[rs999gti]

> podiatrists

Podiatrists are doctors, they just have their own medical schools AKA podiatry school - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatric_medical_school

Podiatrists are sometimes ridiculed for not being real doctors like dermatologists. However, to diabetics they are life savers.

[mtdewcmu]

By the same token, you could argue that dentists are also real. They are licensed and they can prescribe drugs and perform procedures independently.

My point was more to show that dentistry is not unique in being separate from the medical profession. There are a variety of health professions that have responsibility and esteem that aren't MDs.