Updates to Dental Licensing

The Radiological Council has recently reviewed the use of dental x ray equipment in Western Australia by dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, oral health therapists and dental assistants. The Council’s review included consideration of existing and incoming industry standards and information from a number of sources, including Western Australian and national peak industry bodies and relevant regulatory agencies. 

The Council approved amendments to the conditions of registration applied to dental facilities under the Radiation Safety Act to:

• Permit Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registered dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists who hold an authorisation under the Radiation Safety Act to use intraoral, OPG and lateral cephalometric x-ray equipment, in accordance with their scope of practice.

• Permit dental assistants and AHPRA registered dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists to operate cone beam CT (CBCT) equipment, once trained to do so, under the supervision of a dentist licensed for CBCT. For this supervision the licence holder must be on site.

It is acknowledged that scope of practice will vary between practitioners and that other dental practitioners in the healthcare team will necessarily be involved in patient care when required.

The Council intends to pursue legislative amendments to exempt dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists from the requirement to hold a licence for dental radiography, in the same manner that is currently applied to dentists. In the interim, these practitioners will be eligible for an 'exemption' licence issued by the Council permitting their use of the specified x-ray equipment, in accordance with their scope of practice. Only practitioners who require an exemption licence for their immediate work circumstances should apply. All other practitioners should wait for the legislative amendments to progress.