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Graduate Certificate in Dentistry

The Graduate Certificate in Dentistry is an external postgraduate program offered by the Graduate School of the Adelaide School of Dentistry.  It offers practitioners of general dentistry, oral health, hygiene and dental therapy a unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge and clinical skills to meet the demands of contemporary practice.

Our external Graduate Certificate students continue to practice in their field of dentistry while completing 6 units of formal theory on paper and online, at home or at work. In addition, 6 units worth of clinical or laboratory work are undertaken on campus.
The curriculum offers a wide range of clinical and laboratory courses; each with pre-reading before a 3- or 4-day intensive teaching block, usually with hands-on experience. These intensive courses are held in laboratory or clinical facilities in Adelaide or Newcastle and are supported by online resources, seminars and lectures.

Our students are supported by each other, our on-campus staff, specialist practitioners, paper-based and online resources and the special services of the Barr Smith Library.
This program may stand alone or it may be your starting point for further postgraduate study. Six units of theory from the certificate can be carried on to a graduate diploma.
The Graduate Certificate in Dentistry is a great way to practice!

Participants in the Graduate Certificate in Dentistry are

• experienced practitioners and recent graduates
  • general dentists
  • oral health practitioners
  • dental hygienists
  • dental therapists 

• remote, rural and metropolitan practitioners
• caring professionals who wish to update and to expand their skills 
• people like you!

Graduate Certificate students

• update and broaden skills, knowledge and understanding
• become confident and competent in new techniques 
• enhance their ability to make treatment planning decisions 
• make appropriate changes to their work practices to encompass new skills
• learn to manage more complex cases as part of a team 
• know when to treat and when to refer

Barr Smith Library

The University of Adelaide Library has an extensive dental / oral health collection housed on the North Terrace campus where you can also access the medical, engineering and science collections.

With 1300 study seats and 150 computing workstations students can easily find a place to study when on campus!! When not on campus, the catalogue, online resources and many electronic dental journals can be accessed via the home or office computer.

Graduate Certificate students outside the Adelaide metropolitan area are also well supported by Dr Michael Draper, Health Sciences and Science Subject Librarian, and the Remote Students Library Service (a special distance loan scheme).

Communication

• one-to-one and group
• phone and fax 
• paper and post 
• face-to-face 
• discussion boards 
• e-mail, internet and MyUni

Contemporary Dental Practice

In this 6-unit theory course students begin by studying two new and exciting compulsory modules

1. dynamics of the oral environment
2. minimally invasive dentistry - non-surgical/preventive

Students then select an additional 4 units from the following expanded range of self-directed learning modules:

• advanced restorative dentistry
• clinical photography 
• community and preventive dentistry 
• basic restorative dentistry (Soon to be replaced by current concepts in conservative dentistry (2 units))
• dental trauma (under development)
• dentistry in rural and remote communities 
• endodontics
• health promotion 
• infection control 
• implantology 
• lasers in dentistry (currently under development)
• local anaesthesia 
• non-carious tooth loss (tooth wear) (currently under development)
• oral medicine and pathology
• TMD (To be replaced with a module in orofacial) 
• orthodontics 
• paediatric dentistry
• periodontics in general practice
• pharmacology (including pain control) 
• removable prosthodontics

Clinical & Laboratory Courses

Students must complete three of the following 2-unit courses which are offered over a three-year cycle but some courses will be offered annually. Availability of staff and student demand also influence the courses.

• adhesive dentistry
• advanced restorative dentistry* 
• aesthetic dentistry* 
• dental trauma 
• dental wear 
• dentoalveolar surgery* 
• dental laboratory techniques 
• endodontics* 
• extra-oral radiography 
• high caries risk 
• implantology * 
• maxillo-facial prosthodontics* 
• oral medicine 
• oral pathology 
• orofacial pain / TMD 
• orthodontics 
• paedodontics 
• pain management 
• panoramic radiography 
• periodontics
• removable prosthodontics partial* 
• removable prosthodontics full* 
• special needs dentistry

* restricted to general dental practitioners

Fees 2009

The tuition fees for Australian citizens and permanent residents, and New Zealand citizens are $14,615 for the equivalent of one full semester's study. Students are eligible to apply to the Commonwealth for FEE-HELP. Students are advised also to discuss fees and costs associated with study with an accountant or financial advisor with regard to tax deductibility.

The tuition fees are paid progressively over the period of enrolment (up to three years) upon issue of invoices from the university.
Students are responsible for the costs of incidentals associated with the program and for travel and accommodation during intensive courses.

Note: Incremental rises in fees are expected every twelve months.

Eligibility & Selection

Applicants must hold a Bachelors degree in dentistry, dental science or oral health or equivalent.
Applications may also be considered from experienced practitioners holding an undergraduate diploma or advanced diploma.

Students also need to comply with Dental Board of South Australia and University requirements relating to registration and Prescribed Communicable Infections (Hep B, Hep C and HIV).
Australian citizens and permanent residents, and New Zealand citizens are eligible as local applicants. Local application forms are lodged directly with the Graduate School.

Formal Enrolment

• convenient online enrolment and management of personal data through Access Adelaide
• part-time up to three years (6 semesters)

For further information or an application form contact

Norma Russo
Graduate School Office
School of Dentistry
University of Adelaide
Adelaide
South Australia 5005
Ph +61 8 8303 6069
Fax +61 8 8303 3444
dental.graduate@adelaide.edu.au

Program Co-ordinator

Dr Janet Fuss
Deputy Head (Postgraduate)
Senior Lecturer
Ph +61 8 8303 3286
Fax +61 8 8303 4950
janet.fuss@adelaide.edu.au

Information was correct at the time of publication December 2007