This page provides information and data on various sub-sectors within the Dental industry.
The primary purpose of the Dental Services sector is to provide general or specialised dentistry services to improve oral health across the country. The dental workforce consists of both registered and non-registered health care professionals, and job roles can involve undertaking a wide range of functions, including administration and assistance, operational (i.e. technician and specialist) and/or supervisory, and management activities. The Dental Services Training Package is specifically focused on the skills training for primarily non-registered job roles such as Dental Assistants, Dental Technicians and Dental Laboratory Assistants.
While dental services are delivered by both private and public providers, the industry is primarily made up of small, independent private dental practices. Their locations are heavily distributed towards metropolitan areas, with regional and rural communities generally under-represented.
The Dental Industry Reference Committee (IRC) is responsible for nationally recognised dental qualifications, packaged within the HLT – Health Training Package. Updates to the Packaging Rules of two Dental Assisting Qualifications, two Skill Sets and 14 Dental Assisting Units of Competency, as well as develop three new Units of Competency to align the changing duties of existing and future job roles of all dental support staff, including Dental Assistants were endorsed in 2021 by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee.
For information on other health-related training and employment, visit the Health industry page and the various sub-sectors.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
Overall, the employment level for Dental Hygienists, Technicians and Therapists increased between 2002 and 2022, although levels fluctuated. Employment projection between 2022 and 2026 indicate levels will remain stable. Similarly, the overall employment level for Dental Assistants also increased between 2002 and 2022 although levels sometimes fluctuated sharply. Employment projections between 2022 and 2026 indicate solid growth (from 29,300 to 38,100).
The number of program enrolments in Dental-related qualifications have grown each year since 2018, with more than 9,440 enrolments in 2021. Program completions fluctuated between 2017 and 2021, with approximately 2,520 completions reported in 2021. The majority of programs enrolments in Dental-related qualifications were at certificate III level (71%) followed by the certificate IV level (22%). More than 90% of program enrolments were in the Certificate III & IV in Dental Assisting qualifications, with the intended occupation of Dental Assistant.
Approximately half (51%) of all training in Dental-related qualifications was delivered by TAFE institutes, with private training providers (43%) and universities (7%) delivering the other half. Approximately 47% of the Advanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics was delivered by TAFE institutes, with the remaining 53% delivered by universities.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Dental-related subjects were funded by government in 2021, with just over a third (34%) funded through domestic fee for service arrangements.
New South Wales had the highest proportion of students enrolled in Dental-related programs (31%) in 2021, followed by Victoria (25%) and Queensland (20%). Approximately 38% of training was delivered in Queensland, followed by New South Wales (30%), and then Victoria (18%).
Overall, apprentice and trainee commencements declined between 2012 and 2019, before increasing in 2020 and in 2021, reaching approximately 1,710. The number of completions declined overall from more than 860 in 2013 to approximately 710 in 2021. The main intended occupation for apprentices and trainees in 2021 was Dental Assistant. Victoria reported the highest proportion of apprentices undertaking Dental-related apprenticeships (41%), followed by Queensland (21%) and New South Wales (19%).
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The Dental IRC's Skills Forecast – 2020 Update (hereafter the 2020 Annual Update) was the most recently published industry skills forecast by the IRC, as of September 2022. It identified the top five short-to-medium term skills considered critical for the sector as technical job specific skills, communication, problem solving or critical thinking, teamwork and resilience or stress tolerance.
According to the job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers in the sector were communication skills and detail orientated. The most advertised occupations were Dental Assistant, followed by Dental Assistant/Receptionist. The top employers were the New South Wales Government, followed by the Government of Queensland.
COVID-19 has impacted the Dental sector, as well as the respective job roles in different ways (further information below). The other main challenges faced by the dental services workforce continue to be those reported in the Dental IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast, which include advances in technology, access to a skilled workforce with practical experience and the lack of career progression. Further information about the impact of COVID-19 is below
Technology continues to be a key area of focus in the skills required by dental assistants and dental technicians, according to 2020 Annual Update. Increased use of technology with new equipment and new practices requires a flexible workforce able to learn how to operate new equipment and adopt new procedures. Digital and computing skills are also required in day-to-day office administration and clerical roles and help to support the quality of service provided to patients. Restrictions on dental practices during the COVID-19 pandemic have also encouraged greater use of digital photography and tele-dentistry.
The impact of COVID-19 has generated the emergence of tele-dentistry options locally and internationally, including online screening, treatment planning and referral. Authors of Telehealth Coaching in Oral Healthcare argue Dental Assistants with a Certificate IV in Dental Assisting [Oral Health Promotion] can deliver appropriate guidance and support to patients for a low-cost base oral health coaching program via video or audio teleconferencing. As such, they suggest a cost-benefit analysis of a telehealth oral health coaching program, delivered by trained Dental Assistants, is warranted.
The 2020 Annual Update reports some employers in the sector are experiencing difficulties in hiring appropriate staff due to a shortage of skilled workers, limited applicants and a lack of existing workers being skilled up. Access to a skilled workforce continues to be challenging, particularly in regional and rural areas. Evidence of this shortage in regional areas can be seen in that some dental services job roles are listed by the Australian Government as Skilled Occupations that would enable a person to migrate to Australia through the Regional Sponsor Migration Scheme, or as a temporary migrant provided the employment occurs in regional Australia. Job roles listed include dental prosthetist and dental technician.
The level of practical experience required to complete a qualification through a work placement may be difficult to achieve, particularly in regional and rural areas, where access to workplaces providing opportunities to apply skills and knowledge in a practical setting is limited. This may lead to using simulated experiences to build skills and knowledge, and then determining whether this is sufficient prior to completing a qualification and being able to undertake this work. However, the preference is for experience with live patients using work placement opportunities.
Separately, there are significant inequalities in oral health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in Australia, particularly where the children have insufficient access to various forms of fluoride. The study Aboriginal Dental Assistants applying fluoride varnish in regional, rural and remote primary schools in New South Wales (NSW) found that Aboriginal Dental Assistants who are trained can safely and effectively apply fluoride varnish in a school setting with remote supervision. The study demonstrated the program can be scaled at the state level in NSW, indicating it could provide the basis for a nationally consistent program. As such, the Poche Centre as part of its scale-up planning for the Fluoride Varnish Program is examining the feasibility of including the apply fluoride varnish skillset in its existing Aboriginal Dental Assistant Scholarship Program.
According to the 2020 Annual Update, lack of career progression was an area of concern and the review of the Certificate III and Certificate IV in Dental Assisting sought to provide greater demarcation in skill levels between these qualifications. This would provide opportunities for further development for people interested in progressing to the higher qualification. Access to training linked to clear career pathways will be beneficial to ensure Dental Assistants and Technicians have opportunities to enhance their skills and grow within the dental services sector. The project to update the Packaging Rules of the two qualifications and two skill sets, and to update and develop Units of Competency to align to the changing duties of existing and future job roles of all dental staff was approved in early 2021.
The 2020 Annual Update reports the recent COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the dental services sector significantly, with restrictions associated with lockdowns placed on dental procedures. Further, due to COVID-19 there has been increased scrutiny on infection control procedures in the dental services sector, with dental practitioners putting in place a range of procedures to minimise risk, such as sterilisation procedures and use of personal protective equipment.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Aboriginal Dental Assistants can Safely Apply Fluoride Varnish in Regional, Rural and Remote Primary Schools in New South Wales, Australia – John Skinner, Yvonne Dimitropoulos, Angela Masoe, Albert Yaacoub, Roy Byun, Boe Ramabaldini, Vita Christie and Kylie Gwynne
Telehealth Coaching in Oral Healthcare – Dr Chris Bourke, Andrew McAuliffe, Dr Kavita Lobo, Dr Zoe Wainer
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
Northern Territory Government Department of Health
Tasmanian Government Department of Health
Victoria Government Department of Health and Human Services
Western Australia Government Department of Health
Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association (ADOHTA)
Australian Dental Association (ADA)
Australian Dental Prosthetists Association (ADPA)
Dental Assistants Professional Association (DAPA)
Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA)
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF)
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC)
Australian Dental Council (ADC)
National Skills Commission 2022, Occupation Employment Projections viewed 10 August 2022, https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/topics/employment-projections
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2022, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2022
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
HLT – Health Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:
Job vacancy data have been extracted from Lightcast 2022, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Boston, viewed August 2022, https://lightcast.io/apac.
apprentices and trainees in-training October to December 2021 collection, by qualification and state and territory of data submitter.
Data shown represent most requested generic skills, occupations and employers according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2019 and June 2022 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.
ANZSCO occupations have been used as industry filters because they provide more relevant job vacancy data for this sector.
