You need to gain and maintain registration with the Dental Board of Australia to work with us in the following roles:
- dentist
- dental specialist
- oral health therapist
- dental therapist
- dental prosthetist.
Dental technicians will need a qualification in Dental Technology.
Dental assistants will need a Certificate III in Dental Assisting, or be currently enrolled in a relevant course.
Your level of registration must allow you to:
- start employment with us and continue to meet the requirements of your employment
- perform the full duties and responsibilities of your role with us
- legally practice your profession in your role in accordance with the national law.
Radiation Use Licence
If your qualifications allow you to take radiographs, you must also apply for a Queensland Radiation Use Licence. This includes if you're a:
- dental therapist
- oral health therapist
- dental student
- dental assistant.
If you're a registered dentist, you don't have to apply for a Queensland Radiation Use Licence to use intra-oral dental X-ray equipment. However, for all other dental radiation services you must apply for a use licence.
Read about radiation licencing and dental use licences.
Overseas qualified practitioners
Dental practitioners with overseas qualifications should refer to the information on registration pathways provided by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA).
It is also recommended that dental practitioners with non-approved qualifications refer to the information provided by the Australian Dental Council (ADC). You'll also be required to sit a proficiency in English test and undergo a criminal history check.
Work visas
You'll need to meet all other registration requirements and hold a relevant skilled visa if you're an overseas trained:
- dentist
- oral health therapist
- dental therapist
- dental prosthetists
- dental technician.
To check if you require a visa to work or train as a dental practitioner you should regularly check with the Department of Home Affairs. There may also be restrictions on the locations where you may be employed.
Credentialing and scope of clinical practice
For some roles, you may need to go through a process to verify your credentials and to have a defined scope of clinical practice.
Read the guide to credentialing and defining scope of clinical practice for medical practitioners and dentists in Queensland [PDF 1057 KB]. It outlines which dental practitioners require credentialing and scope of clinical practice, and a framework for local processes and supports the Department of Health Standard [PDF 329 KB] for identified health professionals.
You'll need 2 referees and will need to provide evidence of your qualifications and compliance with the Dental Board of Australia’s Continuing Professional Development registration standard.
You can also email oral_health@health.qld.gov.au for more information about the credentialing process.
Renewal of registration
You can keep working while you renew your registration. You can do this if you’ve applied for renewal within one month of your registration ending.
You stay registered for one month after your registration expiry date. You can keep working during this time unless you no longer appear on the Register of Practitioners.
If processing your application takes more than one month, you can keep working until it’s processed.
Read more about health professionals registration including medical officers, nurses, midwives, health practitioners and other health professionals [PDF 244 kB].