Department of Health

Key messages

  • The Victorian Government and key industry associations have developed guidelines for credentialling and defining the scope of clinical practice for all dentists working in the public health system.
  • These guidelines cover dentists working in hospital dental clinics and community dental clinics on a locum, part-time or full-time basis.
  • They also cover any private dentists applying to use hospital operating theatres for patients requiring treatment under general anaesthetic.

To ensure the safety and quality of patient care, all dental practitioners providing clinical services at public health services in Victoria must undergo regular checks of their qualifications and professional standing.

The Department of Health & Human Services has worked closely with the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch (ADAVB), Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) and the Dental Practice Board of Victoria to develop guidelines to assist health services in credentialling and defining the scope of clinical practice for dentists working in community dental clinics.

The circumstances in which hospitals or health services may need to consider the credentialling and scope of practice of a dentist also include:

  • dentists being employed by hospitals with dental clinics on a locum (casual), part-time or full-time basis
  • private dentists seeking to make use of hospital operating theatres, for example, for patients requiring treatment under general anaesthetic.

Reviewed 01 March 2022

Health.vic

Contact details

Consumer Partnerships and Quality Standards Department of Health & Human Services

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