specialist dentisttodental practitioner
A specialist dentist already meets 20% of what the dental practitioner role asks for. The move turns on 58 required skills not yet in the profile.
20%
87.9/ 100
1 Share of the dental practitioner role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the specialist dentist profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A dental practitioner role treats 9 of its required skills as things a specialist dentist already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- carry out local anesthesia in dental procedures
- diagnose abnormalities of dental-facial structures
- discuss dental treatment options with patient
- manage dental emergencies
- perform dental clinical examination
- perform oral health diagnosis
What stands in the way is 58 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A dental practitioner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a specialist dentist background worth leading with.
- already held carry out local anesthesia in dental procedures assisting and caring
- already held diagnose abnormalities of dental-facial structures information skills
- already held discuss dental treatment options with patient communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage dental emergencies assisting and caring
- already held perform dental clinical examination information skills
- already held perform oral health diagnosis information skills
All 24 carried skills, including the 9 the dental practitioner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you would need to learn
The 59 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held correct temporomandibular joint abnormalities required
- required, not held manage edentulous patients required
- required, not held manage occlusion required
- required, not held minimise occupational hazards in dentistry practice required
- required, not held provide periodontal treatment required
- required, not held rehabilitate worn dentition required
- required, not held restore teeths' natural colour required
- required, not held treat cases of malocclusion required
- required, not held treat exposure of dental pulp required
- required, not held treat snoring problems required
- required, not held use orthodontic tools required
- required, not held write prescriptions for medication in dentistry required
- required, not held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice required
- required, not held contribute to continuity of health care required
- required, not held deal with patients' anxiety required
- required, not held ensure safety of healthcare users required
- required, not held manage adverse reactions to anaesthesia required
- required, not held refer healthcare users required
- required, not held comply with legislation related to health care required
- required, not held deal with emergency care situations required
- required, not held empathise with the healthcare user required
- required, not held follow clinical guidelines required
- required, not held manage infection control in the facility required
- required, not held promote inclusion required
- required, not held accept own accountability required
- required, not held advise on healthcare users' informed consent required
- required, not held apply context specific clinical competences required
- required, not held counsel on nutrition and its impact on oral health required
- required, not held promote health and safety policies in health services required
- required, not held work in multidisciplinary health teams required
- required, not held communicate in healthcare required
- required, not held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship required
- required, not held educate on the prevention of illness required
- required, not held interact with healthcare users required
- required, not held listen actively required
- required, not held provide health education required
- required, not held work in a multicultural environment in health care required
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- required, not held anaesthetics required
- required, not held clinical disciplines in dentistry required
- required, not held medico-biological and medical sciences related to dentistry required
- required, not held mouth anatomy required
- required, not held surgery required
- required, not held cosmetic dental procedures required
- required, not held dentistry science required
- required, not held lead the dental team required
- required, not held supervise dental staff required
- required, not held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health required
- required, not held apply organisational techniques required
- required, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time required
- required, not held respond to changing situations in health care required
- required, not held differentiate between maxillofacial tissues required
- required, not held interpret findings from medical examinations required
- required, not held keep records for dental prostheses required
- required, not held undertake clinical audit required
- required, not held manage healthcare users' data required
- required, not held select materials for orthodontic appliances required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a dental practitioner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 correct temporomandibular joint abnormalities skill · occupation specific
- 02 differentiate between maxillofacial tissues skill · occupation specific
- 03 fit dental appliances skill · occupation specific
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held carry out local anesthesia in dental procedures skill
- already held diagnose abnormalities of dental-facial structures skill
- already held discuss dental treatment options with patient skill
- already held manage dental emergencies skill
- already held perform dental clinical examination skill
- already held perform oral health diagnosis skill
- already held perform reconstructive oral surgery skill
- already held provide instruction in orthodontic procedures skill
- already held treat tooth decay skill
- already held conduct continuing professional development workshops skill
- already held conduct health related research skill
- already held contribute to practice innovation in health care skill
- already held correct dentofacial deformities skill
- already held employment law knowledge
- already held handle payments in dentistry skill
- already held impact of social contexts on health knowledge
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held manage healthcare staff knowledge
- already held organise public oral health programmes skill
- already held pedagogy knowledge
- already held record healthcare users' billing information skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- required, not held use e-health and mobile health technologies required
- required, not held fit dental appliances required
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held build community relations optional
12 held skills the dental practitioner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse X-ray imagery skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate clinical outcomes of dental hygiene interventions skill
- not needed by the target role examine dental models and impressions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain dental station and operatory skill
- not needed by the target role observe patient throughout dental treatment skill
- not needed by the target role oral surgery knowledge
- not needed by the target role orthodontics knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform dental charting skill
- not needed by the target role perform dental hygiene interventions skill
- not needed by the target role prepare patients for dental treatment skill
- not needed by the target role supervise dental technician staff skill
- not needed by the target role teach dentistry skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- required, not held anaesthetics required
- required, not held clinical disciplines in dentistry required
- required, not held medico-biological and medical sciences related to dentistry required
- required, not held mouth anatomy required
- required, not held surgery required
- required, not held cosmetic dental procedures required
- required, not held dentistry science required
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.