NSW Context

Dental assisting offers excellent career opportunities for the high school student, high school graduate, those seeking a career change and those re-entering the workforce.  The Certificate III in Dental Assisting is the recognised qualification for dental assisting in NSW.

 The Certificate III qualification is appropriate for practicing dental assistants or students who can gain supervised workplace dental assisting experience.   

Dental technology offers excellent career opportunities for the high school graduate and non-traditional student (i.e. an individual who is over 23 years of age, an individual seeking a career change or re-entry or an individual from a culturally diverse background).

The Diploma in Dental Technology is the recognised qualification for a dental technician in NSW.  Dental technicians enter the workforce as a student dental technician. They need to complete an accredited tertiary qualification plus 3500 paid “on the job” hours. After completing both they can become a registered dental technician.

The dental technician registration examination has been incorporated into the new national health training package, Diploma of Dental Technology, with the graduates of this diploma only needing to log 3500 hours of paid work to apply for registration.

The Mutual Recognition Act of 1992 allows for dental technician graduates and registered dental technicians to apply for registration to practice their equivalent occupation in any state or territory in Australia as well as New Zealand (Trans Tasman Agreement). Enquiries for practice in New South Wales should be made to The Dental Technicians Registration Board of NSW.

Information from NSW Dental Technicians Registration Board

Recognised Courses Leading to Registration as a Dental Technician or Dental Prosthetist

In accordance with section 13(2)(a) of the Dental Technicians Registration Act 1975, the Dental Technicians Registration Board (the Board) may approve courses of training in technical work that lead to registration as a dental technician or to being granted a practising certificate as a dental prosthetist.

Recognition by the Board provides assurance that the courses, if delivered as approved by the Board, will not require further scrutiny when a graduate applies for registration as a dental technician or dental prosthetist.

For the purpose of registration as a dental technician, the Board has approved the Diploma of Dental Technology Course HLT50507 contained within the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council’s Health Training Package HLT07. For the purpose of being granted a practising certificate as a dental prosthetist, the Board has approved the Advanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics HLT60407, also drawn from the Industry Skills Council’s Health Training Package HLT07. That particular training package was endorsed by the National Quality Council on 25 January 2007 and supported by the Ministerial Delegates on 12 February 2007.

Students are required to be employed in an approved dental laboratory when not attending training and they must accrue 3500 hours of paid employment in addition to passing the Diploma in order to be considered eligible for registration in NSW.

It is a pre-requisite of theAdvanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics that students be registered as dental technicians and be able to demonstrate competency in a defined string of compulsory units delivered in the Diploma of Dental Technology (or equivalent).

Registered Training Organisations contemplating delivery of either the Diploma of Dental Technology (AQF) or Advanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics (AQF) are required to submit their proposal to the NSW Dental Technicians Registration Board, addressing the following points:

• Training package qualifications
• Nominal Hours for each qualification
• Approval of training and assessment strategy/plan
• Trainers and assessors requirements
• Facility requirements
• Theoretical/Clinical requirements, duration of clinical component
• Other requirements (eg assurances about concurrent employment in laboratories)

 

New South Wales Acts and Regulation

Dental Technicians Registration Act 1975
Dental Technicians Registration Regulation 2003

Mutual Recognition (New South Wales Act) 1992
Trans -Tasman Mutual Recognition (New South Wales Act) 1996
Health Care Complaints Act 1993

Immunisation: Health workers and learners undertaking work placement in NSW Health facilities must comply with the assessment, screening and vaccination requirements of Policy Directive PD 2007_006.  

 Criminal Record Check (CRC) and Vulnerable Person:  Health workers and learners undertaking work placement in NSW Health facilities must comply with Employment Screening Using Criminal Record Checks Policy Directive PD2005_552