Orthodontist
Healthcare
Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workA dental clinic
- Mostly indoors
- Dealing with customers or the public
- Regular working hours
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.
In Malaysia
Orthodontics is one of the nine dental specialties the MOH gazettes. Government orthodontic clinics have long waiting lists, and many orthodontists work in private practice. Under the Dental Act 2018, only MDC-registered specialists may call themselves orthodontists, so a GP dentist who offers braces is not an orthodontist.
- How people get into it here
- SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → BDS/DDS (5 years) → MDC registration → Dental Officer → recognised postgraduate specialist training in Orthodontics (normally 4 years; e.g. a local Doctor of Clinical Dentistry/Master's) → Dental Specialist registration with the MDC.
- Government post
- Pegawai Pergigian Gred Pakar UG56 (SSM) / UG15 (SSPA) · starts at RM7,030 a month
Sources:hq.moh.gov.mymoh.gov.my
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Matriculation
One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.
Asasi / Foundation
One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become an Orthodontist in Malaysia?
SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → BDS/DDS (5 years) → MDC registration → Dental Officer → recognised postgraduate specialist training in Orthodontics (normally 4 years; e.g. a local Doctor of Clinical Dentistry/Master's) → Dental Specialist registration with the MDC. Registration with Malaysian Dental Council (MDC), Specialists' Division of the Dental Register (Dental Act 2018) is required to practise.
What should I study to become an Orthodontist?
Related fields of study: Science and Allied Health. SPM subjects that help most: Biology, Chemistry, English and Additional Science.
How much does an Orthodontist earn in Malaysia?
We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Orthodontist pay, so we show no figure.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Medicine and Dentistry99%
BiologyChemistry
- Customer and Personal Service85%
- English Language74%
English
- Biology74%
BiologyAdditional Science
- Computers and Electronics65%
Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies
- Mathematics64%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Handling conflict situationsRarely
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 28 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
14 of 28 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM800 – RM2,000
17 of 28 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.
Minimum CGPA asked
3.00 to 3.00
Stated in 2 adverts. Others did not state one.
Languages named
Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Orthodontists
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org