KEY POINTS:
Qualification: Bachelor of Dental Technology.
Where: Otago University Dentistry Faculty.
Contact: Ph: (03) 479 7037, email: dentistry@otago.ac.nz or go to otago.ac.nz/dentistry.
Prerequisites: NCEA University Entrance or equivalent, or successful completion of Otago University health sciences first year. Year 13 chemistry important, with at least Year 12 biology. Physics useful.
Places available: 34.
Closing dates: October 1.
Course costs: $6179 per year. Estimated increase of 5 per cent for 2009.
Starting salary: $35,000-$45,000. Within five years can rise to around $75,000. Laboratory owners can earn over $120,000, depending on laboratory size.
Giving someone the confidence to smile again is just one of many rewards from the work of a good dental technician.
Through the dental technology degree at Otago University, dental technicians learn how to make crowns, bridges and dentures, following instructions from dentists.
Learning about the materials used - ceramics, polymers and alloys - involves chemistry and physics. Biology is important for understanding the growth, development and function of the head and neck, especially the mouth. And then there is the design factor; technicians are copying nature and the prostheses must blend in with the aesthetics of the patient.
About 70 per cent of the degree work is practical. Students have their own laboratory work station, often working on actual cases generated from the dentistry degree students treating patients. This includes going chair-side in the third year to see the work being placed in the mouth.
There is an international shortage of good, competent technicians. The dental technology profession is registered under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2004 and dental technology degree graduates are entitled to register with the New Zealand Dental Technicians Board, which means they're also registered to work in Australia. On average, about 20 per cent of graduates move on to Australia. This is the only degree for dental technology in New Zealand.
GRADUATE
Christine Chiang, 22
Bachelor of Dental Technology
Oralart Dental Ceramics Dental Technician
Completed degree in 2007
I went to Otago University to study dentistry but on the second day read a booklet on dental technology and decided I'd rather do that. It seemed more me because it involved art, as well as teeth. It isn't art like school art. It's more precise and scientific.
The classes were very small, which was great because we got lots of one-on-one tutoring and helped each other a lot.
I enjoyed the technical lab work best - the course is very practical. In the first year we learned the basics and the plastic side of dental technology, which is dentures.
By third year we were mostly working on crowns and bridges in metal; similar to what I do here. The most challenging work is bridges. You have to take lots of care to get them to fit well. It is very, very precise work, as is implant work.
It is really important to have skilful hands because the work is intricate and precise and I don't think that is something you can develop just by practising.
I used to like making origami, things like that, and I believe that really helped my hand skills. There were a couple of students who did well in the science and theory but really struggled with making things.
At the moment, I'm working mostly with gold crowns or metal copings, which are the understructure of the crown that is then fused to the porcelain. You make the metal part first, then build porcelain around it and fire it in a small furnace, about the size of a small rice cooker.
Although it can be repetitive, every mouth is different so you still have to think and problem solve and work with designs carefully.
It is a really good feeling when everyone is happy because the final result works well.
EMPLOYER
David de Wet
Oralart Dental Ceramics owner
We employ 10 people and specialise in crowns and bridges. We're at the larger end of the scale for a New Zealand dental technology laboratory; some have only one or two people.
Otago University does a good job; we're happy with the training. Graduates start as junior technicians and their usefulness depends on their skill level when they arrive.
Christine picked up things quickly and had good hands and technical knowledge. The degree of complexity will grow with time for her.
Manual dexterity is very important because dental technology is a specialised artform, like making miniature sculptures. But there are other roles for graduates with less dexterity such as working in supply companies where technical knowledge is valuable.
