Professional competencies

Overview

The ADC works in close consultation with the Australian dental professions and wider community to develop the Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental practitioner (the Competencies).

The Competencies for each of the five divisions of dental practitioner registered in Australia for general registration have been published as one comprehensive document to support collaborative team practice by facilitating a better understanding of competencies across the different dental practitioner divisions.

The Competencies outline the knowledge, skills, behaviours, and attributes expected of dental practitioners upon graduation from an ADC accredited program.

All programs accredited by the ADC must demonstrate that students have developed relevant competencies upon graduation.

We also use the Competencies in the development of our overseas trained dental practitioner assessment process. The process ensures that overseas qualified practitioners meet the same level of competency required of graduates of Australian accredited dental practitioner programs.

The review process

The current Competencies for ADC’s accreditation processes were revised in 2022 and are effective from 1 July 2023.

Resources

Webinar

The ADC held a webinar on 7 December 2022 for Education Providers to provide an overview of the review process and updates to the current Competencies. The webinar can be accessed via the link below.

• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental practitioner webinar

Case studies

The following case studies demonstrate how education providers are developing programs to ensure graduates can demonstrate the Competencies. 

• James Cook University: Domestic violence – Recognise, Respond and Refer
• TAFE SA: Addressing oral health in marginalised populations

Accessible formats

The ADC has developed accessible formats for each of the five divisions of dental practitioner recognised in Australia for general registration. These outline the specific knowledge, skill, and competence expected of dental practitioners upon graduation from an Australian dental education program.

• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dentist (DOCX, 4.1MB)
• Professional competencies of the newly qualified oral health therapist (DOCX, 4.1MB))
• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental therapist (DOCX, 4.1MB))
• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental hygienist (DOCX, 4.1MB)
• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental prosthetist (DOCX, 4.1MB)

Guidance notes

Guidance notes have been prepared to support education providers with the implementation of the Competencies. The guidance notes cover six focus areas: interprofessional collaborative practice, cultural safety, domestic and family violence, rural and remote populations, social responsibility and at-risk populations. The guidance notes introduce each of the focus areas, outline the revised domains within the Competencies and provide examples of ways providers can prepare students to be able to demonstrate the Competencies.

• Guidance note: at-risk populations (PDF, 176KB)
• Guidance note: cultural safety (PDF, 251KB)
• Guidance note: domestic and family violence (PDF, 232KB)
• Guidance note: interprofessional collaborative practice (PDF, 160KB)
• Guidance note: rural and remote communities (PDF, 289KB)
• Guidance note: social responsibility (PDF, 306KB)

Dental specialists and endorsement of registration

Entry level competencies for dental specialists have been developed by the Dental Board of Australia in collaboration with the Dental Council (New Zealand).

The Dental Board of Australia has developed entry-level competencies expected of applicants for endorsement of registration in the conscious sedation area of practice. These competencies are available on the Dental Board of Australia website.

• Specialists competencies
• Conscious sedation competencies

Professional Competencies – archived

Previously published versions of the Competencies, valid from February 2016 to June 2023, can be accessed using the links below.

• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dentist (PDF, 198KB)
• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental hygienist, dental therapist and oral health therapist (PDF, 221KB)
• Professional competencies of the newly qualified dental prosthetist (PDF, 186KB)