Dentistry in Australia

What you can expect from undergraduate study in Dentistry

What you're in for
Dentistry is a small, well-known and high-status profession. In general practice, dentists do any or all tasks associated with diagnosing, treating and preventing disease and abnormalities of the teeth, gums and mouth. An undergraduate degree gets you this far, being the main requirement for registration in all states and territories. Dentists can also specialise in a number of areas, earning titles ranging from the familiar (orthodontist, oral surgeon) to the prehistoric-sounding (periodontist, and prosthodontist) to the more glamorous (forensic odontologist). Becoming a specialist usually involves not only postgraduate study but some years of experience.
Dentistry is obviously a clinically-focused career, requiring an aptitude for hands-on work and also strengths in science and maths. Most dentists work in private practice, some work in government services and a small number are in the defence forces. It is a field of practice that has changed over the years. In recent years there has been growing recognition and more education options for auxiliary dental professionals (see the health science profile), leading to changes in the role of dentists themselves, particularly those in general practice. And it would appear that dentists do indeed need the help of their paraprofessional colleagues in oral health, with many industry bodies expressing concern about the extreme workforce shortages in the profession.
Despite these recent reports, there are still only seven institutions in the country that offer courses to train professional dentists, and a small student contingent that has only grown in very small increments (if at all!) over recent years. All courses are hard to get into, and long (around five years). One is a graduate-entry program and another (at Griffith) is a pre-dentistry degree, which, once completed, is followed by a postgraduate course before registration. This degree structure has the potential to become more common in the future. The structure follows a US-style model where undergraduates enter a general pre-professional degree and then transfer to a postgraduate qualification in their professional area.
As is often the case with professional fields of study, there is little variation in the content and structure of the degrees in this field, as they must all satisfy similar criteria to be accredited with the registration authorities. In dentistry, the trend is usually to begin the course with some foundation science, progressing to applied dental science in the middle years, followed by a final year (or two) spent mostly in clinical placements. All institutions offering dentistry courses have their own clinical facilities for practical learning, including fully-operational clinics open to the public in some cases. In addition, students in their last semester or year should be in placements out in the community.
Admission to all programs generally requires a high cut-off and also a good performance in the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT), as well as a range of prerequisite subjects and usually an interview. If you are interested in this field (and we hope it’s not just the money or status that appeal!), you might also consider medicine, health services and support, rehabilitation, and nursing.
For more information about dentistry careers, check out the Australian Dental Association (ADA) website, at www.ada.org.au . Here, you’ll also find the details of the dental boards that register practitioners in each state and territory.
What’s happening?
Dentists can work just about anywhere and, as in the medical profession, they are increasingly being encouraged to do so amid concerns about limited rural services. The ADA is providing study grants in 2007 for dental students from rural and remote regions in an effort to inspire the interest of students who are more likely to increase the concentration of dental expertise in rural communities most in need in the future. In addition, many ADA members are part of the National Oral Health alliance, which is currently lobbying for a complete review of the oral health workforce throughout the country.
Who does undergraduate courses in Dentistry?
Number of students: 1,635
Percent of students over 25 years: 16%
Percent of students from non-English speaking backgrounds: 40%
Number of international students: 247
Percent studying part time: 2%
Percent studying externally: 0%
Percent women: 55%
Tuition costs
Average tuition fees for international students $166,282 per annum
Average tuition fees for domestic fee-paying students $126,949 per annum
Graduates views of the course experience
Teaching quality: 3 stars
Development of generic skills: 2 stars
Overall satisfaction: 1 star
Your prospects
Industry reports that shortages in the dental workforce are felt most acutely in the public system so it is heartening to see that a good third of dentistry graduates begin in the public sector. Nearly 60 per cent enter private industry.
Although graduates report low overall satisfaction levels in the Course Experience Questionnaire, their employment prospects are excellent and the starting salaries very high (the highest of any field, in fact). The situation does vary, however, from state to state and from institution to institution.
What salary can I expect?
Graduate starting salary: $69,790
Will I get a job?
Percentage of graduates looking for job who did not find full time work four months after graduation: 4%
Where graduates go when they do get jobs:
Public sector: 35%
Private sector: 59%
Private practice: 0%
Overseas: 4%
Will I need to go on to further study?
How many graduates immediately go on to further study? 1%
How does Dentistry compare with other fields of study?
Click here to compare Dentistry with the other 29 fields of study.
How difficult is it to get into undergraduate courses in Dentistry?
Click here for entry toughness to non-combined courses.
Do institutions differ in how they teach Dentistry?
Yes. The following 7 campuses all provide Dentistry courses. Click on the campus name to find out more about the individual campuses. Click on the University name to see how their Dentistry courses rate and compare.
Griffith University: Gold Coast
La Trobe University: Bendigo
University of Adelaide: North Terrace
University of Melbourne: Parkville
University of Queensland: St Lucia
University of Sydney: Camperdown/Darlington
University of Western Australia: Crawley