Study Dentistry

BChD or BDS, 5 years (NQF 8), followed by 1 year compulsory community service

Pay in South AfricaR920k–1.0ma year · typical R970k Work abroad3.5 of 5best: United Kingdom, Canada AI outlookSteadyAI changes little of the daily work

Getting inVery highcompetition for places · 5 years BChD/BDS + 1 year compulsory community service

R80 000 to R90 000 first-year fees 1 bursary lists Dentistry

School subjects: MathsPhysical Sciences requiredLife Sciences required at some universitiesMaths Literacy not accepted

Entry details and typical minimums

English required. Wits also requires Life Sciences, the NBT and a job-shadowing certificate; UP requires Maths at 70% (level 6).

Typical minimums: Varies by university. Dental intakes are small, so selection scores are usually close to those for medicine at the same institution.

Pay

Yearly gross pay, turned into rand at the exchange rate. The dot is the typical figure. How pay is measured

USAR2.3–4.0m
New ZealandR2.1–2.6m^~
UKR1.3–2.8m
AustraliaR930k–2.3m
NetherlandsR1.9m
IrelandR1.5–2.2m^~
GermanyR1.0–1.9m
CanadaR760k–2.0m
South AfricaR920k–1.0m

~ limited evidence

Working abroad 3.5 of 5

Score out of 5. Tap a country for steps and visas.

AI outlook

SteadyAI changes little of the daily work

Almost entirely skilled manual work inside a patient’s mouth, under a licence. Among the professions AI changes least in the research.

Hands-on In-person care Licensed & accountable

How AI changes each field

Careers

General dentist in private practice
Public sector or clinic dentist
Community service dentist
Dental specialist (orthodontist, maxillofacial and oral surgeon)
Defence force or correctional services dentist
Dental school clinician or academic

Where to study 2

First-year tuition, as published. My Matric Map can check your results against each of these. Tap a university for its entry requirements and dates. Compare study costs

WitsBachelor of Dental Science (BDS) · 2027 intakeR84 710
UPBachelor of Dental Surgery (BChD) · 2027 intakeR80 000–
R90 000

Country by country: steps, exams, visas and pay sources

Five-year dental degree plus a community service year. Dentists travel less easily than doctors: the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and NZ all require full licensing exams, and the US effectively wants a second degree.

Professional regulator: Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)

Where it can take you

Dentistry → United Kingdom

Overall 4/5 · Good prospects

You must pass the GDC's Overseas Registration Exam; Part 2 alone costs GBP 6,967.

Recognition: 3/5 · Exams or bridging. Licensing exams, an adaptation period or a conversion course. Typically 6 to 24 months.
Demand: High demand

Sources: GDC - about the ORE · GDC - join the register

Qualification and licensing guide

Pay, in rand at the exchange rate

Typical gross pay in each country, turned into rand at the exchange rate. Compare salaries switches between the exchange rate, buying power and after tax, and says how each works.

United States R2.3–4.0m3.2× SA

New Zealand R2.1–2.6m^*2.4× SA

United Kingdom R1.3–2.8m2.1× SA

Australia R930k–2.3m2.0× SA

Netherlands R1.9m2.0× SA

Ireland R1.5–2.2m^*1.9× SA

Germany R1.0–1.9m1.5× SA

Canada R760k–2.0m1.5× SA

South Africa R920k–1.0m

South Africa · line: the South African figure · pay range · starting pay · hover or tap a bar for details · gross pay a year, low to high estimate; the bar ends at the typical figure · * weaker figure

Country	Typical gross pay	Range and starting pay	Occupation and source
South Africa	ZAR 969 300 Middle of the pay scale, as gross pay 2026	ZAR 919 500 to 1 019 200 lowest and highest point of the pay scale, 2026 · DPSA Circular 15 of 2026 OSD salary scales (1 Apr 2026), Appendix F · Converted to gross like the typical figure. PUBLIC, TCE package. Dentist Gr 1, 8 notches; Gr 2 to R1,297,089, Gr 3 to R1,713,534. Starting ZAR 771 700 During the compulsory 1-year community service, straight after the BDS (no internship), 2026 · DPSA Circular 15 of 2026 OSD salary scales (1 Apr 2026), Appendix F · Community service TCE R848,967 x 0.909.	Dentist Grade 1, OSD (Appendix F) DPSA Circular 15 of 2026 OSD salary scales (1 Apr 2026) · Gross pay: package midpoint R1,066,379 x 0.909 (less the State's GEPF contribution, 13% of the 70% basic). PUBLIC-SECTOR. Scale quoted as total-cost packages; amounts below are as quoted. Gr 1 scale R1,011,516-R1,121,241; Gr 2 to R1,297,089, Gr 3 to R1,713,534. Community service dentist R848,967. Private-sector cross-check: PayScale South Africa - Dentist (n=47) median R415,300 (crowd-sourced, low confidence).
United Kingdom	GBP 86 000 Middle of the advertised range 2026	GBP 55 000 to 117 000 careers service range, 2026 · National Careers Service job profile: Dentist · NCS starter-experienced range (same source as typical). ASHE SOC 2253 suppressed: most UK dentists are self-employed NHS/private contractors. Starting GBP 43 893 Dental Foundation Training (DFT) year, compulsory first year after graduating for NHS work, 2026 · NHS Employers Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 1/2026 R2 (DFT salary, for information) · Fixed DFT salary from 1 Apr 2026, England. After DFT, earnings depend on NHS/private associate work (NCS starter 55,000).	Dentist (National Careers Service job profile) National Careers Service job profile: Dentist · Midpoint of published range GBP55,000 (starter) - 117,000 (experienced). ASHE SOC 2253 is suppressed: most UK dentists are self-employed contractors.
Ireland	EUR 92 559 Middle of the pay scale 2026	EUR 75 569 to 109 548 lowest and highest point of the pay scale, 2026 · HSE/Dept of Health Consolidated Salary Scales, Health Sector, effective 1 June 2026 · General Dental Surgeon scale incl. long-service increments (same scale as typical). Most dentists are in private practice; no official figure. Starting EUR 75 569 General Dental Surgeon, HSE public dental service, on registration after the 5-year degree (no compulsory vocational year in Ireland), 2026 · HSE/Dept of Health Consolidated Salary Scales, Health Sector, effective 1 June 2026 (point 1) · low confidence, not shown on the chart · HSE entry point. CSO HGO15: 2021 dentistry graduates' median in 2022 EUR1,299/wk (~67,500), mostly private practice.	General Dental Surgeon (HSE public dental service) HSE/Dept of Health Consolidated Salary Scales, Health Sector, effective 1 June 2026 · Midpoint of 9-point scale EUR75,569-109,548 incl. long-service increments. Most Irish dentists work in private practice, for which no official figure exists.
Netherlands	EUR 95 100 Average 2024	Not researched yet	BIG-geregistreerde tandarts, alleen werknemer CBS StatLine 84061NED Beloning van in zorg werkzame artsen · Mean annual wage incl. special payments, salaried dentists (n=800). Self-employed dentists averaged 122,500 profit in 2023.
Germany	EUR 73 824 Median 2025	EUR 50 472 to 93 540 25th to 75th percentile, 2025 · BA Entgeltatlas (Beschaeftigungsstatistik), Stichtag 31.12.2025, Vollzeit, all ages, Germany · KldB 81474, monthly p25-p75 x12. Salaried dentists only; most DE dentists are self-employed. Starting EUR 69 515 Dentist employed at a university hospital, TV-Aerzte (TdL) Ae1 Stufe 1, 2026 · TV-Aerzte (TdL) Entgelttabelle 2026 (valid 1 Apr 2026-31 Aug 2027); scope incl. Zahnaerzte · low confidence, not shown on the chart · Few new dentists work at Unikliniken; most start as assistant dentists in private practices, where pay is not regulated and often lower.	KldB 2010 81474 Zahnärzte/-ärztinnen & Kieferorthopäden/-orthopädinnen - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten BA Entgeltatlas (Beschäftigungsstatistik), Stichtag 31.12.2025 · Median monthly gross full-time x12. Employees in social insurance only (no self-employed/Beamte); capped at 8,050 EUR/mo. Salaried dentists only; most DE dentists self-employed. n=15,948.
United States	USD 170 950 Median 2025	USD 125 710 to 224 040 25th to 75th percentile, 2025 · BLS OEWS May 2025 national (via BLS Public Data API) · OEWS May 2025 national annual 25th/75th percentile for SOC 29-1021; p10 $86,250, p90 $319,630; not top-coded. Starting USD 119 800 1 year after DDS/DMD (CIP 51.04, professional doctorate); no compulsory internship, 2022 · College Scorecard field-of-study data (Jun 2026 release), EARN_MDN_1YR · Grad-weighted median of program medians, earnings 1 yr after completion (2018-20 grads, CY2020-21, 2022 $; working & not enrolled, incl. part-time). Some graduates are in paid postgraduate residencies (lower pay), which pulls this down.	29-1021 Dentists, General BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national · OEWS national median annual wage, May 2025.
Canada	CAD 110 000 Median 2021	CAD 59 200 to 156 000 25th to 75th percentile, 2021 · Job Bank wage data 2025 release (2021 Census), national quartiles · Census 2021 annual quartiles (wages + net self-employment, 2020 income, 2021 $); understates 2025. ~p10/p90 C$32,867/C$228,000. No starting figure: grad data pools dentistry with medicine.	31110 Dentists Job Bank wage data (open data); 2021 Census · Published as an annual figure from the 2021 Census (not LFS) because many dentists are self-employed; 2021 dollars, so understates 2025 pay. Range C$32,867-C$228,000.
Australia	AUD 168 064 Median 2025	AUD 81 000 to 196 600 25th to 75th percentile, estimated from tax statistics (includes part-time), 2024 · ATO Taxation Statistics 2023-24, Individuals Table 14A (occupation unit group x taxable income range); medians from Table 15B · low confidence · p25/p75 interpolated from 5 taxable-income bands (linear density matched to band means). Includes part-time/part-year earners and non-wage income; 2023-24 dollars, not uprated. Starting AUD 103 100 About 4 months after completing the bachelor's degree, full-time employed domestic graduates, 2025 · QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025 national report tables: median full-time salary, undergraduates, by 45 study areas ('Dentistry') · Dentistry graduates, 2025 survey (2024: 103,300). Postgraduate dentistry (DDS/DMD) median 140,900.	Dental Practitioners (ANZSCO 2523) ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025 (customised report), via JSA Occupation Profiles · Median $3232/wk x52; FT non-managerial adult-rate employees, before tax. Group includes dental specialists. Employee survey: excludes self-employed and managers, so likely understates.
New Zealand	NZD 226 680 Middle of the advertised range 2026	NZD 206 030 to 247 330 careers service range, 2026 · Tahatu Career Navigator job profile: Dentist ('most common' pay range) · low confidence · Tahatu 'most common' band (full published range 185,380-267,980); Stats NZ IDI/Census + IR data, percentiles not defined, no vintage stated. Range looks synthetic (symmetric), low confidence. Starting NZD 111 000 Newly qualified dentist, year 1 after the BDS, 2026 · Tahatu Career Navigator study page 'Bachelors degrees in dentistry (BDS)': median employed income 1 year after completion (Stats NZ IDI + IR) · Published in $ thousands; vintage not stated; includes part-year/part-time earners. Year-1 p25-p75 88k-139k; well below the Tahatu dentist range.	Dentist Tahatu Career Navigator (Ministry of Education / Tertiary Education Commission careers service) · Published range $185,380-$267,980, most common $206,030-$247,330. This is the middle of the published range.

General information, not immigration or legal advice. Researched 2026-10-07.