“With the participation of 46 speakers, 20 companies, and more than 500 visitors and attendees.”
H.E. Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary for Hospital Sector at the UAE’s Ministry of Health & Prevention, officially inaugurated today the 6th edition of the Dubai Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery Conference and Exhibition – Dubai Otology at the Mohammed bin Rashid Academic Medical Center in Dubai. The 3-day dedicated event in ear, head and neck disorders is held under the patronage of His Excellency Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates, and will continue until the 9th of November, 2018.
Following the official opening ceremony, H.E. Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, accompanied by Conference Chairman Dr. Ahmed Al Amadi, Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, and a number of officials representing various government entities and international otology & neurotology specialists toured the exhibition area where the latest technologies are displayed.
Commenting on the current edition, Dr. Ahmed Al Amadi, the Scientific Chairman of Dubai Otology said: “For this year, we have a comprehensive agenda featuring 11 scientific sessions that will discuss the latest research and topics related to Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery. On the sidelines of the conference, 2 advanced workshops will be held on the latest developments in the field of audiology and body balance, such as the cochlear implant and how to deal with central auditory processing disorders, as well as tackling the issues of vestibular rehabilitation and cervicogenic dizziness.”
He added: “The conference this year will also feature diseases of facial nerve, balloon eustachian tuboplasty procedure and recent advances in cochlear implant and implantable hearing devices.”
From his side, Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Executive Chairman of Dubai Otology, said, “Dubai Otology Conference and Exhibition is the only specialized gathering of its kind in the region that caters to the needs and challenges of otolaryngologists, neurologists, audiologists, physiotherapists, trainees, nurses and students and focuses on the latest developments and advancements in the field of otology. In this edition, 20 participating companies from all around the world will be showcasing the most recent technologies in this field.”
He added, “Through organizing such a highly specialized event, we aim to promote and develop the medical field in UAE as well as support the scientific researches. In this year, the scientific agenda of the event features a number of advanced workshops and thorough discussions to exchange knowledge and experiences between the physicians, experts, and specialists”.
In its 6th edition, Dubai Otology is expected to attract over 500 visitors and participants from the region and the world and will witness the participation of 46 expert speakers from over 28 countries such as USA, France, UK, Egypt, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who delivered their insights on the most pressing topics and discussed the latest research related to hearing and speech disorders.
On the first day, experts and specialists attending the conference addressed a number of topics such as Cholesteatoma, Mastoidectomy, Tympanoplasty and Facial Nerve Ossiculoplasty. The conference also featured separate discussions on ‘Diagnosis, Evaluation and Management of Acute Facial Nerve Palsy, Muscle Biopsy in Facial Nerve Palsy and Pediatric Traumatic Facial Nerve Palsy: Current Concepts with Case Presentation.
It is worth mentioning that Dubai Otology gives medical professionals the opportunity to earn 56.5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points accredited by the Dubai Healthcare City Regulatory (DHCR). CPD points, apart from adding experience to doctors, also act as pre-requisites for renewal of medical practicing license in the UAE.
As the conference focused on many topics related to ear disorders, latest research suggests that while a healthy human ear can hear frequencies ranging from 20 HZ to 20,000 HZ, extended exposure to loud noises, that reach a decibel level of 85 can cause permanent damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, leading to hearing loss. ENT specialists further revealed that Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) that results in extensive damage to hair cells is particularly dangerous as humans do not regenerate hair cells once they are lost, which leads to permanent hearing damage.
According to WHO figures, almost half of the those aged 12 to 35 years living in middle and high-income countries listen to unsafe levels of sound, through personal listening devices like smartphones and MP3 players and it is estimated that 1.1 billion young people worldwide could be at risk of hearing loss caused by dangerous listening habits. Other studies suggest that NIHL affects people of all age groups and 17 percent of teenagers aged 12 to 19 have shown signs of NIHL in one or both ears.
The Dubai Otology Conference and Exhibition, is held annually by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and a number of regional and international bodies such as 8th Arab Academy of Otology and Cochlear Implant, Dubai Tourism and the UAE India Business Council. The event is sponsored by Medel – Strategic Partner, Medtronic – Gold Partner, Amico, Smith & Nephew, Vienna Trading – Silver Partner, Alphamed, Kurz, ADI, Puretone and Karl Storz – Bronze Partner.
