This doctor opened three bootstrapped specialized dental center for children in Bengaluru - now scaling to Dubai

In India, pediatric dentistry—also known as pedodontics—is a relatively recent specialty. The Dental Council of India (DCI) officially recognized Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry as a distinct postgraduate specialty in 1989, with the first MDS programs in this field starting shortly thereafter.

To date, you’ll often find large dental centers catering primarily to adults. Within them, general dentists and consultant pediatric dentist specialists tend to children who need dental treatments.

When I began my journey as a dentist, I noticed a significant gap: a focused and specialized approach towards pediatric dentistry was missing. Pediatric dentistry was often treated as an extension of general practice, and dedicated centers for children were rare,” Rajesh Bariker, founder of KidsDentist and KidsTooth, tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

“To address this, I brought together a team of full-time, passionate pediatric dentists and founded KidsDentist—a center built exclusively for children's dental care. After establishing a strong presence and earning the trust of thousands of families in India, we are now expanding our vision internationally, beginning with our new center in Dubai,” he adds.

Founded in 2025, KidsTooth is a Dubai-based pediatric dental center started by Dr. Rajesh Bariker and Payodhi Rajesh Bariker. It is an extension of the KidsDentist chain, a successful dental center with three branches in Bengaluru, India. 

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Hailing from Belagavi in Karnataka, Dr. Rajesh Bariker spent a little less than a decade absorbing himself in the study of dentistry.

From 2005 to 2010, he undertook his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Karnataka. Then, he went on to complete his post-graduate education in Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, a three-year MDS program recognized by the Dental Council of India.

In 2013, while still in post-graduate training, Dr. Rajesh Bariker envisioned the idea of bringing pediatric dental care to the forefront, with dental centers and centers designed entirely around the needs of children. 

After completing his degree, he moved to Bengaluru to begin building what would become KidsDentist. 

Alongside this journey, he gained invaluable hands-on experience working with leading dental corporates such as Denty’s (now Clove), Apollo White Dental, and myDentist (now SabkaDentist). This deepened his understanding of the healthcare business and strengthened the foundation for his own venture.

“During my time in these organizations, I discovered that since there were almost negligible pediatric dentist centers, most dentists specializing in pedodontics would take up academic positions and consult centers during the late afternoon to evening slot. I knew there was a way to absorb these centeral-oriented pediatric dentists and make them more available to parents who wanted urgent dental care for their kids,” Dr. Rajesh Bariker shares.

Eventually, in 2016, Dr. Rajesh pooled his savings of Rs 22 lakh and established KidsDentist in the city of Bengaluru along with Payodhi Bariker, who is a Company Secretary.

This made Dr. Rajesh one of the first pioneers to begin a network of pediatric dentistry centers. He handpicked expert, passion-driven pediatric dentists who were already consulting many centers in the city.

“I hired them full-time for KidsDentist and solved the existing market gap caused by the absence, unavailability, and delays in reaching and accessing pediatric dentists. This was a game-changer in Bengaluru,” Dr. Rajesh Bariker affirms.

KidsDentist not just improved the quality of pediatric dentistry in Bengaluru, but also began to match international standards of preventive care, restorative treatments, emergency care, and safe sedation.

Currently, KidsDentist has expanded to three locations in Bengaluru: HSR Layout, Harlur, and Whitefield. Altogether, it has a team of 5 pediatric dentists.

Over the years, Dr. Rajesh Bariker has rapidly grown to become a respected and revered pediatric dentist in the country who is often looked up to by aspiring pediatric dentists and students in the field. Earlier, people were of the opinion that centeral pediatric dentistry is not an evolving field and has close to no options for growth.

But with Dr. Rajesh’s entrepreneurial push and centeral expertise, the picture is changing.

In 2024, he won a total of three First Place awards at the CAPP MENA Aesthetic Dentistry Awards held at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. 

“With the trust of my young patients and their families, we have emerged as a credible name in the realm of centeral pediatric dentistry in India,” he says.

With the success of KidsDentist, Dr. Rajesh Bariker and Payodhi Bariker decided to scale to Dubai under the brand name of KidsTooth.

“The reason we picked Dubai is that it is almost a central hub for the world. Geographically speaking, it’s roughly halfway between Europe and Asia and is even well-connected to Africa. Having our pediatric dental center here would mean we’re serving the influx of international locations and setting a precedent for quality, world-class centeral pediatric dentistry care,” Dr. Rajesh Bariker tells Startup Pedia

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KIDSTOOTH: DUBAI’S NEXT STOP FOR WORLD-CLASS PEDIATRIC DENTIST SERVICES

With a handpicked expert team of multi-cultural pediatric dentists from across the world, KidsTooth is a pediatric dental care center in Dubai with a comprehensive range of centeral services tailored specifically for children, from infancy through adolescence. 

The center offers everything from regular check-ups, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and cavity fillings to more advanced procedures such as root canals and safe, child-appropriate sedation options.

The solutions are tailored in a way that the child is exposed to minimal discomfort and pain. The methods employed are gentle but effective. 

In addition to preventive and restorative care, KidsTooth will also provide emergency services for common dental injuries, including knocked-out or broken teeth. This will ensure that children receive timely, expert care when it matters most.

“We are also bringing advanced pre-orthodontic and orthodontic solutions, right from conventional space maintainers and palatal expanders to aligners, to support early tooth alignment and jaw development,” says Dr. Rajesh Bariker, the founder of KidsTooth.

The Dubai center has been thoughtfully designed by a renowned architectural firm from Brazil, APSP Arquitetos Associados, creating a space that is warm, welcoming, and child-friendly without compromising functionality. 

Every element of the center—from interiors to workflows—has been planned with children’s comfort and parents’ peace of mind at the forefront.

To ensure consistent and specialized care, KidsTooth will maintain week-round availability of expert pediatric dentists.

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LOOKING AHEAD

With KidsTooth launched recently in September, Dr. Rajesh Bariker is looking forward to establishing a pediatric dentistry center brand that is synonymous with quality dental care for children.

“Where you start should never limit how far you can go. I believe that meaningful impact in children’s health comes only when you’re truly driven by passion and love. With that same spirit, my team and I are committed to making KidsTooth as trusted and respected in the Middle East as the brand we’ve built in India,”Dr. Rajesh Bariker concludes.

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