Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Employment, training and careers
  3. Looking for work
  4. Careers in Health and Social Care
  5. Dental careers

Dental therapist

Dental therapists are important members of the dental team and carry out different types of dental treatment either direct to patients or under the prescription of a dentist.

The work of a dental therapist:

Dental therapists can carry out all the duties of a dental hygienist and also provide:

  • simple restorations (fillings)
  • place temporary fillings and re-cement crowns
  • place pre-formed crowns on primary (baby) teeth
  • administer inhalational sedation
  • carry out more extensive treatments on primary teeth involving the nerve of the tooth

Therapists can also gain additional skills to allow them to provide tooth whitening (under prescription of a dentist), remove sutures and administer inhalation sedation.

Dental therapists may treat patients who have high treatment needs.

Health education is an important part of the role and the dental therapist can carry out a range of procedures once trained and able, including:

  • intra and extra oral assessment
  • scaling and polishing
  • applying materials to teeth such as fluoride and fissure sealants
  • taking dental radiographs
  • giving infiltration and inferior dental block analgesia
  • taking impressions
  • providing dental health education on a one-to-one basis or in a group situation

Working as a therapist in a dental practice gives you independence without the full responsibility of running a practice.

Many dental therapists work for Community Dental Services and provide treatment in a range of places in the community, such as schools and care homes.

Skills needed

To get on the course, you'll need five GCSE subjects at grade A to C, plus two A-levels or a recognised qualification in dental nursing.

Dental therapists carry out a range of clinical tasks and will often spend valuable time encouraging anxious patients to accept dental treatment.

This requires patience, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

An empathetic and caring approach is very important, as well as proficient, highly technical clinical skills.

You will need to be confident to work on your own and be able to put even the youngest of patients at ease.

Much of your work is likely to be with children, older people and those with special needs.

Good time management and organisational skills are essential, along with attention to health and safety procedures.

At all times, a dental therapist needs to be mindful of the need for patient confidentiality.

Training

To practise as a dental therapist, you need to take a course approved by the General Dental Council (GDC) and then need to register with the GDC.

Subjects studied include:

  • preventive dentistry
  • dental health education
  • dental pathology
  • simple restorative procedures for both deciduous and permanent teeth
  • the extraction of deciduous teeth
  • radiography
  • pharmacology

Most training establishments offer a combined course in dental hygiene and therapy leading to a combined diploma.

The course lasts for around three years.

Some combined courses allow students who can't meet the criteria for the full combined diploma, to take the diploma in dental hygiene or certificate in oral health studies instead.

Some training establishments continue to offer the diploma in dental hygiene course, with no training in dental therapy.

A list of the training centres and contact details can be found on the British Association of Dental Hygiene and Therapy website.

Career pathway

Most dental hygienists and therapists work in dental practice, either on a full-time or part-time basis providing NHS and private treatment.

Some hygienists and therapists work in the CDS, the hospital service, the armed forces, industry and dental schools.

Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Dental careers

  • Dental hygienist
  • Dental nurse
  • Dental technician/ technologist
  • Dental therapist
  • Dentist
  • Orthodontic therapist

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS