Specialist dentist to dental practitioner
A specialist dentist already meets 20% of what the dental practitioner role asks for. The move turns on 58 required skills not yet in the profile.
87.9/ 100
1 How much of what a dental practitioner is expected to do is already part of a specialist dentist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the dental practitioner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A dental practitioner role treats 9 of its required skills as things a specialist dentist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- carry out local anesthesia in dental procedures
- diagnose abnormalities of dental-facial structures
- discuss dental treatment options with patient
- manage dental emergencies
- perform dental clinical examination
- perform oral health diagnosis
What stands in the way is 58 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A dental practitioner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a specialist dentist background worth leading with.
- already held carry out local anesthesia in dental procedures assisting and caring
- already held diagnose abnormalities of dental-facial structures information skills
- already held discuss dental treatment options with patient communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage dental emergencies assisting and caring
- already held perform dental clinical examination information skills
- already held perform oral health diagnosis information skills
All 24 carried skills, including the 9 the dental practitioner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 59 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn correct temporomandibular joint abnormalities required
- still to learn manage edentulous patients required
- still to learn manage occlusion required
- still to learn minimise occupational hazards in dentistry practice required
- still to learn provide periodontal treatment required
- still to learn rehabilitate worn dentition required
- still to learn restore teeths' natural colour required
- still to learn treat cases of malocclusion required
- still to learn treat exposure of dental pulp required
- still to learn treat snoring problems required
- still to learn use orthodontic tools required
- still to learn write prescriptions for medication in dentistry required
- still to learn comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice required
- still to learn contribute to continuity of health care required
- still to learn deal with patients' anxiety required
- still to learn ensure safety of healthcare users required
- still to learn manage adverse reactions to anaesthesia required
- still to learn refer healthcare users required
- still to learn comply with legislation related to health care required
- still to learn deal with emergency care situations required
- still to learn empathise with the healthcare user required
- still to learn follow clinical guidelines required
- still to learn manage infection control in the facility required
- still to learn promote inclusion required
- still to learn accept own accountability required
- still to learn advise on healthcare users' informed consent required
- still to learn apply context specific clinical competences required
- still to learn counsel on nutrition and its impact on oral health required
- still to learn promote health and safety policies in health services required
- still to learn work in multidisciplinary health teams required
- still to learn communicate in healthcare required
- still to learn develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship required
- still to learn educate on the prevention of illness required
- still to learn interact with healthcare users required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn provide health education required
- still to learn work in a multicultural environment in health care required
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- still to learn anaesthetics required
- still to learn clinical disciplines in dentistry required
- still to learn medico-biological and medical sciences related to dentistry required
- still to learn mouth anatomy required
- still to learn surgery required
- still to learn cosmetic dental procedures required
- still to learn dentistry science required
- still to learn lead the dental team required
- still to learn supervise dental staff required
- still to learn provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health required
- still to learn apply organisational techniques required
- still to learn perform multiple tasks at the same time required
- still to learn respond to changing situations in health care required
- still to learn differentiate between maxillofacial tissues required
- still to learn interpret findings from medical examinations required
- still to learn keep records for dental prostheses required
- still to learn undertake clinical audit required
- still to learn manage healthcare users' data required
- still to learn select materials for orthodontic appliances required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a dental practitioner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 correct temporomandibular joint abnormalities practise this
- 02 differentiate between maxillofacial tissues practise this
- 03 fit dental appliances practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held carry out local anesthesia in dental procedures skill
- already held diagnose abnormalities of dental-facial structures skill
- already held discuss dental treatment options with patient skill
- already held manage dental emergencies skill
- already held perform dental clinical examination skill
- already held perform oral health diagnosis skill
- already held perform reconstructive oral surgery skill
- already held provide instruction in orthodontic procedures skill
- already held treat tooth decay skill
- already held conduct continuing professional development workshops skill
- already held conduct health related research skill
- already held contribute to practice innovation in health care skill
- already held correct dentofacial deformities skill
- already held employment law knowledge
- already held handle payments in dentistry skill
- already held impact of social contexts on health knowledge
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held manage healthcare staff knowledge
- already held organise public oral health programmes skill
- already held pedagogy knowledge
- already held record healthcare users' billing information skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn use e-health and mobile health technologies required
- still to learn fit dental appliances required
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held build community relations optional
12 held skills the dental practitioner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse X-ray imagery skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate clinical outcomes of dental hygiene interventions skill
- not needed by the target role examine dental models and impressions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain dental station and operatory skill
- not needed by the target role observe patient throughout dental treatment skill
- not needed by the target role oral surgery knowledge
- not needed by the target role orthodontics knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform dental charting skill
- not needed by the target role perform dental hygiene interventions skill
- not needed by the target role prepare patients for dental treatment skill
- not needed by the target role supervise dental technician staff skill
- not needed by the target role teach dentistry skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn anaesthetics required
- still to learn clinical disciplines in dentistry required
- still to learn medico-biological and medical sciences related to dentistry required
- still to learn mouth anatomy required
- still to learn surgery required
- still to learn cosmetic dental procedures required
- still to learn dentistry science required
Common questions about this move
Can a specialist dentist become a dental practitioner?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A specialist dentist already covers 20% of what a dental practitioner is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 9 of which the dental practitioner role treats as required.
What skills does a specialist dentist need to become a dental practitioner?
58 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is correct temporomandibular joint abnormalities.
How hard is the move from specialist dentist to dental practitioner?
Its learning distance is 87.9 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.