From A Simple Al Ain Clinic To Lifelong Community Bonds

Sama Tabrizi was just ten months old in the late 1960s when her parents moved from Turkey to the UAE after a medical colleague told her father that Al Ain urgently needed dentists. Her father, Dr. Behzad Tabrizi, opened a modest practice equipped with a basic sterilizer, an X-ray unit, and simple fabric curtains dividing the room. Their landlord was Musabeh Obaid Al Dhahiri, famed for writing one of the UAE's earliest handwritten newspapers, and grateful local patients soon filled the clinic corners with gifts and traditional artifacts. Every Friday, the family visited patients in their homes, forging deep bonds of loyalty and Emirati hospitality that made the country their permanent home. Certified officially in 1981, the family practice has maintained a spotless "A" rating for five decades, expanding to a second Al Ain branch in Al Muwaiji after Dr. Behzad recovered from a stroke in 2013.

Upcycling Lessons And Riverbank Clinics In Bangladesh

Humanitarian service ran equally deep on her mother's side of the household. Starting in 1981, Sama's mother enrolled in an Al Ain school to learn Arabic and spent 25 years volunteering with children with special needs, teaching them how to craft art from recycled materials—a dedication that earned her the prestigious Abu Dhabi Award in 2009. Inspired by their parents, three dentists from the Tabrizi family traveled to rural riverbanks in Bangladesh in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Working from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm using only natural sunlight and a basic chair, they treated roughly 2,500 patients during each two-week mission.

Solar-Powered Mobile Dentistry Reaches Remote Workers

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Dr. Sama and her brother, Dr. Anis Tabrizi, translated those field lessons into a pioneering solar-powered mobile dental van in the UAE. Equipped with solar panels and a mobile X-ray unit capable of handling complex oral surgeries on site, the clinic-on-wheels travels directly to worker accommodations. Backed by Abu Dhabi's Authority of Social Contribution (Ma'an), the Emirates Red Crescent, and the Emirates Cancer Society, the team has treated 1,000 laborers and uninsured cancer patients for free—and recently signed a March 2026 agreement with Gulf South Utilities to deploy solar dental vans across remote parts of Africa and India. Read more inspiring stories of long-term residents giving back to the Emirates. Visit our community section today at The WAU.

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