Dentistry
What to expect
Getting a degree in dentistry
What to expect
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.
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.
Getting a degree in dentistry
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Courses and specialisations
All dentistry 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.
As is often the case with professional fields of study, there is little variation in the content and structure of the dentistry degrees, 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.
Getting in
Admission to all dentistry 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. This is a competitive field so it might be wise to prepare a back-up plan.
Where to study
Despite recent reports of dire skills shortages in dentistry, 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. There is at least one course in each state but prospective students in the territories will have to relocate.
What to look for
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.
Careers for dentistry degree graduates
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.
Industry reports that shortages in the dental workforce are felt most acutely in the public system so it is heartening to see that just over a third of dentistry graduates begin in the public sector. Nearly 60 per cent enter private practice. Despite excellent job prospects and the highest starting salaries of any field ($93,133), recent dentistry graduates were unimpressed with their course experience, reporting low levels of satisfaction with teaching quality, skill development and the course overall. The situation does vary from state to state and from institution to institution.
For more information
For more information about dentistry careers, check out the Australian Dental Association (ADA) website . Here, you’ll also find the details of the dental boards that register practitioners in each state and territory.
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.
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