Oral health careers
Image
Dental Officer
A rewarding career committed to working with rural communities, providing assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with a variety of dental and oral problems; working with other dental staff to ensure high quality of care, developing preventative care programs to inform patients on good oral care habits.
Image
Oral Health Therapist
Providing oral health assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of dental problems in both adults and children; education for the prevention of oral disease to promote healthy oral behaviours.
Image
Dental Assistant
Supporting the dentist or oral health therapist to provide patient care. Responsibilities include preparation of the room and equipment, assistance at chairside, sterilisation of instruments, teaching patients good dental hygiene.
Consider an oral health career in Western NSW
Professional development - specialist pathways are offered to expand your skills in emergency care, general care and children's dentistry. Fast-track your career to clinical leadership with exposure to a wide scope of work in a range of clinical settings.
Modern clinics and equipment - you will always have the most up to date equipment to work with, provided and maintained for you.
A network of support - care for your patients and accelerate personal growth with access to a network of oral health and multidisciplinary clinicians for support and guidance. You'll have more interaction with medical services and treating inpatients plus a collegial working environment to thrive in.
Make a difference to rural communities - with a unique synergy of fields in dental public health you have an opportunity to influence widespread improvement to rural population oral health. Be a part of organised efforts for disease prevention, health improvement and optimising the dental care delivery system with special attention to disadvantaged populations.
Flexible work practices - set hours on weekdays, with competitive pay (plus super) and entitlements including accrued day off, salary packaging and fitness passport.
Financial liberty - you can treat patients without your own financial investment, no set-up, premise or partner fees to manage. You'll always have a full set of appointments, and your pay is guaranteed.
Dental Officer Rural Incentive Scheme - an extra $20k every year as part of your pay (=$10.09/hr extra).
Graduates gain more – it’s one on one in a training facility, so greater mentoring and first hand experience as you start your career. Choose to follow specialist pathways after your first year depending on your interests, such outreach services, treating patients under general anaesthetic and supervising students.
Meet our people
"Within a few months as a new grad, I was able to develop the clinical confidence to also work as solo Dentist in smaller towns. This was a big step up, however with a network of clinicians, specialists and other health professionals working around me, it’s easier to access support or assistance for difficult cases and the mentorship is great."
Dr Shinal Naicker BOH BDSc
Oral health services in our District
We care for close to 270,000 people in our hospitals and health facilities, across an area that is the geographical size of England. Our facilities include:
• 3 regional referral hospitals at Bathurst, Dubbo and Orange
• 4 procedural hospitals at Mudgee, Cowra, Parkes and Forbes and
• 25 multipurpose services in unique Australian outback towns.
From large regional centres to small remote communities, Western NSW LHD covers our vast and diverse community.
Our oral health services are usually based at the Health Service site, or nearby.
| Bathurst | 6 chairs with outreach to Oberon and Blayney (child only). |
| Cowra | (child only) – 1 chair clinic located at the Cowra public school with outreach to Grenfell and Condobolin. There are plans for 5 chairs in the new Cowra health service redevelopment. |
| Dubbo | 6 chairs co-located with Charles Sturt University Dubbo Dental and Oral Health Clinic. Outreach to Wellington, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran (child only), Cobar (child only), Nyngan (child only – 1 chair at Nyngan Public School). |
| Forbes | 2 chairs with no outreach. |
| Mudgee | 5 chairs with outreach to Gulgong and Rylstone. |
| Orange | 8 chairs and may provide outreach to Parkes, Forbes and Cowra. |
| Parkes | 3 chairs –with outreach to Peak Hill, Tullamore. |
| Mobile Oral Health Centre (MOHC) | 2 chair mobile clinic which visits towns including Baradine, Gulargambone, Nyngan, Trangie, Warren and Narromine. The MOHC stays in the one location for 6 -8 weeks and staff travel from Dubbo for 2 days per week to facilitate the service. |
| A single chair mobile van is currently located in Lachlan (staffed by Parkes, Forbes and Cowra) and will move around the District providing treatment in schools. |
Contact Western NSW LHD Recruitment
Express your interest in working in Western NSW.