Dental Officer

Overview
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. As commissioned members of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps, their primary duty is to practice dentistry in the military setting. They may also assist other health care professionals when particular skills are required, and teach subjects in which they have received specialized training.

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. There is some flexibility with postings, but accommodations cannot always be made; therefore, you can expect to move at some point in your career. 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. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends, with possibilities of full‑time employment.

Entry Plans

Direct Entry Options:
If you already have a degree in Dentistry from a recognized Canadian university, 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.

Paid Education Options:
The Dental Officer Training Plan (DOTP) pays 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.

Training
After enrolment, Dental Officers attend Basic Military Officer Qualification training at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School for 12 weeks. Topics covered include general military knowledge, the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the CAF, basic weapons handling, first aid, and a rigorous physical fitness programme.

They must complete the Common Health Services Officer (CHSO) course, an eight‑day e‑learning course covering CAF policies and procedures, and HR management of military members and civilian personnel.

Dental Officers attend the Basic Dental Officer’s Course in Borden, Ontario, for three weeks, learning the setup and use of the Mobile Dental Clinic, and the administrative and clinical procedures of a CAF dental detachment.

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

Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Prosthodontics

Periodontics

Public Health Dentistry

Comprehensive Dentistry (AEGD 2‑yr program)

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 Royal Canadian Dental Corps Reserve Force provides trained dentists to support, augment and sustain CAF 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 licence by a Canadian provincial/territorial regulatory authority and submit a letter of good standing from your professional regulatory authority. You must also maintain clinical currency within your civilian workplace.

Reserve Dental Officers may be called to work part‑time or full‑time at a clinic when needed, and do not have to relocate. Specialist dental officers may be called to teach young general dentists in their area of expertise.

Reserve Force members receive the same training as Regular Force counterparts, complete Basic Military Officer Qualification training, and the basic occupational training in the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre in Borden, Ontario. They may receive 92.8 % of Regular Force rates of pay, a reasonable benefits package, and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.

Related Careers

Pharmacy Officer

Nursing Officer

Bioscience Officer

#J-18808-Ljbffr