Your dental career starts here
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Becoming a dental assistant offers you a unique opportunity to play a vital role in supporting dentists in delivering quality oral care to patients. You can gain valuable skills and experience in a growing healthcare sector that offers career mobility, a collaborative work environment, and the chance to make a real difference to the oral health of a practice's patients.
Why become a dental assistant?
Tasks and duties
- Welcome patients and make them comfortable
- Set up instruments and materials according to procedure and instructions
- Update patient records as instructed by the dentist
- Provide instruments and dispense materials as directed by the dentist
- Provide pre and post-operative instructions to patients
- Suction saliva and any excess dental material used during the treatment
- Clear, and sterilise instruments and clinic after treatment as per protocols
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Certificate Courses
- Certificate III in Dental Assisting
- Certificate IV in Dental Assisting
- Certificate IV in Dental Radiography
Career Pathways
- Dentist
- Dental hygienist
- Oral health therapist
- Practice manager
CPD courses
- Basic Life Support (BLS) and managing medical emergencies in dental clinics
- Infection prevention and control
- Dental team development
More Career Pathways
- Dental sterilisation technician
- Dental radiographer
- Future trainer or assessor
- Clinic coordinator
Where you could work
As a dental professional in Australia, you'll find diverse opportunities to apply your skills and positively impact the community. From dental clinics to hospitals and government health centres, your expertise will be highly valued in various settings.
- Dental and specialist dental clinics
- Community health centres, government and defence clinics
- Hospitals
Job portals
To find out what kinds of opportunities are available for you as a dental assistant, visit these three sites.
Australian Dental Association Career Center
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For more information
Use the "learn more" button to find out more about becoming a dental assistant, and the team in which you'll work.