ADC Introduction Dentistry in Australia Public Sector Dental Workforce Scheme Application for Assessment Australian Dental Council Certificate  Links   Adobe Acrobat

Australian Dental Council MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF THE AUSTRALIAN DENTAL COUNCIL   Accreditation of Programs in Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy and Oral Health Therapy Accreditation is the status granted by the ADC to dental and oral health education programs offered by Australian Dental Schools. Using a peer review process, expert Accreditation Review Teams appointed by the ADC assess dental and oral health education programs against explicit standards set by the ADC. Programs that meet ADC standards are granted accreditation. The purpose of accreditation is both to assure the quality of educational programs and to promote improvements in quality. The Australian Dental Council (ADC) and the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ) have chosen accreditation as the preferred means of providing quality assurance of the phases of dental and oral health education and training offered by Dental Schools in Australia and New Zealand. While the ADC and the DCNZ retain jurisdictional authority for accreditation of programs in their respective countries they have adopted a joint Australasian accreditation process. The Councils have established a joint ADC/DCNZ Accreditation Committee for this purpose. The role of the Accreditation Committee is to advise the ADC and DCNZ on accreditation matters, including criteria for the accreditation of educational programs leading to registration as a dentist, dental specialist, dental hygienist, dental therapist or oral health therapist, and to assess programs using these criteria. The Accreditation Committee is assisted in its review of programs by Accreditation Review Teams whose members are selected by the Committee and appointed by the respective Councils. Teams comprise a balance of members from dentistry and related oral health disciplines, and a lay member. These Teams: • review documentation submitted by the program on the curriculum, facilities and resources that support the curriculum • conduct an on-site visit, meeting with relevant personnel and visiting School facilities and teaching hospitals/clinics • consult with relevant stakeholders • prepare a detailed report (after presenting their preliminary findings to the School which can comment on the draft report). The ADC/DCNZ Accreditation Committee scrutinises the Team’s report to ensure that it is balanced and that the conclusions drawn by the Team are sound. The ADC Board or DCNZ Council, as appropriate, makes the final decision on accreditation of the program based on the report and recommendation by the Accreditation Committee. A graduate of a program accredited by the ADC is eligible for registration to practise in their discipline in any state or territory of Australia. By assessing a program, the ADC can assure the state and territory dental registration boards that the school's educational program satisfies ADC guidelines for dental or oral health education. The following accreditation options are available to the ADC: Full accreditation The period of Full Accreditation for Dentistry programs is currently 7 years; for oral health programs and for postgraduate programs the period is 5 years; both subject to receiving satisfactory annual reports. Full accreditation subject to conditions Accreditation is conditional upon certain issues of concern being addressed within a period to be specified and subject to satisfactory annual reports. Provisional accreditation Provisional Accreditation will normally be awarded for a lesser period of time. This level of accreditation may apply in the unlikely event of a lack of response to the recommendations detailed in the accreditation report based on the previous visitation. It may also apply if the courses of study or the assessment processes for the program do not ensure that graduates possess requisite knowledge, skills or attitudes required for professional clinical practice. No accreditation If it is considered that a program or School has serious deficiencies, then accreditation would not be granted. The options for accreditation of new programs or programs that have undergone major structural change are as follows: New program accreditation New program accreditation will normally be awarded for a specified period of time to enable the program to prove itself prior to achieving full accreditation. Accreditation of new programs may be subject to certain conditions being addressed within a specified period. New Program Accreditation is a progressive process for each year of the developing course. The accreditation review process continues through each year of the new course, including in the final year. No accreditation If it is considered that a proposed program has serious deficiencies, then accreditation may be refused. Click here for a list of currently accredited programs. The Assessment of Overseas Dental Qualifications The Australian Dental Council has been authorised by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) as the assessing authority for overseas trained dentists who intend to migrate to Australia under Australia's General Skilled Migration program. This assessment is undertaken through the examination process described below. More information about the Australian Government's Skilled Migration program CLICK HERE Aims and Objectives of the ADC Examination The ADC examination is a screening examination to establish that dentists trained in dental schools which have not been formally reviewed and accredited by the ADC, other than graduates of NZ, UK and the Republic of Ireland dental schools, have the necessary knowledge and clinical competence to practise dentistry with safety in the Australian community.   Format, Timing and Venues of the ADC Examinations The ADC examination procedures have been developed specifically to assess the qualifications of overseas trained dentists. The examination procedure comprises three parts: · An Occupational English Test (OET) administered by CAE:OET. For a satisfactory / overall pass result candidates are required to pass all four macro-English language skills the OET seeks to test (ie for the listening, reading, writing and speaking sub-tests). The ADC requires a pass at "A" or "B" level for each of the four sub-tests. The OET is held twice each year, both within Australia and overseas, in March / April and September / October. It can be taken, overseas, at Australian Embassies, High Commissions or Consulates; in Australia in any of the State capital cities and some larger provincial centres. Unlimited attempts at this examination are permitted, but a new fee must be paid for each attempt. · A Preliminary Examination - Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) and Short Answer Questions (SAQ), administered over two consecutive days. Examinations are conducted twice each year, in March and September . Unlimited attempts at this examination are permitted, but a new fee must be paid for each attempt. A pass is valid for a period of three years. It is designed to test knowledge of the science and practice of dentistry and of clinical and technical procedures as they are practised in Australia. · A Final (clinical) Examination, the general objective of which is to evaluate the clinical competence of the candidate in terms of dental knowledge, clinical skills and professional attitudes for the safe and effective clinical practice of dentistry in the Australian community. The clinical examination can be taken only in Australia, and is held over six days. It includes three blocks: - Operative Dentistry and Paedodontics; - Periodontics and Removable Prosthodontics - Oral Surgery, Oral Diagnosis and Radiology Aspects of all clinical disciplines such as Orthodontics, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Pharmacology are also included where appropriate (practical and / or theoretical and / or Vive Voce). Candidates are examined at the same level as that reached by graduates from Australian universities. Clinical examinations are conducted at least twice each year, in July and November. Unlimited attempts at the examinations are permitted, but a new fee must be paid for each attempt. If a supplementary examination is granted, a separate fee is payable for this examination. The final examination must be undertaken within three years of passing the Preliminary Examination. These examinations (OET, Preliminary and Final) must be taken sequentially. Each fee for the OET, ADC Preliminary and ADC Final Examination allows only one attempt at the examination. Withdrawal from any examination may result in a cancellation fee being charged. The range of topics covered in the ADC examination is based on the clinical curricula of Australian dental schools with an emphasis on common conditions in the Australian community. The patients used in the clinical examinations are drawn from a similar pool of patients to those used to assess final year dental students. The ADC has appointed a Committee of Examiners with broad expertise over the full range of disciplines covered in the ADC and dental school examinations to ensure that the format and content of the ADC examinations are consistent with the undergraduate dental courses and the standard of examinations in Australian dental schools.   Examination Initiatives The ADC has adopted several initiatives that aim to improve confidence in the fairness of the examination, while ensuring that appropriate standards are maintained. The ADC will consider any concerns and grievances put to it in writing to the Chief Executive Officer. Initiatives include: · Appeal Procedures Candidates who fail the Final Examination are given an opportunity to discuss areas which require improvement. This is done to assist the candidate should she/he enrol for a further attempt at the examination. · Supplementary Examinations may be granted where a candidate has a marginal fail grade. · Clinical Examination The ADC constantly reviews the conduct of the examinations and seeks ways in which to minimise delays experienced by candidates. Currently these examinations are conducted in numerous centres around Australia. Recognition of Overseas Trained Specialists There are significant differences in the format and content of primary dental training throughout the world, reflecting local dental health care patterns and priorities. In the case of specialist dental practice these differences between systems of training are even more pronounced. Approval for specialist dental practice in Australia is the province of the State and Territory Dental Boards. The Boards may seek the advice of the ADC. Uniformity Matters Each Australian State and Territory has separate legislation to regulate the practice of dentistry. The Dental Boards and Dental Practice Boards are the designated legal authorities under the relevant legislation to administer registration. The ADC provides advice to the State and Territory Dental Boards in order to encourage uniform approaches to the registration of dental practitioners. Mutual Recognition between States Under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992, subject to certain conditions, if a person is registered to practise an occupation in one State or Territory they can carry out an equivalent occupation in any other State or Territory. ADC Certificate Upon successful completion of the OET, Preliminary and Final Examinations, the candidate is eligible to receive a Certificate issued by the ADC. This Certificate is proof of having passed the Council's total examination requirements and is sent to the successful candidate. The ADC Certificate in Dentistry is an acceptable qualification for registration in all States and Territories in Australia. Upon receiving the ADC Certificate, candidates may apply for registration to one of the Australian Dental Boards.

ADC Introduction

Dentistry in Australia

Public Sector Workforce Scheme

Application for Assessment

Links