All smiles for first complement of dentistry and oral health graduates from Griffith

Griffith University's School of Dentistry and Oral Health reached a milestone on December 12 when almost 60 students will graduated with a Bachelor of Oral Health.

Griffith offers a uniquely integrated suite of three undergraduate programs in dental science, dental technology and oral health therapy. While the dental technology and oral health therapy graduates are fully qualified to join the workforce, the dental science graduates are celebrating being a step closer to their goal of becoming registered dentists. They will return to university to complete a two-year Graduate Diploma of Dentistry before being eligible to apply for registration as a dentist.

Dean of Dentistry and Oral Health Professor Newell Johnson congratulated the students for their efforts and said the community was looking forward to benefiting from their skills.

"Australia as a nation is currently graduating fewer dentists, and other members of the oral health team than for the past several decades," he said. "Griffith is now starting to make our contribution to solving the problem of access to dental care in Queensland and nationally."

That contribution will continue to increase in the future as the federal government has funded an extra 20 places for dental science students at Griffith starting in 2007.

While the majority of this year's graduates will be continuing on to higher degrees, many already work part-time in dental laboratories or dental practices.

They will also contribute to the provision of local oral health services via their practical experience in Griffith's Dental Clinic. The Clinic, in the Centre for Medicine and Oral Health Centre at Southport, opened in February this year and has already seen about 2,500 patients.

Patient numbers are expected to climb to about 10,000 per annum as services will gradually expand from 2007 to include specialist clinics such as orthodontics and periodontology.

"We have here at Griffith probably the best equipped and most modern dental clinic for training dental and oral health specialists," Professor Johnson said.

Students from all disciplines spend much of their three years learning side-by-side - providing the opportunity to fully understand their respective roles in the oral health care team and how to work together effectively.

Graduating students include:

Quintin Wilson, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science, already spends much of his spare time working as a dental assistant in his wife's Southport dental practice. He will return to uni in 2007 to start the two-year Graduate Diploma of Dentistry which is a requirement for registration as a dentist.

Andrew Cameron will graduate with a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Technology and looks forward to a hands-on career creating dental appliances such as dentures, mouthguards, orthodontic plates and dental implants. Griffith was the first university to offer a degree program in dental technology and its graduates are also eligible to enrol in a Masters program to gain specialist skills in prosthetics. Mr Cameron plans to study towards his Masters on a part-time basis.

Cheryll Haynes is one of the first graduates from the Bachelor of Oral Health in Oral Health Therapy. She has worked as a dental assistant on the Gold Coast for many years but is now qualified to provide preventive care for all ages and procedural work such as fillings and extractions on children.