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Throughout the year, the Dental Board of Australia engaged with co-regulators, education providers, professional associations, and state and territory dental and oral health leaders. The Board visited Darwin in July and hosted a combined meeting for its delegated decision-making committees in August.
Following a positive evaluation, the Board decided to expand the pilot program of a new committee for low-risk notifications, which aims to improve the timeliness of the management of these matters.
The Board issued a joint statement with Ahpra and the Medical Board of Australia raising concerns about potential ethical breaches relating to the compassionate release of superannuation for dental treatment.
The Board evaluated the retirement of its former Guidelines on infection control. The findings supported continuation of the Board’s resources for practitioners and the retirement of the guidelines.
The Board continued to fund the Dental Practitioner Support service, a free, 24/7, confidential, nationwide telephone and online service for dental practitioners and students.
Board members and the Executive Officer attended the second biennial Indigenous Dental Association Australia conference in December. The Board was a proud sponsor of the conference, reinforcing its commitment to eliminating racism from, and shaping the future of, the profession.
The Board worked closely with its accreditation authority, the Australian Dental Council (ADC), to oversee accredited programs of study that, when approved by the Board, lead to registration as a dental practitioner. This year, the ADC started a review of accreditation standards that will be considered by the Board for approval.
In April, the Board carried out preliminary consultation on its Registration standard: endorsement for conscious sedation.
The Board, along with other National Boards, developed guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform and advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures. These were released in June and come into effect in September.
The Board participated in the multiprofession reviews of:
In November, I was pleased to accept appointment as Chair of the Board.
The Board welcomed seven new members, and acknowledges and thanks outgoing members for their contribution: Dr Murray Thomas (Chair); community members Mr Robin Brown, Mrs Kim Jones, Ms Jacqueline Gibson-Roos and Mrs Julia Christensen; and practitioner members Mrs Janice Okine, Dr Kate Raymond and Ms Carolynne Smith.
Dr Simon Shanahan, Chair
