If you are a young Australian who is looking for an interesting and rewarding career, you may not have considered dentistry, which is a profession that helps people, much like a doctor. It demands a lot from a person; there are 5-7 years of study involved in becoming a certified dentist, but the rewards are many and the satisfaction you receive when a happy patient thanks you for your work makes all the study and hard work worthwhile.
Accredited Dentistry Degree
To become a certified dentist, you must successfully complete an accredited dentistry degree that is recognised by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA), which you would achieve from a leading Australian dentistry college, where you would study on campus.
Entry Pathways
There are several ways that you can enter the field of dentistry:
- Direct Undergraduate Entry (5 years) – Achieve a 90+ ATAR score and a strong UCAT/GAMSAT score. Another path involves completing a Bachelor of Dental Surgery or similar degree.
- Graduate Entry (7+ years) – Complete a 3-year undergraduate science degree with high scores, or you can enter a 4-year Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) or equivalent graduate program.
The Internet has all the resources you need to discover what you need to know; a few Google searches should give you the information you need to create a plan.
Skills & Key Requirements
Of course, you will need to meet all the requirements for university entrance, which involves passing the interview, written tests and undergoing health & background checks. Choosing a university or college is obviously an important decision, and most candidates would create a priority list of 3-4 institutions, and hopefully, they can be admitted into their first-choice program.
Essential skills include good hand-to-eye coordination, manual dexterity, excellent communication skills, problem-solving and attention to detail.
International Students
Students from other countries have to obtain a satisfactory IELTS score in order to study a degree course in Australia, which is an obvious requirement to ensure that students have adequate comprehension skills to fully understand the course content. Click here for more information on language learning skills.
Post Course Registration
Once you have successfully graduated, you must register with the Dental Board of Australia (DBA) prior to practising as a dentist. This registration must be done annually in order to continue working as a dentist, which is a requirement for all practising dentists in Australia.
Ongoing Requirements
Aside from having to register annually with the DNA, you also have to attend 60 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) over a period of 3 years.
As you can see, the training to become a certified dentist is very extensive, yet if you apply yourself 100%, dentistry is a very rewarding career in more ways than one. Once you are sure that you meet the entry requirements, start looking online for a dental college in your vicinity and prepare for an exciting new career in dentistry.
