Position Summary
The Federal Government must fund Australian dental schools appropriately to ensure a sustainable dental workforce. Measures to address workforce maldistribution should be implemented as part of the education system for dental practitioners.
2. Position
2.1. The Federal Government must adequately fund the university dental schools to ensure viability and appropriate staffing levels while keeping dental training within the reach of all who qualify for entry by maximising Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP).
2.2 Robust dental workforce data must be established. Decisions regarding Australia’s dental workforce must consider the maldistribution of practitioners to ensure public sector and regional areas have equitable access oral health care.
2.3 Australia should train enough dental practitioners domestically to meet its workforce needs.
2.4 Dental schools should ensure that students are exposed to regional, remote and public sector practice.
2.5 Any future expansion of overseas approved dental school programs must be based upon demonstrable need.
2.6 The funding level for dental training should be determined separately from other courses, recognising the uniquely high costs of dental training.
2.7 The cost of dental education should support equitable participation across all socioeconomic groups by maintaining affordability and minimising excessive student debt at graduation.
2.8 Allocation of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) must ensure an appropriate balance across the registered dental workforce, including dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, oral health therapists, and dental prosthetists.
2.9 Measures to address maldistribution should be implemented as part of recruitment, selection and education of dental practitioners.
3. Background
3.1. Higher education funding to dental schools is insufficient and staffing levels are inadequate. Dental practitioners assist in overcoming this funding shortfall by providing voluntary unpaid clinical supervision, with the situation arising where some dental schools must rely heavily on this donated service.
3.2 Pathways to registration with as a dental practitioner with AHPRA include:
• Graduates of programs accredited by the Australian Dental Council (ADC) and approved by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA),
• Dental practitioners registered to practice in New Zealand (known as Trans-Tasman recognition),
• Overseas qualified dental practitioners who have successfully completed the dentalpractitioner assessment process run by the Australian Dental Council (ADC),
• Qualifications approved by the DBA from other overseas programs (including United
Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and Canada).
3.3 The cost of dental education and training in the higher education sector is high due to the length of time of study, cost of providing and maintaining simulation, clinical and laboratory facilities and equipment, and the provision of support staff. The dental student’s liability is high compared to most other students.
3.4 Australia is suffering from a maldistribution of dental practitioners with public oral health, and regional and rural areas struggling to recruit and sustain a dental workforce. There is evidence of localised oversupply of dental practitioners in major metropolitan cities.
3.5 Rural dental schools have made a small impact on improving rural dental workforce supply through rural clinical placements, but the effect is not large enough to correct Australia’s longstanding maldistribution.
3.6 The services provided by Allied Dental Practitioners are largely complementary to dentists and substitution does not necessarily reduce demand as the scope of each dental practitioner division differs.
3.7 Health Workforce projections through to 2038 indicate that there will be an oversupply of dentists. The maldistribution in regional, rural, and public dental workforce is projected to continue.
4. Definition
4.1. A DENTIST is an appropriately qualified dental practitioner, registered by the Board to practise all areas of dentistry.
4.2 The AUSTRALIAN DENTAL COUNCIL (the ADC) is an independent authority assigned the accreditation functions for the dental profession by the Dental Board of Australia under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
4.3 AUSTRALIAN HEALTH PRACTITIONER REGULATION AGENCY (AHPRA) is the agency that supports the National Boards to implement the National Registration and accreditation Scheme.
4.4 ALLIED DENTAL PRACTITIONER are those dental practitioners other than dentists.
4.5 BOARD is the Dental Board of Australia.
5. Last review
August 2026
6. Next review due
August 2026