic tool that utilizes culture to reflect Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting and promoting population safety and global health security, which in turn positively influences the country’s competitiveness at a global level. The Ministry of Culture established the Saudi Film Commission to create an innovation-friendly ecosystem that supports the filming industry in Saudi Arabia and positions the country as a hub for filmmakers, filming professionals, and investors. Since the commission’s establishment, Saudi Arabia has hosted the Red Sea Film Festival, Joy Awards, and Saudi Film Festival. These festivals are powerful networking sessions and present opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborative activities.

At the cusp of Saudi Arabia’s transformation program, the health sector’s dynamics present rich material for the filming and art industries. Professionals can participate in health film festivals at both the competition and jury levels, thus introducing the global community to progress in Saudi Arabia and opening doors for collaborative production. Furthermore, Saudi materials should be able to reflect progress and create a mosaic of the present that interacts with the past and future. Hosting a health film festival is an opportunity for health professionals to bring global health concerns to the table and establish a dialogue on global security. Presenting health concerns through films may serve to approximate different views and create a coalition toward safer global health.

Join the Conversation!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the role of films in promoting global health awareness. Have you attended any health-related film festivals or seen a film that had a significant impact on your understanding of health issues? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below! Your voice matters and contributes to a richer dialogue on the intersection of health, culture, and cinema. Let’s discuss how we can further harness the power of films to create a healthier world for everyone.

By: Dr. Weam Banjar; DDS., MS in Clinical Research

Athletes health is a national priority because it affects their performance and the country’s image during participation in Olympics and World Cups. Sport medicine contributes to healthier athletes and better performance and had evolved into a multidisciplinary field. Oral health for athletes focuses on prevention and management of athletics-related injuries and oral diseases. Therefore, sport dentistry is a branch of dentistry dealing with prevention and treatment of pathogenesis and injuries or the oral cavity and stomatognathic system related to sport practice.

Sport dentistry had been recognized as a key element of athletic health. Maintaining good oral health helps to improve performance and prevent injuries. Furthermore, periodical check-up necessary to avoid any potential conditions that may negatively affect training, performance and participation in international competition. Athletes hold a social responsibility toward the youth because they set an example for maintain good oral and dental health. Sport dentistry not only ensure that athletes receive optimal care but also establish the foundation for customized preventive oral health programs that address athletes’ needs and answer their concerns.

Training programs in sport dentistry should adapt a holistic approach in order to provide comprehensive care for athletes. Specialized professionals in sport dentistry are not limited to operate on professional athletes but also may work in gyms and schools to provide preventive and first aid care for orofacial injuries related to sport practice and to collaborate with dental public health professionals to design customized oral health promotion programs for athletics.

By: Dr. Weam Banjar; Researcher

Social media platforms have created a new avenue for sharing experiences, become integrated with many daily routines, and provided an awareness and reflection hub. Social media provides opportunities to enhance users’ health experience by facilitating social connections and interactions with health professionals and officials, and exposure to support and peer review. Furthermore, social media platforms may serve as an awareness and reflection hub through which campaigns could be organized and social media influencers may participate to shape the public opinion and improve the level of health literacy.

The influence of social media platforms on the health system, health policies, and health awareness and literacy should be carefully monitored. Regardless of the potential positive impact of social media content, public health professionals and health officials are aware of the increasing infodemic threat. The spread of information via social media is very rapid and the resonating echo is very high. An Infodemic usually produces an unfavorable public response. During a pandemic and health emergencies, an infodemic challenges proper implementation of a risk communication plan and population education/awareness campaigns. An Infodemic undermines countries’ commitment to global health security principles. Social media platforms are flooded with false information that may endanger population health literacy and the level of health awareness. An Infodemic and sharing false information undermines the interaction between health professionals, health officials, and the population. Evidence-based policies and programs to combat the infodemic and sharing false health-related information on social media require a multidisciplinary approach. Multidisciplinary research activities are needed to support administrative and technical efforts.

Join the conversation and contribute to combating misinformation and promoting health literacy! Share your thoughts, questions, and insights in the comments section below. Your engagement helps build a community dedicated to evidence-based health information and awareness. Let’s work together to make a positive impact. Start by leaving your comment now!

Diplomacy is often perceived as formal interaction with foreign officials. Thus, traditional diplomacy focuses on formal closed activities between official actors. Therefore, the concept of diplomacy had been extended to ensure efficient communication and influence on public opinion between governments and the population. Public diplomacy is outreach and engagement that strengthens the relationship between global communities, and creates mutual understanding and respect. In contrast to closed meetings in traditional diplomacy, public diplomacy utilizes organized channels that include: outreach to journalists, digital platform via websites, podcasts, social media platforms, blogs, professional summits and conferences, and entertainment and cultural events. 

Public diplomacy for health industry involves multilevel, multi-sectoral engagement that contributes to organized efforts that reflect the progress in health industry, shed light on investment opportunities, define global position, conduct comparative research and country assessment, public reports and scientific papers, and host events and summits and organize media appearance. global health professionals are fully aware that the world is interconnected and health is a dynamic parameter that is affected directly or indirectly by political instability, climate changes, natural disasters, wars, and population dynamic. Efforts that focus on health system performance indicators, equitable access to health services, and quality of healthcare services must be complemented with organized targeted campaigns that carry on the dialogue with global audience. Campaigns and activities should be carefully designed to avoid bias therefore collaboration with independent organizations that create hubs and research labs that present a medium to produce materials that support global health security.

A Century of Commitment; Calling for Social Historians

Weam Banjar | Featured, General | No Comments

The health sector in Saudi Arabia presents a rich material for social historians to assess the interaction between political, social, economic determinants and establishment of modernized health sector. As of…

Press Release: AEEDC Dubai and CADEX Forge Strategic Partnership to Elevate Global Dental Industry

Mahmoud H. Al-Johani | General | No Comments

Press Release: AEEDC Dubai and CADEX Forge Strategic Partnership to Elevate Global Dental Industry   Dubai, UAE – March 5, 2025: AEEDC Dubai, the world's largest annual dental event, has…

Instagram and Oral Health: How Social Media Shapes Consumer Toothpaste Choices

Mahmoud H. Al-Johani | Featured | No Comments

Instagram and Oral Health: How Social Media Shapes Consumer Toothpaste Choices Table of Contents Introduction Instagram’s Growing Influence on Oral Health Key Findings from the Study Promotional vs. Educational Content…

Dentists’ Health Matters II

Weam Banjar | Featured, General | No Comments

Dentists’ Health Matters By: Dr. Weam M. Banjar; Researcher Occupational health focuses on maintaining and promoting highest degree of physical, mental, and social wellbeing of workers in all occupations. Dental…

Dr. Weam Mohammed Banjar, DDS., MS in Clinical Research

Historical events present suitable case studies to assess the interaction between health and social, economic, and political determinants. The history of the Arabian Peninsula. Regardless anthropological and archeological studies and research that had assessed the Arabian Peninsula civilization throughout the history, health history of the region is rarely referred to. Population dynamic is interactive with- and reactive to customs and traditions, available resources, geographical location, climate changes, disasters, political status, and immigration movement and traveling. Yet, the Arabian Peninsula had witnessed number of tragic epidemics and outbreaks that affected population health and influenced their behavior, social interaction, health practices and believes, and common language.

Health history of the Arabian Peninsula is yet an undiscovered treasure. Documentation preserves the history and offers reference to understand the society throughout different historical periods and determine the level and direction of interaction with health determinations. However, it is a multi-level, multi-disciplinary process that requires careful analysis of available resources that include diaries, letters, interviews, oral histories, biographies, travelers’ commentaries, folk songs, drawing, novels, newspapers articles and reports, governmental documents, stone inscription, and manuscripts. Awareness is the first step to acknowledge the importance of documenting health history of the Arabian Peninsula. Capacity building and supporting research activities are the second step. Capacity building involve not only academic training for health professionals to equip them with archeological knowledge and historical studies principles to prepare health historians but also training programs for historians to understand health determinants and their interaction with population health as well as programs designed for technicians. Studies that had assessed ancient civilization reflected that unique progress in health practices.

The classic perception of health profession that limit practice to prevention and curative aspects should be changed to engage health professions in activities beyond the classical practice. Health profession involvement in archeological activities, manuscript analysis, and historical events assessments should help draw a better conclusion of ancient civilizations.

Historical data presents a treasure of lessons. Only the wise carefully analyzes historical events to understand lessons of the pasts to guarantee that future plans address relevant concerns, augment weaknesses and avoid the past flaws. Health history is no exception. Health historical events that had taken place at the Arabian Peninsula may directly or indirectly influence assessment of- and planning for population health, health determinants, health policies, and health security. Therefore, historical events’ analysis is complex and requires multidisciplinary approach.

Documentation is essential to portray the interaction between the past, the present, and the future. Documenting narrative history and individual’s personal experiences are necessary assess society perspective, understand health practices, and determine the extent of impact on population customs, behavior, attitudes, and dynamic. Failure to do so, may result in biased conclusion and repeating similar mistakes. Systematic multidisciplinary assessment is pivotal to establish infrastructure for health history. Academic institution, research organization, and policy makers should work together to determine the appropriate model for capacity building and sponsoring related activities. Documentation of health event is the single only strategy to preserve the population memory for future generation.

Health historians are specialized personnel whom their academic background in history focuses on health events. However, health professionals may involve in associate history degrees to complement their skills or engage in research activities, writing workshops, and material review. Working on documenting historical events is multidisciplinary active engagement which requires formulating teams that focus on studying different aspects to draw the best portray. Documentation is a scientific systematic process that analyze historical events and its impact.

A Century of Commitment; Calling for Social Historians

Weam Banjar | Featured, General | No Comments

The health sector in Saudi Arabia presents a rich material for social historians to assess the interaction between political, social, economic determinants and establishment of modernized health sector. As of…

Press Release: AEEDC Dubai and CADEX Forge Strategic Partnership to Elevate Global Dental Industry

Mahmoud H. Al-Johani | General | No Comments

Press Release: AEEDC Dubai and CADEX Forge Strategic Partnership to Elevate Global Dental Industry   Dubai, UAE – March 5, 2025: AEEDC Dubai, the world's largest annual dental event, has…

Instagram and Oral Health: How Social Media Shapes Consumer Toothpaste Choices

Mahmoud H. Al-Johani | Featured | No Comments

Instagram and Oral Health: How Social Media Shapes Consumer Toothpaste Choices Table of Contents Introduction Instagram’s Growing Influence on Oral Health Key Findings from the Study Promotional vs. Educational Content…

Dentists’ Health Matters II

Weam Banjar | Featured, General | No Comments

Dentists’ Health Matters By: Dr. Weam M. Banjar; Researcher Occupational health focuses on maintaining and promoting highest degree of physical, mental, and social wellbeing of workers in all occupations. Dental…

By: Weam Banjar; DDS, MS in Clinical Research

The world celebrated the end of COVID-19 pandemic in May 05, 2023 following the World Health Organization (WHO) announcement. COVID-19 pandemic was a remarkable moment in human history. The pandemic impact affected social, political, health, and economic aspects of global community. COVID-19 pandemic presents a symbol for solidarity to combat the pandemic.

The end of COVID-19 pandemic marks the beginning of a new era that requires careful interdisciplinary assessment of COVID-19 pandemic-related activities at national and global levels to document and publish different aspect of pandemic experience, determine lessons learnt, and evaluate pandemic-related initiative. Individuals and governmental efforts during the pandemic presented a case study to examine the impact and visibility of different public  health disaster management model and sets the foundation for an economic and socially friendly model. Nevertheless, the huge of influx of COVID-19 pandemic-related data had reached its cusp and must be carefully analyzed to bridge the gaps and enforce areas of strengths. Saudi Arabia management for COVID-19 pandemic had been outstanding and acknowledged by the WHO and other international organizations.

Saudi Arabia sat an example for agile pandemic governance. At this stage, looking backward brings memories of days of hard-work, determination, and experimentation. The pandemic experience was painful, yet rich. Data collected during the pandemic presents a treasure for researchers and policy makers not only to document the experience, but also to frame the legacy for the coming generations. Pandemic experience  rebirths the memories of tragic events that had taken place in the Arabian Peninsula; cholera and smallpox outbreak, H1N1, and MERS-COV. However, publications in that regard are scarce. The rich Saudi Arabia experience during COVID-19 is a precursor to develop a library of living documentary and learning experience.