There are 9 schools of dentistry in Australia. These are in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Depending on which pathway you take, it takes a minimum of 5 to 7 years of study at university to become a dentist.

Undergraduate pathway and entry into dentistry

Following is a guide to the ATAR scores for entry into every dentistry course in Australia in 2022:

Please note that apart from your ATAR, entry requirements for undergraduate dentistry may also include:

• a UCAT score
• an interview
• a predicted ATAR form
• a manual dexterity & spatial awareness test
• eyesight requirements
• an online application
• completion of a questionnaire
• a police check
• a working with children check
• pre-requisite subjects
• the completion of first aid training before starting the course
• health checks and immunisations

Six of the nine universities will take undergraduate students directly into their dentistry courses. Three of the universities (Sydney, Melbourne and Western Australia) have pathway programs into their postgraduate dentistry courses for high achieving Year 12 students. These places are highly competitive and generally require an ATAR of at least 99.00, and, in some cases an interview, a UCAT score and other admission requirements. Please check with each university for specific or alternative pathways if you are from an Indigenous or rural background.

It is also worth noting that some universities will accept applicants who hold a full or partial Bachelor’s degree. Please check with the universities you are looking at applying to for their complete entry requirements as this varies widely across the 9 universities.

Some universities don’t publish the full requirements for entry into their dentistry course in the course or university handbook section on their website. You may need to click on hyperlinks that will take you to further information in PDF documents, check their FAQs page, or contact the university directly.

Graduate pathway and entry into dentistry

The University of Sydney and the University of Western Australia offer a 4-year Doctor of Dental Medicine, and the University of Melbourne a 4 year Doctor of Dental Surgery as a postgraduate degree. Before applying for one of these courses, you would need to make sure you have completed the appropriate subjects in your undergraduate degree. Entry requirements may also include a high GAMSAT score, a high-Grade Point Average (GPA) in your undergraduate degree and an interview as well as other criteria. Please check with each university for specific or alternative pathways if you are from an Indigenous or rural background.

Following is a table which shows postgraduate qualifications which lead to registration as a dentist in Australia:

Please note that apart from your GPA and GAMSAT score, graduate entry requirements for dentistry may also include:

• an interview
• a manual dexterity & spatial awareness test
• eyesight requirements
• a written application
• completion of a questionnaire
• a police check
• a working with children check
• pre-requisite subjects
• the completion of first aid training before starting the course
• health checks and immunisations

Pathways to becoming a dentist

Following is an infographic which summarizes the above pathways to becoming a dentist. For simplicity, it does not include the possibility of transferring into dentistry from another course. Click here for more information on our become a dentist page.

Current list of approved programs of study to become a dentist

The information presented in this article was correct at the time of publishing. Please check with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for an up to date list of approved programs of study to become a dentist in Australia.

If you would like to find courses to become a general dentist:
1. Go to https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Accreditation/Approved-Programs-of-Study.aspx
2. In Profession select Dental Practitioner
3. In Country make the appropriate selection – for example, Australia
4. In Qualification Type select General
5. In Division select Dentist
6. Click Search

More resources on My Health Career

• The best and worst parts of a career in dentistry
• Videos about a career in dentistry
• Orthodontics – an evolving profession
• What is it that dentists love about their career? We hear from Dr Frank Farrelly and Dr Philippa Sawyer
• Mindfulness in dental practice: Q&A with Dr Sonia Sonia

Disclaimer

This information is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. My Health Career accepts no responsibility for ensuring that you enrol in a course that is right for you. Please do your own research to ensure that you enrol in the correct course, especially if you are considering an undergraduate biomedicine, health science or biomedical science degree as a pathway to a postgraduate course. This may include speaking with a careers advisor, guidance officer, career development practitioner, representatives of the Australian Dental Association, and admissions officers from the university or universities you are looking at applying to.