The ADC works to protect the health and safety of the public by ensuring dental practitioners meet the high standards required of dental professionals in Australia.
Information for internationally qualified dental practitioners on assessment pathways and requirements for practice in Australia.
Guidance and resources for education providers delivering ADC-accredited dental practitioner programs in Australia.
Learn more about our submissions, consultations and research activities that support the oral health sector
ADC International (ADCI) is a leading independent authority in accreditation and assessment of health programs worldwide, with a particular focus on oral health.
The assessment process is for overseas qualified dentists with qualifications that do not meet the requirements for registration with the Dental Board of Australia. It is designed to assess your knowledge, judgement, clinical skills, and professional competence.
The process involves three stages.
An assessment of your eligibility to complete the dental practitioner assessment process.
ELIGIBILITY:
Minimum 4-year full-time degree/diploma
TIMEFRAME:
8 weeks (approximately)*
COST:
$647 AUD (application) $35 AUD (renewal – registration only)
VALIDITY:
7 years
APPLICATION PERIOD:
Apply at anytime**
ASSESSMENT TIMEFRAME:
*Timeframes can be delayed if information submitted is incomplete. **Note that there are initial assessment application deadline dates for each written examination.
A two-day examination testing your application of knowledge to clinical practice.
Successful, valid initial assessment
5 months from application period to results release (approximately)
$2,122 AUD
5 years
Initial Assessment Deadline: ⓘMore informationYou must submit your complete initial assessment application by this date for your application to be assessed in time for this written examination period. This is not a guarantee of examination eligibility. Incomplete applications will require additional submission of documents and may not be assessed in time for the examination.
12 April 2026
Application Period: ⓘMore informationYou must apply for a seat at a written examination location/date during this time period. All eligible candidates will receive an email at the start of this period with a link to apply.
9 – 16 June 2026
Examination Date: ⓘMore informationThe written examination will be held on these dates.
Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September 2026
11 October 2026
8 – 15 December 2026
Examination Date:ⓘMore informationThe written examination will be held on these dates.
Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 March 2027
11 April 2027
8 – 15 June 2027
Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 September 2027
ELIGIBILITY: ⓘMore informationDue to limited space and to ensure fairness, candidates cannot sit consecutive practical examination periods. Eligible candidates will be invited to apply for specific application periods. Each period has a waiting list, and if space becomes available, eligible candidates may be invited to sit the exam – however, this is usually at very short notice.
Successful, valid written examination and valid initial assessment
4 to 7 months from application period to results release (approximately)
$4,775 AUD
Does not expire
Application period: ⓘMore informationYou must apply for a practical examination date during this time period. All eligible candidates will receive an email at the start of this period with a link to apply. The date selection period will open 48 hours after the application period closes.
11 – 22 February 2026
Date selection period: ⓘMore informationThe date selection period will close early if all dates are selected before the period ends.
25 – 27 February 2026
Examination Date:ⓘMore informationThe practical examinations will be held on these dates. Specific dates will be set after the application period.
May – August 2026
17 – 26 June 2026
1 – 3 July 2026
August – December 2026
14 – 23 October 2026
27 – 29 October 2026
Examination Date: ⓘMore informationThe practical examinations will be held on these dates. Specific dates will be set after the application period.
January to May 2027
10 – 19 February 2027
23 – 25 February 2027
May – August 2027
16 – 25 June 2027
29 June – 1 July 2027
August to December 2027