Why are dentists special compared to other doctors?
On one level, dentists are not different from "normal" specialists - they just specialize in treating teeth. On another level, they're different:
Many universities have separate faculties of dentistry and of medicine
Dentists get their own special degrees, e.g. MDS, MDent
Question: why are dentists so special? As far as I'm aware, the other specialists (anesthesiologist, neurologist, urologist ...) all start out the same. They take the same classes at university, graduate as GPs, do some years of housemanship, and eventually specialize. Why doesn't the same apply to dentists? Is there something special about teeth that makes it impractical or unnecessary to start as a GP before specializing in dentistry?
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Long story short : The current setup in North America and elsewhere is due to historical reasons, and continues to this day due to difference in the training of Dentists and all other MDs.
Dentistry used to be considered as a completely separate, non-medical profession. This is still apparent in the way dental and medical insurance are considered separately.
Over the years, the implication of oral health on general health, but especially of the general health on teeth and surrounding tissues have become more apparent.
The reason the programs won't merge completely for the foreseeable future with médecin is that training for the clinical aspect of Dentistry starts in second year of the degree, while MDs (including surgeons) start clinical training in their chosen field after completing their 4th year and choosing their specialty.
Here is a non-scientific article that adresses your question partially (not sure your question is strictly medical) www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/why-dentistry-is-separated-from-medicine/518979/
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