History of the department

The Department of Therapeutic Dentistry was established in the spring of 1962. The department was created from scratch — there was no clinic, no methodological or educational materials. The main challenge was the acute shortage of qualified teaching staff. At that time, the department’s team consisted of experienced practicing dentists invited from various dental institutions in Almaty. The team was headed by Colonel of the Medical Service Alexander Ivanovich Fefelov.

Since 1968, under the leadership of Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor David Lazarevich Korytny, a scientific school began to form: PhD dissertations were defended, scientific articles, theses, and conference reports were published. For the first time in the world, a patent was obtained for the use of low-intensity laser radiation in dentistry. The authors were D.L. Korytny, L.Ya. Zazulevskaya, and I.I. Zhukova.

Under the leadership of Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Full Member of the Academy of Preventive Medicine of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Laser Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, L.Ya. Zazulevskaya, the scientific staff of the department significantly expanded. More than 300 scientific papers, monographs, and teaching aids were published, reports were presented at international conferences abroad, and 8 Doctors and 40 Candidates of Medical Sciences were trained. For the first time in the world, in the 1990s, laser preparation of carious cavities was introduced.

Currently, the department staff includes 19 teachers — 3 professors, 4 associate professors, and 12 assistants. Among them are 3 Doctors of Medical Sciences, 8 Candidates of Medical Sciences, 7 doctors of the highest category, and 2 of the first category. The faculty conducts extensive consulting work not only for the residents of Almaty but also for other regions of Kazakhstan.

Students are trained in the theoretical foundations and practical skills of therapeutic dentistry, developing professional thinking, behavior, and the ability to apply preventive, diagnostic, and treatment algorithms for diseases of hard dental tissues, pulp, periodontium, periodontal tissues, and the oral mucosa.

The Department of Therapeutic Dentistry focuses its activities on research and implementation of new methodological and organizational approaches to student training and modernization of the educational process under the credit-modular system. Classes are conducted in Kazakh, Russian, and English.

The department’s scientific research is actively carried out in the study of etiopathogenesis, as well as modern and innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment of major dental diseases. In its multifaceted activities, the department closely cooperates in scientific and methodological work with other units of KazNMU and other universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan.