Dental Therapist

Dental therapists examine and treat diseases of the teeth in children, adolescents, and some adults (up to 21 years old) as part of the dental team. The dentistry work performed is varied from identifying the disease risk of the child, providing professionally applied preventive treatments, carrying out simple restorative work in primary and permanent teeth, through to the extraction of teeth under local anesthetic, and the initial management of trauma.

The government/public sector oral health services are the major employers of dental therapists. They work in fixed and mobile clinics promoting oral health care to children. There is a high demand for dental therapists in regional, rural, and remote locations in most states of Australia.

Services will include:

Perform oral health assessments on children, adolescents and some adults that include taking a health history, dental charting, oral cancer screening, tooth decay screening and saliva testing.
Expose, process, and interpret dental X-rays.
Perform a dental examination for treatment planning.
Make impressions of the teeth for plaster study models and mouthguard construction.
Provide routine dental treatment within their scope of practice.
Administer anesthetic injections to numb the teeth and gums.
Restore decayed primary (deciduous) and permanent teeth with standard filling materials.
Protect the vitality of teeth from extensive decay by pulp capping primary and permanent teeth.
Remove the pulp from primary teeth to treat tooth infections or fractures.
Extract primary and permanent teeth using non-surgical techniques.
Refer patients with complex dental conditions to an appropriate dentist or specialist dentist.
Remove plaque, calculus (soft and hard deposits) and stain from teeth.
Polish the teeth and dental restorations.
Apply decay preventive agents such as fluorides, varnishes and sealants to the teeth.
Educate and motivate children, either individually in a dental clinic or through classroom lessons, to maintain good oral health.
Educate the community through health promotion campaigns on the principles of preventive dentistry either singularly or in collaboration with allied health professionals: address parents’ groups, play groups and citizens’ associations; and
Consult with those involved in providing nutrition to children: i.e., managers of school canteens, parents, etc.