Practice Standards compliance questionnaires and audits

Each year, we randomly select 10% of practitioners from each profession and ask them to complete a questionnaire on compliance with our practice standards. From this group, we randomly select a number of practitioners for visits to confirm compliance. We refer to these visits as practice audits. We also follow up any issues arising out of the questionnaire.

Who is chosen for practice audits?

All practitioners who were selected to complete the questionnaire are subject to selection for a practice audit. The selection is random.

Even if you are complying with all the practice standards, and complete the compliance monitoring questionnaire accordingly, you may still be selected. If you have had a compliance audit in the past, you could also be re-selected.

What is a practice audit?

The practice audit is a site visit

The practice audit involves a site or practice visit by one of our professional advisors, or a Dental Council appointed and trained practitioner. They will audit your practice to ensure that it complies with the minimum standards we require.

The practice visit audits compliance

The auditor will check compliance against the standards set in all our practice standards.  The practice standards can be accessed through the Standards Framework for Oral Health Practitioners illustration. 

Practitioners can complete a practice standards self-audit before the site visit, or at any other time, to ensure compliance with the Council's practice standards.

What happens if I do not comply?

If you do not comply with our standards, the action taken will depend on the individual circumstances.

We may:

• make a follow-up phone call to discuss the identified non-compliance
• send written advice explaining measures that must be introduced to ensure compliance with the standard, and give you a specific timeframe to introduce the change
• place restrictions or conditions on your scope of practice
• suspend your annual practising certificate or registration
• require a competence review
• decline to issue you with an annual practising certificate.