September 2024

Issue 32 - September 2024

Chair’s message
Priority news
- Building an anti-racist dental healthcare system
Board news
- Good virtual care practices
Students and graduates
- Graduates – apply for registration now
Registration news
- Board announces 2024/25 registration fees
- Latest workforce data released
Regulation at work
- Dentist fined $30,000 for practising without registration
What’s new?
Keep in touch with the Board

Chair’s message

Behaving ethically is a central tenet of patient-centred care. As new technologies and ways of providing care emerge, the lines between what is ethical and what is not can be hard to distinguish. The Board supports innovation and professional development, but never at the expense of patient safety, confidentiality or ethical care. In this edition, you can read about recent steps Ahpra and the National Boards have taken to support you in your practice.

Consultation paper 1 of Review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme led by the former NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner Sue Dawson was released on 12 September. The ultimate objective of the review is to ensure that the National Scheme remains ‘fit for purpose’ and meets community expectations. The deadline for submissions is 14 October.

Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it. – Alan Perlis

Dr Murray Thomas

Chair, Dental Board of Australia

Priority news

Building an anti-racist dental healthcare system

On 25 June, Ahpra visited the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre for the inaugural anti-racism in dentistry workshop and project governance meeting hosted by the Indigenous Oral Health Unit led by Yamaji Director Ms Joanne Hedges, at the University of Adelaide.

This project aims to build evidence to foster an anti-racist dental health system, through the following objectives:

Co-design and implement an anti-racist curriculum for dental students that can be robustly evaluated.
Support the attraction, retention, and wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dental workforce.
Develop an oral health promotion training module for Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners that can be comprehensively assessed and disseminated to Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.

The research project 'The mouth as an expression of racial injustice: Building the evidence to foster an anti-racist dental health system in Australia' has been funded by the 2022 Medical Research Future Fund Indigenous Health Research Grant.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives from across the dental and research professions gathered to hear about the project and listen to perspectives presented by Palawa and Māori Executive Director, Mr Abe Ropitini at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), Palawa co-President and dental practitioner, Dr Jessica Manuela at the Indigenous Dental Association Australia (IDAA) and Gamilaroi National Director, Ms Jayde Fuller, from Ahpra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Unit.

Dr Manuela shared IDAA’s recently released position statement on racial discrimination in the dental health sector. It calls for a comprehensive approach involving education and awareness, policy reforms and active engagement from individuals, communities, and institutions to address racial discrimination in dentistry. Policymakers and funding models need to put the mouth back in the body’ said Mr Ropitini, who’s calling for systemic integration of oral healthcare given its criticality to a person’s wellbeing.

‘The current funding model de-incentivises caring for Indigenous patients.’

Ms Fuller shared an update on the latest reform projects to improve the cultural safety of the notifications processes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and the upcoming accreditation and CPD upskilling framework and strategy as key deliverables from the National Scheme’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander He alth and Cultural Safety Strategy 2020-2025.

Ms Fuller Three people standing in front of an Aboriginal painting said, ‘it was a privilege to listen to the lived experiences of Indigenous dental practitioners and strategise with those across the sector with the skills and expertise to address systemic racism. This research project strongly aligns to the National Scheme’s commitment to eliminate racism from healthcare.’

The project governance committee (PGC) will meet periodically throughout the year to work on the project’s objectives.

From left: Nic Reid, member of the Indigenous Dental Association Australia (IDAA); Latisha Sykora, IDAA Director, and Dr Jess Manuala, IDAA Co-President and Director.

Board news

Good virtual care practices

Over 25 per cent of Australians have had at least one telehealth consultation for their own health in the last 12 months, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

Ahpra and the National Boards have published virtual care information for health practitioners, the public and employers about accessing and providing safe and effective virtual care.

Practitioners and consumers are increasingly choosing virtual care alternatives as we continue to see growth in the adoption of technology, online prescribing and the use of health ‘apps’. What was once seen as a temporary approach to enable healthcare in a global pandemic is now widely accepted as just another way to see your practitioner.

These documents replace the previous Telehealth guidance for practitioners which was developed to address the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

This information is not new and relies on the existing principles within the National Boards’ regulatory framework, such as codes of conduct and other relevant standards and guidelines. It has been developed as a helpful resource for healthcare providers and consumers to understand what good virtual care should look like.

Students and graduates

Graduates – apply for registration now

Graduates who are about to complete their course this year can take the first step in their new health career by applying for registration now.

Applying before you finish study means we can start assessing your application while we wait for your graduate results.

You must be registered with the Dental Board of Australia before you can start working as a dental practitioner.

For more information, read the news item.

Registration news

Board announces 2024/25 registration fees

Ahpra and the Board have announced the fees for the registration period 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025. The annual registration fee for dental and dental specialists is $785, the fee for dental prosthetists is $267 and for dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists is $246. While the fees for each division have gone up, the increase is below indexation (4%).

Importantly, registration fees are now nationally aligned, so dental practitioners in NSW will pay the same as their interstate colleagues

The Board recognises the economic challenges that many practitioners face and has worked to keep fees as low as possible while still performing our vital role to protect the public.

Latest workforce data released

Quarterly registration data to 30 June 2024 shows that at this date, there were 27,583 registered dental practitioners in Australia:

24,603 had general registration
1,861 had general and specialist registration
70 had specialist registration
58 had limited registration (postgraduate training, supervised practice, teaching or research), and
989 had non-practising registration.

Two practitioners had both general and non-practising registration.

There are 152 dental practitioners who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or 0.6% of the profession.

Visit our Statistics page for more data, including registrant numbers by division of dental practice, age, gender, and principal place of practice.

Regulation at work

Dentist fined $30,000 for practising without registration

A West Australian dental practitioner has been convicted and fined $30,000 for continuing to practise after allowing his registration to lapse.

What’s new?

Artificial intelligence in healthcare

We support the safe use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, recognising its potential to improve health outcomes, create a more person-centred health system, and reduce administrative burdens and health practitioner burnout.

As new tools emerge, so do the unique practical and ethical issues associated with its use in a healthcare setting. Ahpra and the National Boards have developed principles for practitioners to consider when using or looking to integrate AI into their practice.

These principles translate existing obligations in practitioner codes of conduct and reminds practitioners to consider these responsibilities when assessing the appropriate use of AI.

Specific professional obligations to consider include accountability, an appropriate understanding of the tool, transparency of its use, informed consent and ethical and legal issues.

Read Meeting your professional obligations when using AI in healthcare and its supporting case studies on the Ahpra website to learn more about what safe and effective use of AI should look like.

Greater protection for the public under National Law changes

The recent series of amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law are now complete, with a final suite of changes being introduced from 1 July.

A key update for practitioners is that you can now nominate an alternative name to go on the register, alongside your legal name.

Some health practitioners may practise under an alternative name, such as a traditional name or an anglicised or shortened name.

Having both your legal name and your alternative name appear on the public register will make it easier for the public to search the register and make informed decisions about their care.

You can find out more information about alternative names and how to nominate on the Ahpra website.

Other changes to the National Law from 1 July include:

allowing National Boards and Ahpra to issue interim prohibition orders to unregistered persons in certain circumstances where the person poses a serious risk to others
establishing the process regarding renewal of a practitioner’s registration after a period of suspension
empowering the National Boards to include previously excluded information on the National Register if there is a reasonable belief the circumstances on which information was excluded has changed
enabling the Ministerial Council to delegate its power to approve registration standards to an appropriate entity.

Australia’s health system, as well as the reasons and ways people access it, has changed dramatically over the past 15 years.

These reforms allow the regulation scheme to evolve with it, strengthening Ahpra and National Boards’ ability to protect the public and support practitioners.

More information about the changes, as well as future areas of focus and ways to provide feedback can be found on Ahpra's website.

Improving experiences when navigating a healthcare complaint

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the commission), and Ahpra with the National Boards, have worked on a joint project to explore opportunities to improve the consumer experience of making a healthcare complaint in Australia.

Both organisations wanted to get a better understanding of the barriers that consumers face when making a healthcare complaint and to discover what they can do to support consumers.

The final report has now been published along with supporting resources for practitioners and the public about navigating healthcare complaints.

The project found that the complexity of the complaints system is putting a huge weight of responsibility on consumers to understand how it works. Consumers are also experiencing barriers, whether social, economic or cultural, that are affecting their ability to make a complaint and want a system that is focused on their needs rather than administrative processes.

What we’ve done

To improve experiences for those going through a complaint process, the commission and Ahpra have:

updated our websites to clarify the process of making a complaint
developed three animations to give clear information to the public about how and where to make a health complaint
developed a ‘Tips for consumers when making a complaint’ webpage and fact sheet
developed Healthcare complaints - where to make a complaint (downloadable fact sheet), and
created a complaints checklist for practitioners to help effectively handle feedback and complaints from their patients or clients.

We will continue to make improvements to our websites and consumer resources. In some states and territories, we are exploring ways to develop a targeted local resource about complaints options.

Review to ease the complexity of health regulation

The Review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the Dawson review) began in May 2024, and is led by the former NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner Sue Dawson.

The independent review aims to identify areas of the National Scheme that are unnecessarily complex and recommend changes that will improve regulatory outcomes for health practitioners and the community.

Six terms of reference outline the scope of the review. These will consider:

how to streamline and harmonise decision-making to improve consistency in regulation
how to make complaints management more consumer-driven, consistent, accessible and efficient
how to make tribunal decision-making more consistent
stewardship of the National Scheme
how to manage new professions entering the National Scheme, and
the powers ministers have to direct entities exercising accreditation functions.

Consultation paper 1 was released on 12 September.

The review is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Keep in touch with the Board

As always, we encourage you to regularly check the Dental Board website for information and updates relating to the dental profession.

Visit our website for information on the National Scheme and the mandatory registration standards, codes, guidelines, policies and fact sheets. Board consultation papers are published on the site under News.
Lodge an online enquiry form.
For registration enquiries call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9285 3010 (for overseas callers).
Address mail correspondence to: Executive Officer, Dental Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne VIC 3001.