Five years of university training at either the universities of Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Western Australia are required to become a dentist. From next year, the University of Sydney will introduce a four-year, graduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery, requiring entrants to have passed the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test, and be interviewed. To practise dentistry in Australia, you also must be registered in the state in which you intend to work. Once armed with a degree, there are several areas in which dentists can specialise and start earning much more money. Endodontists diagnose, treat and help to prevent diseases of the root canal and its surrounding tissues.
Orthodontists realign the natural teeth for functional and cosmetic reasons.
Paediatric dentists deal with child dental health, periodontists treat diseases of the gums and supporting tissues, and prosthodontists undertake advanced restorative treatment of teeth and surrounding tissues using crowns, bridges and dentures.