Graduate Certificate in Dental Therapy (Advanced Clinical Practice)

Who this course is for

The course is only available to currently registered, practicing dental therapists and oral health therapists.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this course, students should;

• Have in-depth knowledge and skills in primary, secondary and tertiary oral health care (including oral examination, diagnosis and treatment planning, and clinical therapeutic skills) in order to practise those aspects of dental therapy permitted by the legislation governing dentistry in Australia, for people of all ages
• Be able to to recognise the limits of their scope of practice and be able to consult with and refer to other practitioners in their referral network as appropriate
• Be able to provide oral health care that protects and respects people’s dignity, autonomy, cultural and social values
• Be able to critically examine, synthesize and evaluate knowledge of their practice and apply it to a broader patient group.

This course will give you:

• The qualifications to practice on patients of all ages: dental therapists and oral health therapists will be able to treat patients of all ages
• A range of specialised skills: periodontology, training in the use of dental materials, knowledge of prosthodontics, oral medicine and pharmacology
• A range of other skills: become equipped with using local anaesthesia, dental emergency management and cariology, and the ability to conduct adult oral health examinations
• Treatment planning skills for adults: learn how to manage older adults, particularly in the preventative management of root caries
• A framework for oral medicine: learn how to treat medically compromised patients, and manage treatment for patients with oral pathological conditions or disabilities.

Further study

As the Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) is a relatively new program, BOH graduates currently only have the option of Honours as a pathway within the School and alternatives such as the Master of Public Health offered by the School of Population Health at Melbourne and other Universities. This program is the first post graduate clinical offering available to oral health practitioners and over time, is projected to articulate into other post graduate clinical oral health programs as they are developed.