Dental Officer

Being a Dental Officer in the Royal Navy means using your skills outside the confines of a civilian surgery and taking charge of the primary dental healthcare for an entire ship’s company. If it sounds like a massive task, that’s because it is, but you’ll have the support of a dedicated team, including a Dental Hygienist and a Dental Nurse. Together, you’ll make a vital contribution to the wellbeing of the people who protect our nation’s interests, every day. And you’ll do it all over the world, from the shore bases in the UK, to warships in the Caribbean.

Your role

• You’ll work on large warships, including our state-of-the-art Type 45 Destroyers, where you’ll have a fully-fitted dental surgery and access to the sick bay’s operating theatre and ward facilities. On smaller ships, you’ll manage the portable dental unit that travels with you.
• Join at a rank that reflects your experience, and take the opportunity to complete specialist training in areas such as periodontics or endodontics. You’ll also develop your management and leadership skills through our world-class courses and mentoring schemes.
• Even the smallest dental problem can have a serious effect on the morale of a crew member and the effectiveness of the wider ship’s company. You’ll work with your team to complete preventative dentistry and deal with a full range of clinical problems, in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable.
• Outside your practice, you’ll have a vital operational role to play. You could find yourself in a combat or disaster zone, where you’ll need to put flight-deck control, firefighting and advanced life support training to use.

What you’ll get

• A salary of at least £41,000 from day one
• An excellent pension scheme
• Six weeks of paid holiday every year
• Free medical and dental care

What you'll need

• You must be between 25 and 54 years old, and under 45 if you still need professional training
• Cadetships are available for your final three years at a UK dental school (not including your intercalation year)
• To join directly you’ll need a dentistry degree and full General Dental Council registration
• A National of the United Kingdom, a Commonwealth Citizen or Dual National
• A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)