The commencement of undergraduate dental education at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1975 (1395H) was an indication that sooner or later Postgraduate Dental Education in the Kingdom would also start. This had been the experience in most countries of the world in a University education in general.

It was in line with this expectation that the College of Dentistry, King Saud University began to plan a few years back on Postgraduate Dental Education programs which should address the needs of the King­ dom in producing dental academicians to man the Kingdom's dental schools, dental researchers to work in the nation's health research institutions and dental clinicians who would perform at superior levels of competence. In meeting this objectives, however, it is necessary to achieve great clarity on priority areas in postgraduate studies, the structure of the training programs as well as the tracks of training most suitable to the Kingdom. While programs in other countries must be studied for their strengths and weaknesses by the planners here, it will be totally uncreative to duplicate these programs in Saudi Arabia in whatever guise. There must be convergence of minds among the training institutions, the governmental agencies responsible for higher education and the professional association in determining preferred track(s) of train­ ing most suitable to the needs of the Kingdom.

The academic centers, however, must assume the leadership role in formulating these approaches for postgraduate training for the simple reason that they have a large number of dental academicians who indeed are engaged in teaching, research, and clinical service. The integration of graduate (higher degrees) and postgraduate (certificates, diplomas, fellowships, memberships) professional education programs had not proved easy in any country. On the one hand, the graduate programs are in the purview of the Universitieswhile the postgraduate certification processes are usually the concern of professional regulatory bodies or governmental agencies. It will be laudable if the planners in the Kingdom are able to integrate the training tracks in such a way that those who avail themselves of the opportunity for post­ graduate training will be professionally satisfied and fulfilled wherever they elect to work, be this a dental school, a specialist or general hospital, a research institute, or private practice. If this integration could be done then the objectives of Postgraduate Dental Education in Saudi Arabia, indeed anywhere, would have been largely achieved.

H. Adeyemi Mosadomi, DMD, MS, DABOP

Group Editor, Editorial Board