Scope of practice competencies for dental specialists

The Council, in partnership with the Dental Board of Australia, has developed entry-level competencies for dental specialties.

These competencies describe the level of competence expected of registration applicants, and the benchmark standard for registered dental specialists, in both jurisdictions.

How are the competencies being used?

The competencies are used to support a number of regulatory functions. These functions include accreditation, registration and notification.

Accreditation

The competencies are used to determine if prescribed specialist programmes

are at the expected qualification level, and
produce graduates at the expected level of competence for specialist registration, in the relevant specialty.

Registration

The competencies are used to assess overseas qualified applicants for specialist registration by

assessing qualifications, training and experience to measure whether they are equivalent to, or as satisfactory as, a specialist qualification prescribed by the Council, and
developing New Zealand dental specialist registration examinations.

Notification

The competencies can also be used as part of the management of a notification against a registered dental specialist.

Haumarutanga ahurea/Cultural safety domain for New Zealand dental specialists

The Dental Council (NZ) added a Haumarutanga ahurea/Cultural safety domain for the New Zealand dental specialist competencies, effective 1 January 2024.