Treatment is provided by dental or oral health students at teaching clinics throughout Victoria under the supervision of qualified oral health professionals.
Treatment is free at teaching clinics and waiting times are usually shorter.
Who can receive treatment at a teaching clinic?
If you need general or emergency dental care and meet the general eligibility requirements to receive public dental care, you may be able to obtain treatment at a teaching clinic.
Please be aware that not all patients will be suitable for treatment by a student.
Is there any difference in being treated by a student?
The treatment provided by students is performed under the supervision of qualified dental professionals. Students' work is checked at various stages to ensure that you receive the same level of care that you would expect from a fully qualified dental professional. Also, you can expect to have longer appointment times and more appointments may be required to complete your treatment.
Many patients are pleasantly surprised by the high quality of care they receive at the teaching clinic. Positive feedback is often received from patients praising the students who completed their treatment and the level of attention they received.
Where are teaching clinics located?
The majority of teaching is done at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and Bendigo Health Care Group. Teaching also takes place at some community dental clinics.
Links to the various locations are listed in the below section.
How do I make an appointment?
To make an appointment for the teaching clinic at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne:
Please telephone (03) 9341 1168 between 9.00am and 4.30pm (Monday to Friday only).
A staff member will check that you are eligible for public dental care and whether the treatment you need can be provided by a student.
If you are considered suitable for treatment in a teaching clinic, you will then be made an appointment or placed on the waiting list.
A minimum of 24 hours notice is required to change or cancel an appointment. Patients who miss more than one appointment in the teaching clinic will go back onto the general waiting list at a community dental clinic.
To make an appointment at a community dental teaching clinic:
Please telephone one of the below clinics. Click on the location to view the contact details.
A staff member will need to check that you are eligible for public dental care and whether the treatment you need can be provided by a student.
Video link
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/video/ (episode 8, video download)
This episode of the ABC’s Can We Help? program features a story on trainee dentists and how they prepare themselves for treating patients.