Eligibility for entry to the examinations

To sit the New Zealand Dental Registration Examinations, you need to:

1.  Familiarise yourself with the criteria for eligibility outlined below.
2.  If you are confident that you meet the eligibility criteria, apply* to us so we can assess whether you are eligible to enter the examination pathway.
3.  If we determine that you are eligible, enrol to sit the examination.

After successfully completing the examination, at the point of applying for registration, you will also have to meet the fitness for registration criteria.

Criteria for eligibility for the New Zealand Dental Registration Examinations

You must meet all these criteria to be eligible to enter the New Zealand Dental Registration Examinations:

• you must show that you hold an appropriate dental qualification from a recognised tertiary institution
• you must demonstrate that you speak and understand English to a level sufficient to protect the health and safety of the public. You must meet the Council's Policy on English language requirements.
• you must be registered as an oral health practitioner. You must provide a certified copy of the registration certificate from the Boards or Councils where you have been or are currently registered
• you must also submit certificates of good standing from the Boards and Councils where you have been registered during the past seven years. The certificates must be no more than three months old, and must be submitted with your application
• you must satisfy the fitness for registration criteria of section 16 of the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act 2003
• you must not have exceeded the maximum of three attempts to pass both the written and clinical parts of the examination, within three years of first sitting the examination.

Additional eligibility criteria for the clinical examinations

In addition to the criteria above, you also need to meet the following criteria for the clinical examinations:

1. You must hold a current pass in the written examination or have been granted an exemption from the written examination by us.
2. You must provide an original typed and signed laboratory report with Hepatitis C and HIV serological status; and evidence of Hepatitis B immunity or HBV serological status. Please note that the serological report must be less than three months old at the time of receipt.   The only exception to this is that past evidence of hepatitis B immunity (absence of surface antigen with a surface antibody of ≥ 10 IU/L), from a laboratory listed above, will be accepted.
3. You must not have exceeded the maximum of three attempts to pass both the written and clinical parts of the examination, within three years of first sitting the examination.

More information

*To apply for assessment of whether you are eligible to enter the examination pathway, you should work through the online assessment tool to direct you to the correct form for your application.

Fees

Fitness for registration criteria

Policy on English language requirements.