How to become a dental assistant in Australia
Dental Assistants prepare patients for dental examination and assist Dental Practitioners, Hygienists and Therapists in providing care and treatment.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the dental assistants group are projected to grow 26.8% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Receiving and preparing patients
- Arranging and handing instruments, medication, and other dental requisites to dental practitioners
- Preparing dental materials and processing x-rays
- Using suction devices and water sprays
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment
- Sterilising and preventing cross infection of equipment
How to get there
What it usually takes. A Certificate II or III. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the dental assistants group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 16% a degree or higher, 10% a diploma, 38% a Certificate III or IV.
Apprenticeship or traineeship. This job isn't on the current Priority List we checked, which only covers occupations in demand, so that doesn't rule one out. Ask a TAFE or an Apprentice Connect provider.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
We haven't matched this job to courses in the admissions lists. It usually starts with training on the job or at a registered training provider, not a course through an admissions centre. See Your Career.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Conventional, Realistic, Social.
From O*NET ratings for "Dental Assistants", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.