Pathway for International Dentists to work in Australia

To practise as a dentist in Australia you must complete an accredited university degree in dentistry, be registered with the Dental Board of Australia and meet the standards for re-registration every year. Dental Practitioners with overseas qualifications who wish to apply for registration with the Dental Board of Australia should refer to the specific information under the relevant Register and division of the Register of Dental Practitioners in which they are seeking registration.

You can apply for general registration as a dentist in Australia, if you meet the following requirements which are mandated by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA) and implemented by the Dental Council of Australia (ADC);

1. If you obtained your qualifications in the UK, Republic of Ireland or New Zealand at any one of the approved universities your qualifications are deemed to be equivalent to those in Australia and you can apply for registration
2. If you are registered to practise in New Zealand, you can apply under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (this applies irrespective of the country in which you studied)
3. If you are from Canada, and have either (1) qualifications certified by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada or (2) have been eligible for registration in Canada by successfully completing an exam administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada
4. If you don't have the required qualifications, you can either:
5. Complete an approved Australian-based qualification or
6. You can undertake the exam procedure overseen by the ADC.

The ADC will initially assess your documentation to determine whether your qualifications meet the criteria for immediate registration or not; if they don't, you may be required to sit both a written and practical examination.

The ADC examination process consists of three parts:

1. an occupational English test
2. a preliminary examination (multiple choice and short answer). This is designed to test the knowledge of the practice of dentistry and of clinical and technical procedures as practised in Australia. This examination can be taken at an overseas venue. The exams are usually held in the first week of March and September each year.
3. a final examination. This exam is only held in Australia. A temporary entry visa maybe able to be obtained to sit the course (done at the applicants expense). These exams are usually held in two series a July and November series. The scheduling for the examination sessions may be over a period of months. Candidates in the Public dental sector workforce are given priority ahead of all candidates

There are also pathways to start with Limited Registration: 

Limited registration categories that dentists with overseas qualifications may apply, while working towards General Registration, are:

1. Public Sector Dental Workforce scheme
2. Limited Registration of Dentists for postgraduate training or supervised practice – Other international graduates.

1. Limited Registration of Dentists - Public Sector Dental Workforce (PSDW) scheme

Under the PSDW Scheme graduates listed undergraduate dental programs with an equivalent accreditation process to Australia in Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States are eligible to participate (see approved programs at ADC's website at www.adc.org.au). These eligible participants are granted an exemption from the ADC Preliminary Examination. Registrants in this category of registration must complete the ADC Final Examination within three years of first becoming registered by the Board.

2. Limited Registration of Dentists for postgraduate training or supervised practice – Other international graduates

This Limited registration for postgraduate training or supervised practice category of registration provides an alternate pathway for registration to the PSDW Scheme for those international graduates from other countries (which are countries not on the list approved by the ADC). The fundamental requirement of this category of registration is supervised practice in the dental profession and employment with an appropriate public sector program offered by a dental health service facility operated by the State or Territory government. 

If you have worked through your registration and are ready to review the currently open list of vacancies, please check here.