A Career in Paediatric Dentistry

• Provide a full range of oral health care to anxious children and children with special needs.
• Specialised management of children with oral and dental developmental problems.
• Manage the damage sustained to teeth and the mouth following traumatic injury.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary care of children with complex problems e.g. cleft lip and palate, hypodontia, those with medical conditions which oral health may have an impact on holistic care.
• Paediatric Dentistry is unlike any other dental specialty in that it covers all aspects of oral health care for children such as restorative care including endodontic treatment and prosthetics, minor oral surgical procedures, and interceptive orthodontics. Paediatric dentists also work closely with paediatricians, surgeons and anaesthetists as part of a team in the overall care of children with complex medical problems. In addition they may work with other agencies such as health visitors and social workers in managing vulnerable children.
• Treatment for children can be carried out under local anaesthetic using a range of behaviour management skills. Sometimes it is necessary, because of medical or behavioural problems, to treat children using conscious sedation or general anaesthesia.

There are many positive aspects regarding a career in paediatric dentistry. Choosing to work in general dental practice, the public dental service (PDS) or in the hospital setting allows experience of working with children and adolescents at differing levels of specialist practice. The challenge for many graduates is to find which setting in dentistry suits you and the area(s) of dentistry that interests you. Working with children is extremely rewarding, however, this may be difficult due to time restraints while working within general practice. This is still possible for children who are not anxious or do not have requirements for more specialist care. The PDS setting is perfect for dentists who enjoy working with children and want to focus on working with children who may be more challenging to treat. There may be the opportunity to undertake further qualifications. The PDS setting employs dentists both with and without specialist training qualifications. Specialist training can be very competitive to get into with national recruitment now taking place for specialty and consultant training posts. This takes three years to complete to specialist level and five years to complete to consultant level. These training pathways give the opportunity to undertake post graduate qualifications including MSc’s and PhD’s. These are beneficial if academic hospital practice is your final goal. Teaching paediatric dentistry is very rewarding, with the ability to ensure generations of graduates are well informed to nurture and provide care for children in all settings. This is clearly not the chosen pathway for all as it is continuous in nature and the workload challenging.

First and foremost, a paediatric dentist needs to enjoy working with children and be able to effectively communicate with them. A paediatric dentist also needs: 

• Excellent evidence-based clinical skills.
• A broad understanding of dentistry as a whole, with a willingness to develop their specialised knowledge.
• Good interpersonal communication skills with parents/guardians, other members of the dental team and other specialties, as well as with children and adolescents.
• To be a team-player who is able to both follow guidance and lead the dental team. Flexibility, decisiveness and resilience. A keen interest in continuing their own personal career development and a passion for learning.

I knew from my first encounters whilst treating children during the undergraduate hospital and outreach training that I wanted to work with children. I found this challenging and rewarding in equal measures. It took me a few years of experience with both GPT and SHO posts to decide that working in the hospital setting was where I would be best able to do the work that I wanted to. I had always had a special interest in helping children and their families who were crippled with dental phobic and the negative cycles that result. The hospital setting allows me to offer a full range of treatments to these children and ensure others have the necessary skills also to deliver this care.