What is the role of a dentist?
In Australia, dentists play a critical role in maintaining and enhancing the oral health of the population, ensuring individuals have access to comprehensive dental care. Their responsibilities span from diagnosing and treating dental issues to providing preventative advice and services to help avoid oral diseases.
Dentists conduct thorough examinations, including assessments of teeth, gums, and related tissues, using diagnostic tools like X-rays to detect problems early. They perform various treatments, including fillings, root canals, extractions, and the fitting of prosthetic devices such as crowns, bridges, and dentures.
Beyond clinical duties, dentists in Australia are also educators, advising patients on best practices for oral hygiene, including brushing, flossing, and dietary choices that impact dental health. They play a pivotal role in early detection and management of oral cancers and conditions affecting oral health, such as diabetes and heart disease, which can have oral manifestations.
Dentists in Australia must be registered with the Dental Board of Australia, adhering to strict guidelines and continuing education requirements to ensure they deliver care in line with current best practices. They work in various settings, including private practices, hospitals, and community health services, making dental care accessible to diverse populations across urban and rural areas.
In Australia, dentists can pursue several specialisations, each focusing on specific aspects of oral health care. Some of these specialisations include:
Orthodontics: Focuses on diagnosing, preventing, and treating dental and facial irregularities. Orthodontists use braces, clear aligners, and other appliances to correct misaligned teeth and jaws.
Periodontics: Specialises in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease (gum disease) and in the placement of dental implants. Periodontists manage complex soft tissue and bone conditions around teeth.
Endodontics: Concerned with the biology, physiology, and pathology of the human dental pulp and periradicular tissues. Endodontists perform root canal treatments and other procedures to treat the soft pulp tissue inside the tooth.
Prosthodontics: Involves the design, manufacture, and fitting of artificial replacements for teeth and other parts of the mouth. Prosthodontists work with crowns, bridges, dentures, and dental implants.
Paediatric Dentistry: Dedicated to the oral health of children from infancy through the teen years. Pediatric dentists are skilled in managing dental growth and development, preventing disease, and handling child behavior.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Encompasses the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. This includes procedures such as tooth extractions, corrective jaw surgery, and treatment of traumatic injuries.
Oral Medicine and Pathology: Focuses on the diagnosis and management of complex diagnostic and medical conditions affecting the mouth and jaws.
Dento-Maxillofacial Radiology: Specialises in the production and interpretation of images and data produced by all modalities of radiant energy used for the diagnosis and management of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region.
Special Needs Dentistry: Caters to the oral health of people with an intellectual disability, medical, physical, or psychiatric conditions that require special methods or techniques to prevent or treat oral health problems.
These specialisations require additional training and qualifications beyond the general dental degree, and dentists must be registered in their specific field of specialty with the Dental Board of Australia.
Dentistry Course Guide – 2025 (Victoria and NSW)
Where can I study dentistry in Victoria and NSW?
La Trobe University: Bendigo.
The University of Melbourne: Parkville.
Charles Sturt University: Orange.
The University of Sydney: Camperdown and Darlington