Become a Prosthodontist
Prosthodontics covers a broad scope of practice from procedures to improve one's aesthetic appearance to rehabilitation of broken down or missing teeth and jaw structures. Specialist Prosthodontists are integral to the advancement of prosthodontic knowledge via scientific research, clinical practice in both public and private sectors, education and training of the next generation of dentists and prosthodontists.
Postgraduate Training Programmes
The Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DCD) course is a full time three year training program that is provided by the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, the University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, University of Western Australia and University of Otago in New Zealand. These institutions are accredited by the Commonwealth Government through the Australian Dental Council (ADC) and the Dental Council (New Zealand) for specialist registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the DC(NZ).
Prior to 2006, the postgraduate pathway to becoming a registered specialist prosthodontist was via a Postgraduate Masters Degree in an accredited University. Therefore, there are some prosthodontists who hold a Masters in Dental Science (MDSc) or Masters in Dental Surgery (MDS), who are registered with AHPRA as specialists prosthodontists, To check if a practitioner is registered as a specialist, please visit the AHPRA website.
The course is comprised of prosthodontic clinical practice in a hospital setting, academic seminars based on the latest research and clinical advances. There is also a research component to the DCD course, with all candidates expected to carry out original research in a field related to prosthodontics. This research thesis often results in one or multiple publications in an academic journal, further contributing to the science and practice of prosthodontics internationally.
Selection for Training
Entry into the training program is highly competitive. A successful applicant for the admission to the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (Prosthodontics) course will need to hold a Bachelor of Dentistry or Bachelor of Dental Surgery recognised by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
In addition to these requirements, admission to this course requires at least two years in general dental practice. The completion of the Primary Fellowship Examination of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons is also highly preferred, if not a prerequisite.
Local applicants are required to be registered with AHPRA for practice at the time of application.
For international applicants, please refer to the training institutions (University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, University of Western Australia and University of Otago (New Zealand)) for specific requirements on dental registrations upon admission.
International graduates of the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry who held limited registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for the duration of the course and who intend to practice as a specialist in Australia are required to pass the Australian Dental Council examinations prior to applying for specialist registration with AHPRA.
Please refer to "Training Institutions" for more information.
