Working in Australia as a Dental Specialist
In the previous slides, we had a detailed look at how to work as a general dentist in Australia. In this slide, we will overview the necessary steps to work as a Dental Specialist in Australia.
Who is a Dental Specialist?
Anyone who has a post-graduate degree in a specific dental stream after dental graduation is considered a dental specialist.
Here is the official list of the Dental Specialists as stated by the Dental Board of Australia.
Official AHPRA page for the Specialist Registration
I am an overseas-qualified dental specialist and I want to apply for specialist registration. What do I need to do?
(A Quick Overview)
You need to apply for both:
1. general registrations as a dentist (Via ADC Assessment)
2. specialist registration in your specialty. (DBA will assess your specialty degree)
Your application for general registration will be assessed first. Find more information on how to apply for general registration as a dentist.
You will need to complete and submit an application form (ASEQ-20) if you want to apply for specialist registration in:
- dento-maxillofacial radiology
- endodontics
- forensic odontology
- oral medicine
- oral and maxillofacial pathology
- oral surgery
- orthodontics
- paediatric dentistry
- periodontics
- prosthodontics, and
- special needs dentistry.
For more information on this pathway to specialist registration, see the Qualification equivalence pathway page.
You will need to complete and submit the application form (ASCA-20) if you want to apply for specialist registration in:
public health (community dentistry).
For more information on this pathway to specialist registration, see the Assessment pathway page.
Dental specialist assessment
The assessment for dental specialist registration is not undertaken by ADC.
The Australian Dental Council (ADC) does not assess the knowledge, judgment of clinical skills, or professional competency of overseas-trained dental specialists seeking to register as a dental specialist in Australia. This assessment is administered by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA).
Then how the assessment for Dental Specialists is done?
All applicants for specialist registration must be qualified and meet the requirements set out in the Board’s Specialist registration standard. These requirements include that applicants have:
- completed a minimum of two years general dental practice (this requirement may be achieved by experience outside Australia, subject to assessment and approval by the Board), and
- met all other requirements for general registration as a dentist.
- if you are an overseas dentist, then you have successfully cleared the ADC Assessments for general dentist registration
As an overseas dentist with a specialization degree, your dental specialization degree is not directly approved by the Dental Board of Australia. So, as stated by the official notification of DBA, you will require to complete the Qualification Equivalence Pathway.
Qualification Equivalence Pathway
The deciding path for your registration as a Dental Specialist in Australia.
You can check the official link for reference:
Summary of the Qualification Equivalence PAthway for Dental Specialists
As a first step: You will need to complete the application form mentioned below with all the documents asked in the application.
| Application for specialist registration – For an equivalence assessment of qualification – ASEQ-20 | PDF (775KB) | 1 October 2019 |
The above mentioned form is applicabe to all Dental Specialities (Endodontist, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Oral Pathologist, Orthodontist, Pedodontist, Periodontist, Prosthodontist, Forensic odontology, dento-maxillofacial radiology, Oral medicine)
The above Form is not applicable for the specialty of Public Health Dentistry
- The Board’s Specialist registration standard requires applicants applying for specialist registration to have completed a minimum of two years of general dental practice in addition to meeting all other requirements for general registration as a dentist.
This general practice requirement may be achieved outside Australia, subject to assessment and approval by the Board.
You must attach to your application a signed and dated curriculum vitae that describes your full practice history and any clinical or procedural skills training relevant to the specialty you are applying for.
If you do not have at least two years of general dental practice experience in or outside of Australia you are not eligible to apply for specialist registration.
You will need to attach a separate sheet mentioning the details of your specialist qualification details if it does not fit in the space provided in the application form. (Your specialization degree, Name of the Institution, Year of Completion)
If you have been previously registered outside of Australia, you must arrange for original Certificates of Registration Status or Certificates of Good Standing to be forwarded directly from the registration authority to your AHPRA state office.
Refer to www.ahpra.gov.au/About-AHPRA/Contact-Us for your AHPRA state office address.
Full Practice History: You must attach to your application a signed and dated curriculum vitae that describes your full practice history and any clinical or procedural skills training relevant to the specialty you are applying for.
You must provide all the documents supporting your application for specialist registration listed in the checklist below. The documents must be submitted in the order as listed in the checklist below.
Separate all documents with a clearly labeled cover sheet and add an index at the front. Do not use plastic sleeves or staples. If you are unable to provide the required documents you must provide a written statement that explains why.
|
Documentation/Information |
Notes |
Attached |
Office use only (tick if complete) |
|
|
1 |
Certified copy of your academic transcript referring only to a single specialty |
If the certified copy of your academic transcript does not indicate the specialty you have completed, you must also provide a certified copy of a letter from the education provider confirming your specialty. |
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2 |
Certified copy of your testamur (degree/award certificate) refer- ring to a single specialty |
If the certified copy of your testamur (degree/ award certificate) does not indicate the specialty you have completed, you must also provide a certified copy of a letter from the education provider confirming your specialty. |
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3 |
Specialist program material such as curriculum, program overview, unit descriptors referring to:
|
Your evidence should refer to the specialist program at the time of your studies. Certified copy is required. If you provide documents available in the public domain with a source, normal copy is accepted. |
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4 |
Evidence of the clinical experience gained during the program, generally in the form of a case log, that summarises the experience and indicates:
|
Certified copy is required. If you provide documents available in the public domain with a source, normal copy is accepted. Your evidence should be de-identified prior to submitting your application. |
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5 |
Evidence of completion of a substantial research-based project, generally in the form of:
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Your evidence should refer to the specialist program at the time of your studies. A certified copy is required. If you provide documents available in the public domain with a source, normal copy is accepted. |
Above is the summary of the some of the basic requirements to be submitted while applying for the form to register as a Dental Specialist.
Applying for the specialist registration for Public Health Dentistry
If you are from the stream of Public Health Dentistry, then you need to take the Assessment Pathway and also fill a separate form compared to other specialties.
There is no current approved program for these specialties in Australia. Under this pathway, an applicant’s qualification is assessed against specific criteria to determine whether this qualification is relevant to the specialty. The applicant is also required to successfully complete an assessment.
| Document name | Accessible format | Date of effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application for specialist registration – For a competence assessment – ASCA-20 | PDF (774KB) | 1 July 2016 | |
| Self-assessment form for public health (community dentistry) | PDF (280KB) | Word version (103KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
If you are having a Specialization Degree in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
If you have a qualification in oral and maxillofacial surgery, you must first apply for an assessment of your qualification with the Royal Australasian Dental College of Surgeons (the College).
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a specialty recognized by both the Dental Board of Australia and the Medical Board of Australia.
You must hold qualifications in both medicine and dentistry. If you successfully complete the College’s assessment, you will need to complete and submit the application form ASOM-20.
Specialists Competencies
The Dental Board of Australia (DBA) in partnership with the Dental Council (New Zealand) (the Council) have developed Entry-level competencies for dental specialties. Please note down the basic competencies of your specialties. Go through them and prepare yourself wherever you feel you are lacking.
| Document name | Accessible format | Date of effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation report | PDF (265KB) | Word version (373KB,DOCX) |
June 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for all dental specialties | PDF (406KB) | Word version (604KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for dento-maxillofacial radiology | PDF (85.5KB) | Word version (333KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for endodontics | PDF (107KB) | Word version (356KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for oral and maxillofacial surgery | PDF (108KB) | Word version (347KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for oral medicine | PDF (106KB) | Word version (356KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for oral pathology | PDF (107KB) | Word version (357KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for oral surgery | PDF (106KB) | Word version (219KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for orthodontics | PDF (107KB) | Word version (350KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for paediatric dentistry | PDF (107KB) | Word version (353KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for periodontics | PDF (105KB) | Word version (355KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for prosthodontics | PDF (106KB) | Word version (356KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for public health dentistry (community dentistry) | PDF (108KB) | Word version (355KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for special needs dentistry | PDF (108KB) | Word version (350KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
| Entry level competencies for forensic odontology | PDF (86.1KB) | Word version (342KB,DOCX) |
1 July 2016 |
Possible results of Dental Specialization Assessment by DBA
Once your application and supporting documents are assessed, the Board can decide to:
- grant you specialist registration
- grant you specialist registration subject to condition(s), or
- refuse to grant you specialist registration.
Cost of Applying for Dental Specialist Registrartion
Possible VISA type for Dental Specialists
(Endodontist, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Oral Pathologist, Orthodontist, Pedodontist, Periodontist, Prosthodontist)
| Occupation | ANZSCO Code | Visa | List | Assessing Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Specialist | 252311 |
|
STSOL |
In addition to all the VISA types available to general dentists, there is an additional VISA type available to Dental Specialists
This visa lets nominated skilled workers to live and work in Australia as permanent residents.
With this visa, you can
- work and study anywhere in Australia
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible
VISA 489
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa
(This VISA type is available to both General Dentists and Dental Specialists)
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
Under this VISA:
- For skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia
- You can bring your family
- If you are granted this visa, you might be able to apply for the Skilled Regional (Permanent) visa (subclass 887)
VISA Subclass 887
Skilled Regional visa
This visa is for people who have lived and worked in specified areas of regional Australia on a previous, eligible visa.
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
With this VISA:
- stay permanently
- work and study anywhere in Australia
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible
VISA regulations keep changing from time to time depending on various factors. The points mentioned here are as per the latest available information. The official links have also been shared for your reference. The information you read is just for the initial knowledge of the process. VISA is one of the most important aspects of your Australian journey. Hence, you must always refer the official sources and the Australian Embassy in your country for clearing any doubts or to know the latest and the most appropriate VISA for you.
Finding Job as a Dental Specialist
After the Dental Board of Australia grant you specialist registration, then the next stage is to find a Dental Specialist Job (Related to your specialization). Here it is similar to finding a job as a general dentist. You need to search for various job openings and apply for the specialist job in accordance with your specialization.
Dentist Jobs | ZEST Dental Recruitment
Average Dentist Salary Comparison By Education
The average salary for a Dental Specialist in Australia
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary and its no surprise when survey results show that the average salary of working Dental Specialists is higher than General Dentists.
As per the survey by Salary-Explorer.com,
- When the education level is Certificate or Diploma, the average salary of a Dentist is 12,697 AUD per month.
- While someone with a Bachelor’s Degree gets a salary of 16,413 AUD per month, 29% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
- A Master’s Degree gets its holder an average salary of 20,701 AUD per month, 26% more than someone with a Bachelor’s Degree.
Please note: The survey is just an average of the data. Individual salaries may vary. Salaries also depend on other variables such as years of experience, location, neighborhood, clinical and PR skills of the dentist etc.
With this, we have now completed 5 Slides of the article which is around 17,000+ words. We have covered every possible aspect related to starting a career as a dentist/dentist specialist in Australia as an overseas dentist. As mentioned before, it is wise to read the article more than 2 times to get a complete overview of the process.
As a recap, please check the video again. Now you will have a much better understanding of the video which you saw before.
Press next to go to the concluding slide, where you will find ADC Preparatory Question papers + Answers (6 Sets) for your Preparation. This set of Questions is completely Free and has been shared by Dr. Don Mendez for the benefit of students