4 June 2021

Media release

Launch of the 2020 Australian Oral Health Workforce Report

The Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association (ADOHTA Ltd.) and the Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA Ltd.) today jointly released the 2020 Australian Oral Health Workforce Report. The report provides comprehensive information on the demographic, geographic and employment characteristics of Dental hygienists, Dental therapists and Oral health therapists in Australia. It also provides a comparative analysis on the impact of the pandemic dental restrictions to employment characteristics of the workforce.

Author and ADOHTA Ltd. President Dr Nicole Stormon said that the report is a peer reviewed, evidence-based publication that provides important insight into the current oral health workforce. “It contains reliable data to allow the profession, governments and management to better utilise existing capacity and forward plan oral health services across the country”.

DHAA Ltd. national Vice President Associate Professor Carol Tran co-authored the report. “This report contains important information of current market remuneration rates in various demographic and practice settings.” She said with the enforcement of the Health Professionals and Support Services Award for Dental hygienists and Oral health therapists on 1 July 2021 to “provide a fair and relevant minimum safety net” as stated by the full bench of the Fair Work Commission, this report is a timely and useful benchmark to guide appropriate remuneration decisions for oral health practitioners in various settings.

The report is now available on the public domain via the University of Queensland’s open access e-space library. It is the intention of the authors to periodically update the report to ensure its accuracy and currency.

Stormon, Nicole Lauren, Tran, Carol, and Suen, Bill (2021), Australian Oral Health Workforce. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:da128e4

Media contact:

ADOHTA: [email protected] 0498 664 943

DHAA: [email protected] 0412 831 669