Community Dental Service

Roles & opportunities

With 18 preventive mobile clinics, 13 community clinics and 4 mobile treatment clinics – there are opportunities to live and work either in rural or urban areas within Canterbury and South Canterbury. Dental Therapists and Assistants rotate between community and mobile clinics – so the view outside your window changes regularly.

We see all children from preschool to Year 8 (approximately 12 years old). Parents are really impressed with the service and children love watching the DVDs with headphones while being seen.

Our preventive model means we are at the cutting edge of disease prevention and health promotion. We want to keep the community engaged in the model of care – involving parents and caregivers and whānau in the journey.

As well as Dental Therapists and Dental Assistants, our team also includes: Oral health promotion staff, Dentists and a call centre.

What we're proud of

• Our Dental Therapists and Dental Assistants really enjoy working in our new facilities, with our new equipment and our new preventive model of care.
• We have a totally electronic record system and digital radiography in all facilities. 
• We have a very collaborative style of working, practicing four handed dentistry in a safe, stress-free and productive ergonomic environment. Everyone is a team member sharing the clinic caseload, with shared decision making and responsibility.
• We offer good orientation and supervision, with easy access to continuing professional development.
• We support action-based projects for process improvement – we are always looking at ways to improve our service delivery, to be more efficient and improve access and quality.
  
  

A good fit for you

If working with children, in a solid, well-resourced service, at the cutting edge of disease prevention and health promotion makes you excited – then check us out.

What you'll get out of it

We encourage the development of your speciality interest – supporting research and projects undertaken as part of post graduate study. 
Dental Assistants are supported to complete the 12 month online New Zealand Dental Assistants course. It has a very strong practical component completed on the job.

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