Dental Officer

As a member of the military, Dental Officers practice preventive dentistry and dental treatment for oral diseases, injuries, and defects of the teeth and their supporting structures.

Work environment

Dental Officers may be posted to a base in Canada or deployed on operations around the world. They work in a fully equipped dental office, which may be in temporary facilities, in a semi-industrial setting or on a ship at sea.

Normally, Dental Officers spend their first four years in a dental clinic in Canada. Initially, they work in a group practice; after a year or two of experience, they could go to a small one-dentist clinic or could be attached to a Field unit.

If you choose a career in the Regular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part-time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

Dental Officers provide care to military patients across Canada, and on deployments and exercises around the world. They serve members of all occupations and work in clinical settings, on naval warships or in mobile dental clinics. On base, Dental Officers see their patients in some of the best-equipped clinics in the country, with state-of-the-art equipment. They work in teams alongside other dentists, dental specialists, hygienists and dental technicians, as well as dedicated support personnel who take care of all the scheduling and paperwork.

At home in Canada, Dental Officers can usually expect to work normal weekday office hours, with regular on-call duties to address dental emergencies at night or on the weekend.

Dental Officers may also be called upon to provide clinical support to other bases and travel periodically. Military exercises and deployments up to several months out of country in a theatre of operations are also an important part of the job.

After completing their entry-level occupational training, Dental Officers are typically posted to a large multidisciplinary clinic where they work alongside a team of dental specialists including periodontists, prosthodontists, oral surgeons and comprehensive dentists to continue developing their skills and knowledge.

As their career progresses, there are great opportunities to pursue subsidized advanced education in one of several dental specialties including oral and maxillofacial surgery; prosthodontics; periodontics; dental public health; and comprehensive dentistry. Continuing professional dental education and military-specific training are also available to all Dental Officers on an ongoing basis.

Training

After enrolment, Dental Officers attend Basic Military Officer Qualification training at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, for 12 weeks. Topics covered include general military knowledge, the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), basic weapons handling, and first aid. Opportunities will also be provided to apply such newly acquired military skills in training exercises involving force protection, field training, navigation and leadership. A rigorous physical fitness program is also a vital part of basic training. Basic officer training is provided in English or French and successful completion is a prerequisite for further training.

The Forces actively supports Dental Officers’ efforts to develop and maintain clinical skills in all aspects of dentistry, often providing subsidized training, participation in professional conferences and specialization in the following disciplines:

• Oral Maxillofacial Surgery;
• Prosthodontics;
• Periodontics;
• Public Health Dentistry; and
• Comprehensive Dentistry (AEGD 2-yr program).

If you already have a degree in Dentistry from a recognized Canadian university and a valid licence to practise dentistry in a Canadian province or territory, and a National Dental Examining Board certificate, the CAF may place you directly into a Canadian dental clinic following basic training. You will practise dentistry in a clinical setting while waiting for your Basic Dental Officer Course.

Because this position requires a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree or a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD), the CAF will pay successful recruits to complete a DDS or DMD program at a Canadian university.

For the duration of your studies, you receive a full-time salary including medical and dental care, as well as vacation time with full-pay in exchange for working with the CAF for a period of time. Typically, candidates selected for this program attend university during the regular academic year and participate in additional military training during the summer months. In order to apply to the DOTP, you must have proof of acceptance to a Canadian dental school of your choice.

Part-time options

For the most part, Dental Officers serve in the Regular Force. There are limited opportunities for serving in the Reserve Force as a dentist.

The role of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps Reserve Force is to provide trained dentists to support, augment and sustain Canadian Forces dental clinics across Canada.

As a dentist in the Reserve Force, you must have a National Dental Examining Board certificate, hold a current unrestricted dental license by a Canadian provincial/territorial regulatory authority and submit a letter of good standing from your professional regulatory authority. You must have the ability to maintain clinical currency within your civilian workplace.

Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. All members complete Basic Military Officer Qualification training, which covers topics such as general military knowledge, the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the CAF, basic weapons handling, and first aid. This training varies in length and is usually available in modularized format. You must also complete basic occupational training, which teaches you how to employ your clinical skills/profession within the military environment. This training lasts three weeks and is held once a year at the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre in Borden, Ontario.

Reserve Force members may be offered a part-time or full-time position at a Canadian Forces dental clinic if the need arises. The clinic of employment may range from a large group-practice clinic to a smaller one-dentist clinic. The dentist must already live in the vicinity of the clinic in question. They are paid 92.8 percent of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.