3251-Dental Assistants and Therapists

Tasks include:

• advising communities and individuals on dental hygiene, diet and other preventive measures to reduce potential risks to oral health
• conducting visual and physical examinations of patients' mouths, teeth and related structures to assess oral health status
• identifying cases of patients with poor oral health or oral disease requiring referral to a dentist or other health professional
• assisting dentists during complex dental procedures
• providing fluoride treatments, cleaning and removing deposits from teeth, preparing cavities and placing fillings, administering local anaesthesia and performing other types of basic or routine clinical dental procedures
• preparing, cleaning and sterilising dental instruments, equipment and materials used in the examination and treatment of patients
• getting patients ready for examination or treatment including explaining procedures and correct positioning taking impressions of the mouth and dental radiographs to support diagnosis and fitting of dental prosthetics