DENTAL HYGIENE AND SCHOOL DENTAL THERAPY TODAY

The Department currently offers an Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene and a parallel stream of training the Associate Degree in School Dental Therapy. The Associate Degree in School Dental Therapy program operates with assistance from Dental Health Services.

Techniques for preventing dental disease are well established and proven to be effective but most require a dental professional to work with patients. Providing dental health education and preventive care are major roles for Dental Hygienists and School Dental Therapists.

Some clinical duties are also common to both Dental Hygienists and School Dental Therapists. These include simple scaling and cleaning of teeth, the application of fluoride and other solutions to teeth and gums, local analgesia, dental radiography, and taking impressions.

The Dental Hygiene clinical program involves significant time undertaking the management of adult gum related problems and also a range of orthodontic duties. The School Dental Therapy clinical program involves significant time undertaking examinations, fillings and simple extractions for children.

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department was established in 1971 at the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University of Technology). At the time, dental decay rates were very high and the Department offered an Associate Diploma in Dental Therapy with the main focus on the prevention and treatment of decay in children. The Associate Diploma in Dental Therapy differed from other Dental Therapy training programs in Australia however, by also incorporating a component dealing with the management of gum disease in adults.

The main employment destinations for Dental Therapists were private practice and the Health Department's School Dental Service program. From 1974 until 1983 in response to an increased demand for Dental Therapists with the commencement and expansion of the School Dental Service, the then Department of Public Health of Western Australia also offered an in-service program leading to a Certificate of Dental Therapy. The Associate Diploma in Dental Therapy continued to operate until 1995.

The Department's current programs, the Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene and the Associate Degree in School Dental Therapy were developed following the report of the Committee that undertook the "Review of Dental Therapy, Including Training and of the Numbers of Dentists Required to Meet Local Requirements". To help meet future community needs this report (accepted by the State Minister for Health) recommended that:

LOCATION AND CONTACT DETAILS

The Department of Dental Hygiene and Therapy is part of the School of Biomedical Sciences within the Division of Health Sciences. The Department is located at the Oral Health Centre of Western Australia, 17 Monash Avenue, Nedlands.

Contact Details

Telephone (08) 9346 7882
Fax (08)9346 7888

Postal Department of Dental Hygiene and Therapy

Email R.Kendell@curtin.edu.au

VISION

To provide programs in dental hygiene and therapy with a commitment to excellence that benefits our students and enhances the oral health of individuals and communities.

MISSION

To prepare graduates in dental hygiene and school dental therapy who will enhance the oral health of individuals and communities.

DEPARTMENT VALUES

Excellence in scholarship, teaching and clinical practice;

Maintenance of high ethical standards;

Awareness of the impact of inequality and disadvantage on health status;

Effective partnerships and a collegial environment;

Respect for individuals and their contributions;

Responsiveness to changing community needs;

Continuing education and research.