West Virginia University dental resident Dr. Waleed Alyassin now has the skills needed to operate a one-man show.
He has the skills to help people go from no teeth to beautiful smiles; skills that he will share across borders with dentists in his home country of Kuwait.
Alyassin is WVU’s School of Dentistry first-ever resident in the Preceptorship Program in Periodontics and Dental Implants, a program that was created to support his desire to continue learning.
Click below to hear Dr. Alyassin share his story.
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Already a practicing dentist who had just completed the specialty program in prosthodontics at WVU, Alyassin wanted the skills to surgically implant teeth into a patient’s mouth – something that normally would be sent to an oral surgeon.
Alyassin brought up the idea for one more year of training to Interim Chair of Periodontics at WVU Dr. Eros Chaves, and together they worked with the School of Dentistry to start a program that would do just that.
“I wanted to be part of the procedure from beginning to end,” he said. “Seeing the transformation of a patient going from no teeth to a fixed implant is one of the best gifts in life.”
Alyassin is now in his seventh month in the program, and will finish on June 30 and return to Kuwait City to practice in the Kuwait military hospital.
“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, since this was the first time the school had a program like this,” Alyassin said. “I compare the knowledge I had before I started this program, and the knowledge I have gained is phenomenal. I have placed implants, and done surgical procedures I would have never dreamed of doing as a prosthodontist.”
Through the program, Alyassin has been exposed to the various technologies available in the field. He has been trained to do CT scans and guided surgery, which he plans on sharing with others when he returns to Kuwait.
“My goal is to provide the people there with the training that I used in the states and take people to a whole other level of aesthetic dentistry,” he said.
He has also learned valuable information about providing care to patients, administration and managing a facility.
Having Alyassin at WVU has also helped to increase the school’s presence globally.
Chaves will be speaking at the Kuwait Dental Association’s yearly meeting in April – an opportunity he would not have known about if it wasn’t for Alyassin.
“This is great exposure and a wonderful opportunity for WVU,” Chaves said.
Being in the program has not been easy for Alyassin, who is spending the year away from his wife and two young children, but it has been worth it, he said.
“I don’t think I could have had this experience anywhere else,” he said. “This preceptorship is totally optional for me. It is something just for me to learn and improve myself, and that is the magic of it. I wake up every morning and come to school looking forward to treat my patients and learn more.”
When he returns home, he plans on maintaining ties to the school through e-mail and phone calls. He also plans to visit in the future to continue his training, and hopes to bring more WVU professors to Kuwait to share their knowledge.
The pilot of the preceptorship program has been so successful, that the School of Dentistry is planning on continuing the Preceptorship in Periodontics and Dental Implants for years to come.
In the future, Chaves hopes to be able to grow the program into a formal certificate or a three-year degree program.
For more information, contact Chaves at Eros.Chaves@hsc.wvu.edu .
By Colleen DeHart
WVU University Relations/News
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cd/01/27/11
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