PLANNING THE FUTURE WORKFORCE IN DENTISTRY AND ALLIED ORAL HEALTH DISCIPLINES

In June 2009, ACODS hosted a 2 day workshop, held at the School of Dental Science, The University of Melbourne.

Members of ACODS, as key stakeholders in the provision of future workforce, felt strongly that a clearer national policy needed to emerge. There are extensive data on demand for dental services and on existing numbers of providers; and of course epidemiological data on clear needs across our society. It is very clear that there are significant inequities in availability of care geographically and socio-economically. Federal and State Governments seek to meet these needs and demands, and the work of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and of the National Health Workforce Taskforce emphasised the timeliness with which these particular matters needed to be addressed.

This 2 day workshop had no government or institutional funding and all participants met all their own expenses. The School of Dental Science, The University of Melbourne, kindly hosted the workshops.

Agenda

List of Attendees

Presentations

Please feel free to download the following presentations that were a part of the 2-day workshop.

• Outputs from the ADC examination Processes - Dr Robert Broadbent, CEO, Australian Dental Council 
• Outputs from ANZ Education Providers for dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists - Dr Julie Satur, Head Oral Health Therapy, Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
• Outputs of dental prosthetists - Mr John Rogan, Australian Dental Prosthetists Association
• Outputs of dental assistants: The role of the TAFE sector - Ms Patricia Spears, Vice President, Dental Assistants Association of Australia
• Dental Specialities - Professor Paul Abbott, (Former) Head of School of Dentistry, University of Western Australia
• Oral Medicine and Pathology - Associate Professor Richard Logan, Associate Professor Oral Pathology, The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Oral Pathology, RCPA
• Recruitment and retention of academic staff: a teaching/research balance - Professor Eli Schwarz, (Former) Dean and Head of School, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Sydney