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Diploma · national qualification

Diploma of Dental Technology

Training for this diploma happens largely in a lab, where students learn to make and repair the appliances that sit inside someone's mouth: dentures, crowns, bridges, orthodontic devices and splints.

Compare 6 providers
Illustration of a person working as dental Technician
How long it takes
2 years
full time at TAFE NSW
What it costs
From $23,283
Subsidised at Holmesglen Institute, full fee up to $36,475
How you can study
Online or on campus
Main job
Dental Technician
$67,600 (estimate) median pay, In demand
Taught by
6 providers
5 states and territories

Is this course right for you?

What the Diploma of Dental Technology asks of you, and what you might want to check first.

It helps to have

  • an interest in making things with your hands
  • patience for careful, detailed work
  • an eye for shape, fit and finish
  • a methodical approach to hygiene and safety

Before you start

Each provider sets its own entry requirements, so check the ones you are considering.

Diploma or related qualifications?

There are no related qualifications at other levels listed for this diploma.

Where this course can take you

Jobs this qualification is a recognised route into, and the study that can follow it.

Jobs you can do with it

  • Dental Technician

    Dental technicians make the crowns, bridges, dentures and orthodontic appliances that dentists fit, working from impressions, scans and written prescriptions.

    What else you need

    Dental laboratory construction and repair under the prescription of dentists, dental prosthetists or dental specialists; this is not registration for those prescribing professions.

    Median pay$67,600 (estimate)

    In demand

If you study further

Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list. Pay marked as an estimate is our own analysis, not a published figure.

What it costs

Subsidised place

From $23,283

at Holmesglen Institute. Whether you get a subsidised place depends on your state, residency, age and earlier study.

Paying the full fee

$33,420 to $36,475

across the TAFEs listed below. Private providers set their own fees.

  • Holmesglen InstituteVIC

    Subsidised
    $23,283
    Full fee
    $33,420

  • TAFE QueenslandQLD

    Subsidised
    $31,350
    Concession
    $29,825
    Full fee
    $36,475

Fees as each TAFE shows them on its website, read 20 September 2026. Private providers set their own fees.

Where you can study this course

There are 6 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.

What you’ll learn

25 units: 21 that everyone takes and 4 you choose.

  • Making dental models and trays
  • Casting metal denture frameworks
  • Building crowns and bridges
  • Making complete and partial dentures
  • Designing restorations in CAD
  • Infection control in the lab
See all 21 core units

Core units

Everyone completes these. Select a unit to see what it covers.

  • Loading the details for CHCCOM005…

Questions to ask before you enrol

Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.

  1. When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
  2. What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
  3. Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
  4. Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?

Questions people ask

Who is this qualification for?

It prepares you to work as a dental technician, making and repairing dentures, crowns, bridges, orthodontic devices and splints in a lab. You learn to work from a dentist's prescription and use CAD software.

Do I need experience or other qualifications first?

Entry requirements are set by each provider, so check with the provider you choose.

How is it different from related qualifications?

There are no related qualifications at other levels listed for this diploma.

Related courses

The national training register, training.gov.au. TAFE course pages, read 20 September 2026. Google reviews. Pay and shortage status from Jobs and Skills Australia.