What do dentists wear, and what is their uniform called?

Article published at: Oct 29, 2025 Article author: Equipo Jelrisofit Article tag: Profession Guide
¿Qué tipo de ropa usan los dentistas y cómo elegir la adecuada?
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Dentists often wear a medical uniform, scrub, or surgical scrub suit. The basic set usually consists of a scrub top and pants, the work clothes worn throughout the day in a dental office or clinic.

Other garments and protective items may be added during clinical care, such as a long-sleeved gown, mask, gloves, and eye protection. These items serve a different purpose: scrubs are workwear and should not be confused with personal protective equipment (PPE).

What is the uniform dentists wear called?

There is no single name for this clothing. In Mexico, terms such as medical uniform, surgical scrub suit, or scrubs are commonly used to refer to the outfit dental staff wear during their workday.

A two-piece surgical scrub suit usually consists of:

  • Scrub top: the upper garment.
  • Pants: the lower half of the outfit.

Words such as jacket may also be used to refer to the top, depending on the manufacturer or country. In practice, when someone talks about dentist scrubs or a surgical scrub suit for dentistry, they usually mean this type of two-piece uniform.

A gown, protective clothing, and PPE worn by a professional during certain procedures are additional items and are not necessarily part of the basic scrubs.

What garments might a dentist wear during the workday?

Clothing may vary depending on the activity. The attire worn in an administrative area differs from what is worn when treating a patient during a clinical procedure.

Scrub top and pants

The scrub top and pants make up the basic uniform commonly known as scrubs or a surgical scrub suit. These are the work clothes worn for much of the day, with additional protective garments worn over them when needed.

The specific design may vary from clinic to clinic and from professional to professional. Different cuts, colors, and styles are available, but these differences do not change the outfit’s basic function as workwear.

Clinical gown or protective clothing

In addition to the basic uniform, dental care may require a gown or protective garment that covers skin and clothing that could be exposed during the procedure.

In Mexico, NOM-013-SSA2-2015 requires protective equipment for clinical dental procedures, including goggles or a face shield, a long-sleeved gown, a surgical mask, and new gloves. The standard also states that protective clothing must remain intact and be used in the area designated for clinical care. NOM-013

This helps distinguish two things that are often conflated when people talk about “dentist clothing”: the uniform worn throughout the workday and the protective clothing required during clinical care.

Work shoes

Footwear is also part of dental staff’s everyday attire, although there is no single style worn by all dentists.

The choice may depend on the clinic’s rules, how long staff spend standing or sitting, and the conditions in the work area. In any case, footwear does not change the name of the uniform: when people talk about scrubs or a surgical scrub suit, they usually mean the scrub top and pants.

Are dentist scrubs personal protective equipment?

No. General-purpose scrubs or a medical uniform are not, by themselves, personal protective equipment.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explicitly distinguish general work clothes—such as uniforms and scrubs—from PPE. Work clothes are not designed to protect against a specific hazard and are not considered personal protective equipment. CDC

PPE is selected according to the activity and the risk of exposure. In a dental setting, it may include:

  • Gloves.
  • Surgical mask.
  • Protective eyewear or face shield.
  • Gown or other protective clothing appropriate for the procedure.

This distinction matters because a surgical scrub suit may be a dentist’s everyday clothing without being a certified barrier against blood, saliva, or other fluids.

When a procedure requires additional protection, that protection must be provided by the appropriate garments and PPE, in accordance with the clinic’s standards and protocols.

Do all dentists wear white coats?

Not necessarily. A dentist’s basic uniform may come in white, blue, green, gray, burgundy, black, and other colors. The choice often depends on the clinic’s rules, the team’s visual identity, or how different roles are distinguished.

Wearing blue or another color of scrubs does not mean the uniform is less hygienic than a white one. Color alone also does not demonstrate sterility, level of protection, or barrier properties.

This should be distinguished from recommendations for protective clothing. NOM-013-SSA2-2015 states that, during clinical procedures, the protective gown should have long sleeves and preferably be white or a light color so that contamination can be easily seen.

This requirement applies to the protective garment worn during clinical care; it does not mean that the scrub top and pants making up every dentist’s basic uniform have to be white.

Do dentists, assistants, and hygienists wear the same uniform?

They may, but there is no rule requiring all staff at a dental clinic to wear exactly the same uniform.

At some practices, dentists, assistants, and hygienists wear scrubs of the same color for a consistent look. At others, different colors, styles, or details identify each role.

Each clinic decides how to organize its uniforms. The important thing is not to confuse that choice of appearance or internal identification with the protective requirements for a particular clinical task.

For example, two team members may wear the same type of surgical scrub suit as their basic uniform and need different PPE at a given time, depending on the activity they are performing.

So, what does a dentist usually wear?

To quickly identify what a dentist wears, it can be divided into two groups.

As everyday workwear:

  • Scrub top.
  • Pants.
  • The outfit may be called a medical uniform, scrubs, or a surgical scrub suit.

During clinical care, depending on the procedure and applicable standards:

  • Gown or protective clothing.
  • Mask.
  • Gloves.
  • Protective eyewear or face shield.

The first group answers the question of what the clothing dentists usually wear is called. The second covers the additional protection used during clinical work.

If you now know what type of uniform they wear and want to compare cuts, sizes, materials, colors, and the needs of each role, see our guide on how to choose uniforms for dentists at a clinic.

Sources consulted

  • Best Practices for Personal Protective Equipment — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • NOM-013-SSA2-2015, For the prevention and control of oral diseases — Official Gazette of the Federation
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