Overview

This degree is ideal for students who like to work behind the scenes creating and manufacturing dentures, crowns, bridges and orthodontic appliances but not fitting the final denture or appliance to the patient. It suits students who like working with their hands, can pay attention to detail and prefer not to work directly with the patient.

Dental Technologists (or Dental Technicians as they are often referred to) are highly skilled members of the dental team. They combine art and science skills to construct custom-made dental devices to replace, restore and correct defects that may affect our facial appearance and the ability to use our teeth properly.

As an undergraduate student, you will learn and work alongside Dentistry students in our state of the art dental clinics and laboratories located in the same building. Our students enjoy working with industry-standard equipment including CAD-CAM (Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing) facilities.

You will also expand your hands-on experience working with registered and experienced Dental Technicians in our commercial laboratory and through professional practice placements.

Honours is available through an additional year of study.

Related degrees

Bachelor of Dental Technology/Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics – 1580

Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics – 1638

Progression is dependent upon satisfying admission requirements.

Professional recognition

The Dental Board of Australia recognises the Bachelor of Dental Technology as a prerequisite to Dental Prosthetists education and a requirement of national registration as a clinician. Please refer to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website for further details.

Attendance information

The Bachelor of Dental Technology is offered full-time on-campus at the Gold Coast campus Ian O'Connor (G40) Building.

As a full-time student, you will generally attend 28-32 hours of scheduled classes per week throughout the trimester. Classes may be scheduled during the day and evening throughout the week and on Saturdays.

In the Bachelor of Dental Technology you must maintain a full-time study load. Part time study is only permitted in circumstances where credit for prior study is awarded and a full time structure is not available as a consequence, or where a student fails a course and is required to repeat that year of the program.

To allow further contextual learning opportunities, the academic calendar for the programs offered by the School of Medicine and Dentistry will be extended beyond the standard teaching trimester (i.e. commencing earlier and extending later than the standard teaching trimester).

The School of Medicine and Dentistry delivers electronic assessment via ExamSoft's Examplify application. Students enrolled in this program are required to have access to a portable computer device (laptop or tablet) that can be taken on campus to complete examination and assessment activities. This device must meet the minimum system requirements for Examplify.

The School has a small number of loan devices that may be available to students who do not have access to a personal device. Students must apply for access to loan devices in the lead up to an examination or assessment. Please note the School cannot guarantee a loan device will be available for every applicant.

My career opportunities

As a Dental Technologist (or Dental Technician as they are often referred to) you will find employment with Dental Technicians, Dentists, Dental Prosthetists, Prosthodontists, Orthodontists, Periodontists, and Oral Surgeons in the public or private health sectors. Working to referring dental practitioners and specialists prescriptions. You will be able to design and construct appliances according to international standards that meet individual patients needs. You will work with a wide range of materials and techniques such as: gold, porcelain, plastic and lost wax technique and CAD-CAM (Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing). You may see patients to record the colour, shape and characteristics of existing teeth.

With this qualification, you can apply your scientific knowledge, artistic skills and compassionate nature across three distinct specialist areas - Prosthodontic, Conservative and Orthodontic - or you may eventually choose self-employment.

Graduates will be well equipped to sit for a 'skills exam' requested by employers.

Prosthodontic Technician (Removable Prosthodontics)

Prosthodontic technicians design and make full and partial dentures in plastics or alloy. Graduates will be well equipped for the variety of procedures and techniques to replace missing teeth and will work alongside dentists, dental prosthetists and prosthodontists.

Self-Employment

Graduates will gain an understanding of the operational issues involved in establishing a new business. Graduates may own and operate a dental laboratory.

Graduates can progress onto employment in management roles such as senior or chief technician positions; quality control technicians; teaching or dental sales.

Research opportunities

Graduates can apply to progress their research skills through an Honours, Masters or PhD qualification which may lead to various roles in academia, large-scale organisations (Corporations/Companies, Government Departments, Non-Profit/Charity Organisation).

International opportunities

Graduates will be equipped to apply for dental technicians registration in other countries. They will have gained the necessary knowledge and skills to adapt to the examination process required for registration.