Prescribed qualifications for dentists
Prescribed qualifications are the qualifications prescribed for a scope of practice under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. These qualifications are gazetted, and undergo continued quality monitoring.
The Dental Council has prescribed the following qualifications for the general dental scope of practice.
New Zealand Accredited Programmes
- Bachelor of Dental Surgery, University of Otago.
- Bachelor of Dental Surgery with Honours, University of Otago.
Competent Authority - Qualification
Australia
- An Australian Dental Council accredited programme1.
- An Australian educational institution dental degree approved by the Dental Board of Australia for the purposes of general dentistry registration in Australia2.
- A dental degree and a pass in the Australian Dental Council licensing examinations.
1 Before 30 June 2010, and before 17 October 2010 for Western Australia.
2 From 1 July 2010 onwards, and 18 October 2010 onwards for Western Australia.
United Kingdom (UK)
- An approved UK educational institution dental degree accredited by the General Dental Council.
- An approved Commonwealth educational institution dental degree accredited by the General Dental Council, as listed below:
|
Dental School |
Dates of Recognition – student must have completed and satisfied all programme requirements before the end-date listed below |
|
Western Cape |
Before 1 January 1998 |
|
Hong Kong |
Before 1 January 2001 |
|
Singapore |
Before 1 January 2001 |
|
Witwatersrand |
Before 1 January 2001 |
|
Pretoria |
Before 1 January 2001 |
|
Stellenbosch |
Before 1 January 2001 |
|
Medical University of South Africa |
1 January 1997 – 31 December 2000 |
|
Malaysia |
1 January 1997 – 31 December 2000 |
Ireland
- A Republic of Ireland educational institution dental degree accredited by the Dental Council of Ireland3.
3 Graduate cohorts from 2022 onwards.
Canada
- A Canadian educational institution dental degree accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.
- A dental degree and a pass in the National Dental Examining Board of Canada Equivalency Examination Process4.
4 A pass in all of the National Dental Examining Board of Canada Equivalency Examinations after 3 March 2014.
United States of America (USA)
- A USA educational institution dental degree accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
- A dental degree and a pass in the USA licensing examinations5.
5 United States of America licensing examinations must include a theory assessment and a psychomotor clinical assessment.
Other
-
A dentist qualification and a pass in the New Zealand Dental Registration Examination6.
6 Administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada on behalf of the Dental Council since August 2015.