Under the Legislation Act 2019, notice is given of the making of the following secondary legislation:

This secondary legislation can be accessed at: https://dcnz.org.nz/resources-and-publications/resources/gazette-notices/.

The following replaces the prescribed qualifications for the scope of practice for oral health therapy as published in the New Zealand Gazette, 12 November 2021, Notice No. 2021-sl4808. The scope of practice and competencies for oral health therapy as published in the New Zealand Gazette, 12 November 2021, Notice No. 2021-sl4808 remain unchanged.

Prescribed Qualifications for the Scope of Practice for Oral Health Therapy

New Zealand Accredited Programmes

• University of Otago Bachelor of Oral Health¹ and a Dental Council accredited adult restorative programme.
• Auckland University of Technology Bachelor of Health Science in Oral Health² and a Dental Council accredited adult restorative programme.

Competent Authority – Qualification

Australia

• An Australian educational institution oral health therapy degree approved by the Dental Board of Australia for the purposes of oral health therapy registration in Australia. For those Australian programmes where adult restorative treatment is not accredited as part of the programme, a New Zealand Dental Council accredited programme is required to remove the adult restorative treatment exclusion.

Examination

• An oral health therapy or a combined dental therapy/dental hygiene qualification and a pass in the New Zealand Oral Health Therapist Registration Examination and a New Zealand Dental Council accredited adult restorative programme.

Competent Authority – Registration³ (from 1 November 2026)

• Current full/unrestricted/unconditional oral health therapy registration, or combined dental hygiene/dental therapy registration with a competent authority(s) recognised by the Dental Council⁴; and
• Clinical practice⁵ in oral health therapy or combined dental therapy/dental hygiene in the competent authority(s) for at least 33 months (working 20 hours or more per week) during the 48 months immediately prior to application.

Dated at Wellington this 31st day of March 2026.

MARIE MACKAY, Chief Executive, Dental Council.

Endnotes

1. Qualification obtained since 2009 onwards.

2. Qualification obtained since 2008 onwards.

3. Upon commencement of practice in New Zealand, practitioners registered under the competent authority registration pathway will practise under the oversight of a Dental Council approved practitioner for a period of at least six months under the terms of the oversight protocol.

4. United Kingdom (General Dental Council), Australia (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) for the purposes of oral health therapy.

5. Clinical practice means the maintenance of health through the assessment, diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention of any disease, disorder or condition of the orofacial complex and associated structures.