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Dental Hygienists, Technicians and Therapists

Dental Hygienists, Technicians and Therapists provide supportive dental services in preventative and restorative dental procedures, and construct and repair dental appliances.

HealthLicensed workANZSCO 4112
$2,210/wkMedian full-time pay
7,980People employed
+21% ▲Growth to 2035
50%Work full time
44Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4112.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

providing educational programs to motivate children, parents and the community in matters relating to oral healthproviding fluoride therapy by applying remineralising solutions and desensitising agentsremoving deposits from teethapplying non-invasive fissure sealants to teethtaking impressions of the mouthtaking dental radiographs
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 4112 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 1,600 more people in dental hygienists, technicians and therapists by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 2.3% in the year to February 2026, losing about 200 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and QLD, with WA third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4112.More about our sources: How we check our facts
7.5k2025
8.3k2030 PROJ.
9.1k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

There is no single way in. 48% trained through VET, 42% hold a degree.

Both paths are common in this field. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 4112. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

HLT55118Diploma

Diploma of Dental Technology

Health.

See 12 providers
HLT35115Certificate III

Certificate III in Dental Laboratory Assisting

Health.

See 7 providers
HLT65015Advanced Diploma

Advanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics

Health · licensed work.

See 1 provider

Licensed work: several of these courses lead to work that also needs a state or territory licence. Training is the first step; licensing rules are set by each state.

See all 4 mapped courses
HLT55118Diploma of Dental Technology · 12 providers
HLT35115Certificate III in Dental Laboratory Assisting · 7 providers
HLT65015Advanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics · 1 provider
10926NATAdvanced Diploma of Oral Health (Dental Hygiene) · 1 provider

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

7,980 Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4112.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW1.9k
QLD1.9k
WA1.7k
VIC1.5k
SA0.6k
ACT0.3k
TAS0.2k
NT0.1k

Occupations near this one

Close to this work but not quite it? Each one has its own page like this.