In order to practise dentistry in Australia, you must be registered in the particular State in which you intend to practise.
In general the only persons immediately entitled to apply to be registered as dentists are persons holding the qualifications of Bachelor of Dental Surgery/B Dent or Bachelor of Dental Science from Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom universities.
However, the Public Sector Dental Workforce Scheme (PSDWS), has recently been introduced to help alleviate workforce shortages in the public sector, particularly in rural and remote areas. Under this scheme graduates from some dental programs in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the US are eligible to participate. Those eligible will be granted an exemption from the ADC Preliminary Examination and a form of restricted registration to enable them to practise in the public sector for a period up to 3 years during which time the ADC Final Examination must be undertaken.
Further information about applying for employment under the Public Sector Dental Workforce Scheme is available in the Guide for Applicants & Application Form.
Dentists holding qualifications other than those above are required to undertake an examination process conducted by the Australian Dental Council. The examination procedure consists of three parts: an Occupational English Test (OET); a Preliminary Examination (Multiple Choice Questions and Short Answer questions); and a Final Examination(Clinical). More information on the ADC examination process can be found at: http://www.dentalcouncil.net.au/
To be eligible for employment, dentists who are not citizens or permanent residents of Australia must also hold an appropriate visa issued by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) Information on immigration matters can be found at: http://www.immi.gov.au.