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Australian Dental Council
MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF THE AUSTRALIAN DENTAL COUNCIL
Under the terms of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 the Australian Dental Council (ADC) has been appointed to perform accreditation functions for the Dental Board of Australia.
Two key accreditation functions the ADC performs are:
Further information describing how these functions are undertaken by the ADC is set out below.
Professional Attributes and Competencies Statements
Complementary to these accreditation functions the ADC has developed documents describing the professional attributes and competencies of newly qualified dental practitioners. These documents were prepared in consultation with the ADC’s key stakeholders who include education providers, professional associations, the Dental Board of Australia and state and territory government health departments.
Attributes and competencies statements have been developed for the following dental practitioners:
Professional Attributes and Competencies of the newly qualified dentist [June 2010]
Professional Attributes and Competencies of the newly qualified dental hygienist [June 2011]
Professional Attributes and Competencies of the newly qualified dental therapist [June 2011]
Professional Attributes and Competencies of the newly qualified oral health therapist [June 2011]
These documents will be used by the ADC in its accreditation of education and training programs for dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists, and in the assessment and examination of overseas qualified dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists seeking registration to practise in Australia.
It is anticipated that educational institutions seeking to have their education and training programs accredited by the ADC will use the documents to assist them in the self-assessment stage of the accreditation process and to assess a program’s effectiveness.
Accreditation of Programs for Dentists,
Dental Specialists, Dental Hygienists, Dental Therapists, Oral Health Therapy and Dental Prosthetists
Accreditation is the status granted by the ADC to education and training programs for dental practitioners offered by Australian Dental Schools and other education providers. Using a peer review process, expert Accreditation Review Teams appointed by the ADC assess these programs against explicit standards set by the ADC. Programs that meet ADC standards are granted accreditation. The purpose of accreditation is both to assure the quality of educational programs and to promote improvements in quality.
Accreditation standards for general dentistry programs are here.
Accreditation standards for dental specialty programs are here.
Accreditation standards for dental hygienist, dental therapist and oral health therapist programs are here.
Accreditation standards for dental prosthetist education programs are here.
Under the provisions of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 accreditation standards that are developed under the National Law must also be approved by the Dental Board of Australia and published on their website in order for them to come into effect.
The Australian Dental Council (ADC) and the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ) have chosen accreditation as the preferred means of providing quality assurance of dental practitioner education and training offered by Dental Schools in Australia and New Zealand. While the ADC and the DCNZ retain jurisdictional authority for accreditation of programs in their respective countries they have adopted a joint Australasian accreditation process. The Councils have established a joint ADC/DCNZ Accreditation Committee for this purpose. The role of the Accreditation Committee is to advise the ADC and DCNZ on accreditation matters, including criteria for the accreditation of educational programs leading to registration as a dentist, dental specialist, dental hygienist, dental therapist, oral health therapist or dental prosthetist, and to assess programs using these criteria.
Accreditation Guidelines and Explanatory Notes Click Here have been prepared by the Accreditation Committee to support the accreditation standards. This document sets out further details in relation to the accreditation process and the requirements of the accreditation standards.
The Accreditation Committee is assisted in its review of programs by Accreditation Review Teams whose members are selected by the Committee and appointed by the respective Councils. Teams comprise a balance of members from the dental practitioner disciplines and (usually) a lay member. The responsibilities of these Teams include:
• review documentation submitted by the education provider on the program, curriculum, facilities and resources that support the curriculum
• conduct a site visit, meeting with relevant personnel and visiting School facilities and teaching hospitals/clinics
• consult with relevant stakeholders
• prepare a detailed report (after presenting their preliminary findings to the School which can comment on the draft report).
The Accreditation Committee scrutinises the Team’s report to ensure that it is balanced and that the conclusions drawn by the Team are sound. The ADC Board or DCNZ Council, as appropriate, makes the final decision on accreditation of the program based on the report and recommendation by the Accreditation Committee. The ADC then reports its accreditation decision and forwards a copy of the accreditation report to the Dental Board of Australia for the Board to consider approval of the accredited program. A graduate of a program that is accredited by the ADC and approved by the Dental Board is eligible for registration to practise in their discipline in any state or territory of Australia.
The following accreditation options are available to the ADC for established programs:
| Accreditation |
This accreditation status indicates that the program achieves or exceeds the minimum standards for accreditation, and has no serious deficiencies or weaknesses. Recommendations or suggestions relating to enhancement of the program are generally included in the Accreditation Report. Retention of this accreditation status remains subject to receiving satisfactory annual reports which include progress on recommendations and suggestions in the Accreditation Report.
Period of accreditation: 7 years for dentistry programs; 5 years for specialist dentistry programs; 5 years for oral health programs. |
| Accreditation with Conditions |
This accreditation status indicates that the program substantially meets the standards for accreditation but the program has serious deficiencies or weaknesses in one or more areas. The deficiencies or weaknesses are considered to be of such a nature that they can be corrected within a specified reasonable period of time. An education provider whose program receives the status of Accreditation with Conditions must provide a progress report as specified in the Accreditation Report and at least annually. Evidence of progress must be demonstrated in order to maintain accreditation of the program, as detailed below:
(1) Period of accreditation: maximum period of 2 years specific deficiencies or weaknesses exist in one or more basic areas of the program. The deficiencies or weaknesses are considered to be of such a nature that they can be corrected within a specified reasonable period of time, which ordinarily does not exceed two years.
(2) Period of accreditation: maximum period of 1 year serious deficiencies or weaknesses in one or more specific areas of the program. The deficiencies or weaknesses are considered to be of such magnitude that, if not corrected, the program will be on the pathway to refusal of accreditation. Evidence of significant progress in order to maintain accreditation of the program must be demonstrated within one year.
If the serious deficiencies or weaknesses as per (1) and (2) above are not addressed within the specified period of time:
(3) Notice of intent to refuse accreditation: A program with serious deficiencies or weaknesses has failed to submit a required progress report to address the conditions on its accreditation, or the report was considered unsatisfactory. The ADC/DCNZ will inform the education provider of the intent to refuse accreditation at the end of the next academic year for the program.
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| Refusal of Accreditation |
Accreditation may be refused where the ADC/DCNZ considers that the deficiencies in a program are so serious as to warrant that action or where the education provider has not satisfied the ADC/DCNZ that the complete program can be implemented and delivered at a level consistent with ADC/DCNZ Accreditation Standards. |
The options for accreditation of new programs or programs that have undergone major structural change are as follows:
| Accreditation with Conditions |
Accreditation as a new program (or program undergoing major change) is granted with conditions for a period up to two years after the full program has been implemented, subject to conditions being addressed within a specific period and depending on satisfactory reports (either annual or as otherwise specified). Conditions may relate to the progressive implementation of the new program (or major change) and the provision of adequate staffing and facilities to support the developing program |
| Refusal of Accreditation |
If it is considered that a proposed program has serious deficiencies, then accreditation may be refused. In instances where deficiencies are identified which the Accreditation Committee considers must be addressed before the program begins, the Committee will recommend that accreditation be refused. The ADC/DCNZ will advise the applicant education provider on the deficiencies to be addressed before the ADC/DCNZ will reconsider accreditation. |
Click here for a list of currently accredited programs.
The Assessment of Overseas
Dental Qualifications
The Australian Dental Council has been authorised by the Australian Department
of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) as the assessing authority for overseas
trained dentists who intend to migrate to Australia under Australia's
General Skilled Migration program. This assessment is undertaken through
the examination process described below.
More information about the Australian Government's Skilled Migration
program CLICK
HERE
Aims and Objectives of the ADC Examination
The ADC examination is a screening examination to establish that dentists trained in dental schools which have not been formally reviewed and accredited by the ADC, other than graduates of accredited dental schools in NZ, UK, Republic of Ireland and Canadian dental schools (as from 31 March 2010), have the necessary knowledge and clinical competence to practise dentistry with safety in the Australian community.
Format, Timing and Venues of the ADC Examinations
The ADC examination procedures have been developed specifically
to assess the qualifications of overseas trained dentists.
The examination procedure comprises three parts, all of which must be completed to the required standard and in this sequence to satisfy assessment and examination requirements:
(1) Occupational English Test (OET)The OET is administered by the OET Centre (not by the ADC). The ADC requires candidates to achieve a result at "A" or "B" level in all four sub-tests [Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking] in one sitting. The OET is administered 10 times a year in up to 40 cities worldwide. For information and to register online see
www.occupationalenglishtest.org
(2) Preliminary Examination,
comprising Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) papers and Short Answer Question (SAQ) paper, administered over two consecutive days. Examinations are conducted twice each year, in March and September, in multiple venues both within Australia and overseas. Unlimited attempts at this examination are permitted, but a new fee must be paid for each attempt. A pass is valid for eligibility for the Final Examination for a period of three years. The Preliminary Examination is designed to test knowledge of the science and practice of dentistry and of clinical and technical procedures and applications as they are practised in Australia.
(3) Final (clinical) Examination,
the general objective of which is to evaluate the clinical competence of the candidate in terms of dental knowledge, clinical skills and professional attitudes for the safe and effective clinical practice of dentistry in the Australian community.
The Final Examination can be taken only in Australia, and is held over six days. It includes three sections:
- Operative Dentistry and Paedodontics;
- Periodontics and Removable Prosthodontics
- Oral Surgery, Oral Diagnosis and Oral Radiology.
Aspects of all clinical disciplines such as Orthodontics, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Pharmacology are also included where appropriate (practical and/or theoretical and/or viva voce). The range of topics covered in the ADC examination is based on the clinical curricula of Australian dental schools with an emphasis on common conditions in the Australian community. The patients used in the clinical examinations are drawn from a similar pool of patients to those used to assess final year dentistry students. Candidates are examined at the same standard as that expected of recent graduates from Australian universities.
The ADC has appointed an Examinations Committee and uses a Panel of Examiners with broad expertise over the range of disciplines covered in the ADC and dental school examinations to ensure that the format and content of the ADC examinations are consistent with the dentistry courses and the standard of examinations in Australian dental schools.
Final examinations are organised in two series each year (July and November series) with multiple examination sessions offered in each series over a period of approximately six months. Unlimited attempts at the examinations are permitted, but a new fee must be paid for each attempt. If a supplementary examination is granted for a Final Examination attempt, a separate fee is payable for this examination. The Final Examination must be undertaken within three years of passing the Preliminary Examination.
These examinations (OET, Preliminary and Final) must be taken sequentially. Each fee for the OET, ADC Preliminary and ADC Final Examination allows only one attempt at that examination. Withdrawal from any examination may result in a cancellation fee being charged.
Examination Initiatives
The ADC has adopted several initiatives that aim to improve confidence in the fairness of the examination, while ensuring that appropriate standards are maintained. These initiatives include:
Verification of Results
Candidates who fail an examination may request the ADC to undertake a manual review to verify the accuracy of the result notified to them for their examination, ie a manual check to ensure that the results and grade notified to them are correct and in accord with the decision of the examiners. Candidates must apply to the ADC within 28 days of the date of the letter notifying them of their results. Candidates must complete the relevant application form (obtainable by contacting the ADC) and make payment of the application fee.
Appeal Procedures
Candidates who fail the Final Examination may submit an appeal to the ADC only if they believe that the procedural requirements (as specified in the current ADC Information Handbook for Dentistry Candidates and in formal communications with the ADC Secretariat and in the instructions for specific examination sessions) were not followed in a significant way or to a significant extent, or if their performance was impaired by significant deficiencies in the examination procedures beyond their control. Contact the ADC Office to be sent a copy of the appeals guidelines. Appeals must be lodged within 28 days of notification of the results of the examination. A fee applies for appeals.
Supplementary Examinations may be granted in the Final Examination at the discretion of the Examinations Committee where a candidate has a marginal fail grade.
Monitoring of Examinations
The ADC constantly reviews the conduct of its examinations and seeks ways in which to improve the efficiency of the examination pathway and processes.
ADC Certificate
Upon successful completion of the OET, Preliminary and Final Examinations, the candidate is eligible to receive a Certificate issued by the ADC. The ADC Certificate (General Dentist) is proof of having passed the Council's total assessment and examination requirements for overseas trained dentists and is sent to the successful candidate. The ADC Certificate (General Dentist) is accepted by the Dental Board of Australia as establishing eligibility for registration in all States and Territories in Australia. The Certificate is also accepted by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship as evidence of successful assessment by the ADC for overseas trained dentists for visa purposes under Australia's General Skilled Migration program.
Recognition of Overseas Trained
Specialists
There are significant differences in the format and content of primary dental training throughout the world, reflecting local dental health care patterns and priorities. In the case of specialist dental practice these differences between systems of training are even more pronounced.
Approval for specialist dental practice in Australia is the province of the Dental Board of Australia, which may seek the advice of the ADC. |