Dental therapists offer basic dental services and preventative dentistry. Dental therapy as an occupation was introduced in the nineteen seventies to cater for the growing number of people who rely on the public health service for their dental care.
Dental therapists carry out dental examinations; identifying and diagnosing serious conditions and referring these to dentists and orthodontists. Where necessary they do simple fillings and extractions and will carry out preventative measures against the more common oral diseases.
Dental therapists clean, scale, floss and polish patients’ teeth, while educating them about oral health and hygiene. They will take X-rays and should more intricate dental work or complicated bridgework be required, they will refer patients to qualified practitioners.
Dental therapists work mainly in clinics and may also visit schools which could require frequent travelling. They can work independently or in a team with oral hygienists and dentists and refer complicated procedures for further management to dentists. However, they may not practise independently unless they have practised for at least one year under the control and supervision of a dentist or another senior dental therapist.