Dental Prosthetists

ANZSCO ID 411212

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
830
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
80%
Female Share
15%
Average age
52

Summary

Dental Prosthetists design, construct, repair and fit dentures and mouthguards.

Also known as: Clinical Dental Technician.

An advanced diploma in dental prosthetics is usually needed to work as a Dental Prosthetist.

Tasks

  • Takes impressions of the mouth.

  • Takes dental radiographs.

  • Fabricates full and partial dentures.

  • Constructs mouth guards, crowns, metal clasps, inlays, bridgework and other aids.

  • Repairs and relines denture bases.

Characteristics

Job Type
Community And Personal Service Workers
Skill Level
High skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Dental Hygienists, Technicians and Therapists, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 80% of people employed as Dental Prosthetists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 14 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 46 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
78.8%
2
Manufacturing
19.0%
3
Public Administration and Safety
0.5%
4
Wholesale Trade
0.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.7% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

22.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

7.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

4.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.8% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Dental Prosthetists All Jobs Average
NSW 31.7 31.6
VIC 27.5 25.6
QLD 22.1 20.0
SA 5.3 7.0
WA 7.4 10.8
TAS 4.2 2.0
NT 0.0 1.0
ACT 1.8 1.9


  • Around 45% of Dental Prosthetists live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
52
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
15%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Dental Prosthetists is 52 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 15% of the workforce. This is 33 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Dental Prosthetists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 0.0 9.3
25-34 14.0 22.9
35-44 16.7 22.0
45-54 29.1 21.6
55-59 21.3 9.0
60-64 11.8 6.0
65 and Over 7.1 4.2
Median Age 52 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

An advanced diploma in dental prosthetics is usually needed to work as a Dental Prosthetist.

Registration with the Dental Board of Australia is required.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Health Industry VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Dental Prosthetists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.5 10.1
Bachelor degree 7.2 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 75.8 11.6
Certificate III/IV 13.5 21.1
Year 12 0.0 18.1
Year 11 0.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.0 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Dental Hygienists, Technicians and Therapists who are caring, compassionate and empathetic and can communicate clearly with a diverse range of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 46%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 45%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 45%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 43%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 43%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 39%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 39%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 37%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 37%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 36%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 32%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 32%

    Equipment selection

    Deciding on the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

  • 30%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 29%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 67%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 66%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 63%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 60%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 58%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 53%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 53%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 49%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 49%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 44%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 44%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 44%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 40%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 39%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 38%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 35%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 34%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 31%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 25%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 23%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 57%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 55%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 52%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 45%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 45%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 43%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 43%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 43%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 43%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 41%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 39%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 34%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 71%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 62%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 60%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 60%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 60%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 60%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 59%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 56%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 54%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 53%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 52%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 50%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 49%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 48%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 48%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

  • 47%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 47%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 46%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 45%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 44%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 90%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 71%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 62%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 38%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 29%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 24%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 76%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 62%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 60%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 52%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 52%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 48%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 99%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 98%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 97%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 97%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 96%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 94%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 91%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 88%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 84%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 77%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 76%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 74%

    Dangerous conditions

    Work near dangers like high voltage electricity, flammable material, explosives or chemicals.

  • 74%

    Dangerous equipment

    Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.

  • 74%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 73%

    Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings

    Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.

  • 73%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 72%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 72%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 72%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

    Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 51-9081.00 - Dental Laboratory Technicians.


Links and downloads

Back to top