Under the Legislation Act 2019, notice is given of the making of the following secondary legislation:
Title |
Empowering provision(s) |
Administering agency |
Date made |
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 |
Sections 11, 12 and 118(i) |
Dental Council |
5/12/22 |
This secondary legislation can be accessed here.
The following replaces the scope of practice and prescribed qualifications for oral medicine specialists published in the New Zealand Gazette, 10 March 2020, Notice No. 2020-gs883.
This notice is issued by the Dental Council pursuant to sections 11, 12 and 118(i) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.
Scope of practice for oral medicine specialists
Oral medicine specialists practise in the branch of dentistry that is concerned with the oral health care of patients with chronic and medically related disorders of the oral and maxillofacial region, and with their diagnosis and non-surgical management.
Specialist oral medicines is undertaken by a dental practitioner who possesses additional postgraduate qualifications, training, and experience recognised by the Council as appropriate for registration.
Practice in this context goes wider than clinical dentistry to include teaching, research, and management, given that such roles influence clinical practice and public safety. Areas of oral medicine practice which were not included in a practitioner’s training should not be undertaken unless the practitioner has completed appropriate training and practises to the standards required by the Standards Framework for Oral Health Practitioners.
Prescribed qualifications for the scope of practice for oral medicine specialists
New Zealand
- MDS/MBChB (Oral Medicine) University of Otago
- DClinDent (Oral Medicine) University of Otago and a medical degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools1,2.
Australia
- an ADC accredited MDS or MDSc or DClinDent programme in oral medicine and a medical degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools3
- a Dental Board of Australia approved programme of study providing a qualification for the purposes of specialist registration in oral medicine in Australia and a medical degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools4.
Other
- two years or more of full-time equivalent postgraduate training in the specialty, evidence of research activity and a pass in the New Zealand Oral medicine Specialist Examination.
Entry-Level Competencies: Oral medicine
This document describes the entry-level competency standard for oral medicine expected of applicants for registration with the Dental Council (New Zealand) (“Council”) and the Dental Board of Australia (“Board”).
How will the competencies be used?
The competencies will be used to support a number of regulatory functions by the Council. These functions include:
- Accreditation, to determine if prescribed specialist qualifications in New Zealand or approved specialist qualifications in Australian5:
- is at the expected qualification level
- produces graduates at the expected level of competence for dental specialist registration
- Registration of overseas qualified applicants to:
- assess qualifications for equivalence to a prescribed specialist qualification in New Zealand or an approved specialist qualification in Australia
- develop assessments or examinations to determine if candidates are at the expected level of competence for dental specialist registration, and
- Evaluating the competence of dental specialists in the context of regulatory processes such as those returning to practice and in the management of a notification.
Domain |
Competencies |
1. Professionalism On graduation a dental specialist will have the knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy, expert judgement, adaptability and responsibility as a practitioner and show leadership in the dental profession. |
Generic A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following, as relevant to the specialty:
|
2. Communication and social skills On graduation a dental specialist will be able to interpret and transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to dental and non-dental audiences. |
Generic A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following, as relevant to the specialty:
|
3. Critical thinking On graduation a dental specialist will have the expert, specialised cognitive and technical skills in a body of knowledge or practice to independently analyse critically, reflect on and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and research and apply established theories to a body of knowledge or practice. |
Generic A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following, as relevant to the specialty:
|
4. Scientific and clinical knowledge On graduation a dental specialist will have a body of knowledge that includes the extended understanding of recent developments in a discipline and its professional practice, as well as knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to the specialty and its professional practice. |
Generic A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following areas of knowledge, as relevant to the specialty:
Specific A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following areas of knowledge, as relevant to the specialty:
|
5. Patient care On graduation a dental specialist will, with a high level of personal autonomy and accountability, be able to apply highly specialised knowledge and skills within a discipline or professional practice. This includes clinical information gathering, diagnosis and management planning, clinical treatment and evaluation. |
Generic A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following, as relevant to the specialty:
Specific A graduate specialist is expected to be competent in the following, as relevant to the specialty:
|
To come into effect from 1 January 2024:
In addition, a graduate specialist registered with the Dental Council (New Zealand) is expected to meet competencies for haumarutanga ahurea/cultural safety.
Dated this 11th day of January 2023.
MARIE MacKAY, Chief Executive, Dental Council New Zealand.
Endnotes
1. Conferred from 2013.
2. WHO World Directory of Medical Schools replaced by Avicenna since August 2008, and the Faimer IMED Directory signed an agreement in March 2012 with WFME's Avicenna Directory to collaborate in single directory - World Directory of Medical Schools.
3. Before 30 June 2010, and before 17 October 2010 for Western Australia.
4. From 1 July 2010 onwards, and 18 October 2010 onwards for Western Australia.
5. The Australian Dental Council is the assigned accreditation authority for the dental profession in Australia and undertakes accreditation functions on behalf of the Board.
6. Williams, R. (1999). Cultural safety – what does it mean for our work practice? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23(2), 213–214.
7. In Aotearoa New Zealand, people have differences in health that are not only avoidable but unfair and unjust. Equity recognises different people with different levels of advantage require different approaches and resources to get equitable health outcomes.