Bachelor
This double degree is ideal for those students who are interested in developing hands-on practical skills in designing and making dentures, crowns and bridges, combined with diagnosing, designing and fitting removable dentures directly to patients. For secondary school leavers, it will provide opportunities for specialisation and more opportunities for employment upon graduation.
Students graduate with two qualifications to be able to work as both a Dental Technologist/Technician and Dental Prosthetist.
Dental Technologists (or Dental Technicians as they are often referred to) are highly skilled members of the dental team. They combine art and science skills to construct custom-made dental devices such as dentures, crowns, bridges and orthodontic appliances to replace, restore and correct defects that may affect our facial appearance and the ability to use our teeth properly. They generally work behind the scenes in laboratories and not directly on patients.
Dental Prosthetists work independently in a clinical setting to diagnose and treat patients requiring removable partial or full dentures.
The first three years will be spent developing highly specialised hand skills, finishing with a professional practice course where students work alongside dentistry students on "real-life real-time" patient cases. The final fourth year builds on the previous years with a focus on developing clinical knowledge and skills to diagnose, fabricate, make and fit dentures directly to patients.
A number of key benefits set Griffith's Dental Prosthetist education apart from that at other teaching institutions. Students develop advanced critical analytical skills to solve difficult technical and clinical situations. They learn in an inter-professional environment from experienced Dental Prosthetists and specialists in fields such as:
Dental Prosthetic students practice alongside Dentistry students to develop communication and collaboration skills in individual cases. This may include, for example, inserting and monitoring immediate dentures or witnessing a variety of complex dental procedures. This process is managed through the Team-Based Treatment Planning Process which develops patient referral skills.
The University's Undergraduate Programs Admission Policy will apply.
This program is quota managed for which there is a limited number of places available to ensure that sufficient resources are available to support the students. Meeting the admission requirements for this program may not result in an applicant receiving an admission offer.
Prior OP students: Applicants who graduated with an OP in or before 2019 can apply to Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) for an ATAR statement. For more information visit qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/australian-tertiary-admission-rank-atar.
Admission to the Bachelor of Dental Technology/Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics (for Domestic students) will be determined by the following criteria:
With this qualification graduates may find employment opportunities in the public and private health sectors through government health department clinics and private practice as a Dental Technician/Dental Prosthetist or Clinical Dental Technician.
Dental Technologists (or Dental Technicians as they are often referred to) may find employment with Dental Technicians, Dentists, Dental Prosthetists, Prosthodontists, Orthodontists, Periodontists, and Oral Surgeons in the public or private health sectors working to referring dental practitioners and specialist's prescriptions. Graduates will be able to design and construct oral devices according to international standards that meet individual patient's needs. Dental Technicians work with a wide range of materials and techniques such as: gold, porcelain, plastic and lost wax technique and CAD-CAM (Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing). They may see patients to record the colour, shape and characteristics of existing teeth.
With this qualification, graduates can apply technical skills, scientific knowledge, artistic skills and compassionate nature across three distinct specialist areas - Prosthodontic, Conservative and Orthodontic - or you may eventually choose self-employment. Graduates will be well equipped to sit for a 'skills exam' requested by employers.
Prosthodontic Technician and Clinician (Removable Prosthodontics)
Dental Prosthetists work directly with patients to provide removable partial dentures and will also design and fabricate full and partial dentures in plastic or alloy. Graduates will be well equipped for the variety of procedures and techniques to replace missing teeth and will work alongside dentists and prosthodontists.
A student graduating as a dental technologist and dental prosthetist can potentially have two income streams. One providing dental technology services to dentists or specialists and working directly with a patient as a dental prosthetist providing patient care (including referral) and treatment to replace missing teeth.
Self-employment
Graduates will gain an understanding of the operational issues involved in establishing a new business. Graduates may own and operate a dental laboratory or clinic. Graduates can progress onto employment in management roles such as senior or chief technician or prosthetists; quality control technicians/prosthetist; teaching or dental sales.
Research opportunities
Graduates can apply to progress their research skills through an Honours, Masters or PhD qualification which may lead to various roles in academia or in large-scale organisations (corporations/companies, government departments, non-profit/charity organisation).
International opportunities
Graduates will be equipped to apply for dental technologist/technician registration and dental prosthetist (clinical dental technician) in other countries. They will have gained the necessary knowledge and skills to adapt to the examination process required for registration.
Griffith University grants credit and recognition of prior learning which may relate to prior formal learning or prior informal and non-formal learning. For more information, please visit the following website:
Griffith's innovative Credit Precedent Database allows you to find out what credit decisions have been made in the past. These precedents will give you an idea of what you can expect.
Selection for admission to an undergraduate degree is made on the basis of academic merit.
Selection for admission is competitive as the number of applicants generally exceeds the places available. The minimum requirement for eligibility for admission is completion of Year 12 of secondary school or equivalent academic achievement.
Prerequisites for admission may be specified in terms of levels of achievement in particular Year 12 subjects. Prerequisite conditions may be satisfied by other study or experience which is considered to be equivalent to the Year 12 prerequisites. More information is available on the Prerequisites and Assumed Knowledge website.
Further information for Queensland students completing an ATAR can be found here.
Domestic applicants should apply for admission through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
Domestic applicants from NSW and ACT should apply for admission through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).
A summary of the student profile for this program can be found on the QTAC website. The Rank profile is located on the Student Profile tab.
Important offer advice: Should you receive an offer into this program you will be required to enrol into classes* within a short timeframe. This information will be included in your Starting@Griffith email and expressed in the number of days from the day of issue of your email. For QTAC applicants this is inline with the offer response date in your offer email, however Griffith accepts close of business that day - 5pm (AEST). Please note that the number of days can vary depending on when the offer was made. This requirement applies to all applicants irrespective of how you applied and/or whether you accepted conditionally or unconditionally. If you do not enrol* into at least one class for your program by 5pm on the response day your offer will lapse. Lapsed offers are not automatically reinstated and are subject to available places.
*Enrolling into classes means that you are advising when you are attending class/es. Enrolment must be submitted