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Useful experience for oral health therapists includes:

• dental receptionist work
• dental assistant work.

Oral health therapists work with clinical guidance from a dentist or periodontist (a dentist who specialises in treating gum disease). Oral health therapists may do some or all of the following:

• examine mouths, teeth, gums and jaw and prepare a treatment plan
• take and develop x-rays (if they are registered to do so)
• extract first teeth with local anaesthetic
•  treat periodontal disease (gum disease) and educate patients on how to improve and maintain their oral health
• make and maintain mouthguards for sport, and stents (small plastic trays) for home bleaching, and whiten teeth
• keep records of treatment
• teach and/or carry out dental research
• refer patients to dentists or dental specialists.

Oral health therapist opportunities growing as more people require dental care

Demand for oral health therapists is growing because:

• more people are becoming aware of the importance of preventive dental care
• the ageing population and a rise in cases of obesity and diabetes mean more people need dental care
• the dental therapist and hygienist workforce (which makes up part of the oral health therapist workforce) is ageing.

Oral health therapist appears on Immigration New Zealand's Green List. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled oral health therapists  from overseas to work in New Zealand.

According to the Census, 1,116 oral health therapists worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Oral health therapists work for other dental professionals or have their own practice

Most oral health therapists work for:

• school and community dental services.
• dentists who do general dental work
• dental specialists such as periodontists (who prevent, diagnose and treat gum disease) or orthodontists (who prevent, diagnose and treat misalignments of the teeth and jaw). 

Some also set up their own private practices, and may contract out their services to a dentist.

Dental Council of New Zealand

(04) 499 4820 - inquiries@dcnz.org.nz - www.dentalcouncil.org.nz

New Zealand Oral Health Association

contact@nzoha.org.nz - www.nzoha.org.nz

Oral health therapists may progress to set up their own practices, become managers in school and community dental services, or work as academics at the University of Otago or Auckland University of Technology. 

They may also work in practices that specialise in:

• prosthodontics, preventing and treating gum disease in people with dental prostheses (crowns and bridges) 
• orthodontics, preventing and treating gum disease in children and young people with braces 
• periodontics, treating people who have periodontal (gum) disease.

Oral health therapists need to be:

• encouraging and willing to listen
• caring and sensitive to patients who are in pain or distress
• aware of the needs of people from other cultures and backgrounds
• able to explain complex information to patients
• skilled at organising, making decisions, and solving problems.