Dentist
A dentist is a highly skilled member of the dental team. A dentist typically prescribes and delivers the full range of treatments necessary to secure and maintain the oral health of patients. This includes diagnosing a wide range of dental diseases as well other conditions that may impact on oral health or present in the mouth. A dentist would typically undertake oral health promotion through advice and treatment, provide simple and complex fillings including root treatments as well as providing complex restorations such as crowns, bridges and dentures. Dentists will undertake the removal of teeth and can undertake complex surgical procedures where required.
A dentist may choose to focus their career pathway through additional training and experience. Typically this may be to deliver specialist treatments such as complex oral surgery including implants, orthodontic treatments or the delivery of care to specific vulnerable groups of patients.
Most dentists work by delivering care in a high street dental practice and may choose to become the owner of such a practice. Other opportunities are available within NHS health boards for the delivery of care to patients who are unable to access care at a high street dentist.
Training as a dentist is available in three university dental schools in Scotland. This is available as a 5-year undergraduate-entry course from Glasgow and Dundee and as 4-year graduate-entry course at Aberdeen.