Australian Dental Council (ADC)

The Australian Dental Council (ADC) is an independent not-for-profit company limited by guarantee formed in 1993. Under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, the ADC has been appointed by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA) as the designated independent accreditation authority for the Australian dental professions.

The DBA as the regulator, is registration body for dental professions. Applicants for registration must pass a criminal history check, meet English language requirements and evidence of graduation from a dental program or ADC process completion. 

The main functions of the ADC are:

• to act as an external accreditation entity under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law;
• to develop accreditation standards, policies and procedures for dental practitioner programs of study;
• to develop standards, policies and procedures for the assessment of overseas trained dental practitioners for registration in Australia;
• to assess programs of study that lead to general or specialist registration in Australia;
• to assess authorities in other countries which conduct examinations for registration to practise as dental practitioners, or accredit programs of study relevant to registration as a dental practitioner, to decide whether persons who successfully complete the examinations or programs of study conducted or accredited by those authorities have the knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes necessary to practise as dental practitioners in Australia;
• to oversee the assessment of the knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes of overseas trained dental practitioners who are seeking registration to practise in Australia.

Current members of the ADC include professional bodies, academic bodies, and other members of the Australian dental profession.