“Dentists Are Doctors Too — It’s Time We All Realize That” By Minister Sakina Itoo

Every profession within healthcare deserves dignity, but one continues to be unfairly overshadowed — dentistry. Despite equal education, equal effort, and equal service, dentists often fight for the simple recognition that they too are doctors.

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) is a five-year medicinal degree built on anatomy, medicine, Diagnostics, surgery, and outpatient care— just like the MBBS. The only distinction reclines in the zone of specialization, not in the deepness of comprehension or commitment to healing. Yet, a grading continues — one that must finish.

Dentists are not “tooth fixers.” They are medical professionals who diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases that directly affect overall health. The mouth is the mirror of the body — heart diseases, diabetes, cancers, and infections often show their earliest signs there. A dentist’s role is not cosmetic; it’s clinical, preventive, and lifesaving.

True healthcare reform begins when we acknowledge every healer’s contribution. It’s time our policies, institutions, and mindsets reflect equality — in status, pay, and respect. The divide between MBBS and BDS serves no purpose in a system built to heal.

When a patient is in agony, they don’t query for grades — they look for comfort. Both doctors and dentists holds the alike accountability, wear the same white uniform, and endorse the same pledge: to heal, to be in the service, and to safeguard lives.

Let’s end the bias.
Let’s give dentistry the dignity it deserves.
Because dentists are doctors too — and it’s time we all realize that.