Paediatric Dentist
Paediatric dentists treat the dental problems of infants, children and teenagers, including the decay, growth issues and dental anxiety that general practices often refer on.
- Median salary*
- $145,600
4.4%vs last year, before tax
- People employed*
- 480
4.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +35.8%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Paediatric dentists are registered dental specialists who work in private specialist practices, public dental hospitals, community and school oral health programs, and university clinics. What sets the role apart from general dentistry is the age range and the behaviour side of it: most of a day is spent gaining the cooperation of a child who may be frightened, tired or too young to sit still. It is a small field, with about 480 people working as paediatric dentists in Australia, and the title is protected, so specialist registration with the Dental Board of Australia is required to use it.
How much do paediatric dentists earn?
The median full-time salary for a paediatric dentist is $145,600 per annum, before tax, up $30,900 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on whether you work in private specialist practice or the public system, because public dental salaries follow state health awards while private practice is largely fee for service. Specialists who take on hospital lists, sedation and general anaesthetic sessions, or work in rural and remote areas where the workforce is thin, tend to earn more. How much complex treatment you do compared with routine preventive care also shapes what a week brings in.
What does a paediatric dentist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Examining children's teeth, gums and jaws to diagnose decay, developmental defects and problems with the way the bite is forming
- Providing preventive treatment such as fluoride varnish and fissure sealants, and talking with parents about diet, cleaning and thumb or dummy habits
- Managing behaviour and dental anxiety using approaches such as tell-show-do, distraction and nitrous oxide sedation
- Carrying out restorative and surgical treatment on primary and permanent teeth under local anaesthesia, sedation or a general anaesthetic in hospital
- Coordinating care with orthodontists, paediatricians, speech pathologists, child psychologists and other health professionals
What skills do paediatric dentists need?
Employers look for patient care and support, clinical assessment and treatment, care planning and coordination, backed by Dentally fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Patient care and support
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Care planning and coordination
- Health education and advice
Software and tools
- Dentally
- Cliniko
- Exact
- Carestream Dental imaging
- iTero intraoral scanner
General skills
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Empathy and interpersonal care
Is the job growing?
About 480 people work as paediatric dentists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 35.8% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a paediatric dentist?
Here's the path most paediatric dentists take, step by step.
- 1Complete a dental degree
Either a five-year undergraduate degree such as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery, or a four-year graduate entry Doctor of Dental Medicine if you already hold a bachelor degree. Both include supervised clinical placements treating patients.
- 2Register and work as a dentist
General registration with the Dental Board of Australia lets you practise as a dentist, and specialist programs generally expect a few years of general practice first, including time treating children.
- 3Specialise in paediatric dentistry
A Doctor of Clinical Dentistry in paediatric dentistry runs about three years and is offered at a small number of universities, so entry is competitive and usually needs a strong academic record plus clinical experience.
- 4Apply for specialist registration
Specialist registration with the Dental Board of Australia is what allows you to work and advertise as a paediatric dentist, and it is the qualification employers and hospital departments check.
Ready to apply as a paediatric dentist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a paediatric dentist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a paediatric dentist move to?
Moving into Dentist typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $22,500 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentist Paediatric dentists bring specialist child-focused skills to general dental practice, though broader clinical training is required.Known move | +$22,500 | 36% | requalify |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a paediatric dentist?
The typical paediatric dentist is 44 years old; 52% are men, 68% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 44
- Median age
- 48%
- Female share
- 68%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a paediatric dentist?
Days are built around appointments with children, so the pace is set by how long a young patient can cooperate rather than by how long the procedure takes. Much of the skill sits in the room: explaining a filling to a six-year-old, settling a nervous parent, and knowing when to stop and bring a child back another day. It suits dentists who like working with families over years and who are patient communicators, and it can be frustrating for anyone who wants to move quickly through a list.
What people like
- Preventing problems rather than repairing them. Sealants, fluoride and advice to parents can keep a child out of the chair for years, which is a different kind of satisfaction from drilling and filling.
- Children you see grow up. A patient who first came in as a toddler with a sore tooth may still be with you as a teenager needing orthodontic referrals, so the relationship carries across the whole family.
- Treatment general dentists refer on. Complex restorative work, dental trauma and children with medical or developmental conditions come to you because the practice down the road would rather not manage them.
- A small field with clear standing. Specialist registration is a defined endpoint, and hospital and community clinics rely on a workforce that has few enough people in it that your skills are in steady demand.
What people find hard
- Behaviour takes as long as treatment. An anxious four-year-old may need several short visits before a procedure is possible, so appointments stretch and the clinical work gets done in small pieces.
- Parental anxiety is part of the job. You are often managing an adult's worry about a child's teeth as well as the child, and some parents arrive with strong views about what should be done.
- Sedation and hospital days are heavy. General anaesthetic lists mean early starts, theatre protocols, paperwork and a child who wakes up unsettled, and the day's schedule leaves little room for anything else.
- Public waiting lists shape what you see. In community and hospital clinics, children often arrive once decay is advanced, so there is less of the early preventive work the role is designed around.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ paediatric dentists?
Private specialist dental practices employs the largest share of paediatric dentists, followed by Public dental hospitals and health services.
Top employing industries
- 1Private specialist dental practices
- 2Public dental hospitals and health services
- 3School dental and community oral health programs
- 4Universities and research institutions
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13% | |
| Other | 9% |
Will AI replace paediatric dentists?
Exposure to AI in paediatric dentistry is low, because the core of the job happens in a treatment room with a young patient who cannot be scripted. Imaging software can highlight decay on radiographs and practice systems such as Exact and Cliniko handle recalls, reminders and billing, which trims administrative time but changes nothing about the examination or the treatment itself. The behaviour side of the work, settling a frightened child and talking the family through a plan, is furthest from automation.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Clinical examination and diagnosisAI can flag a suspicious shadow on a bitewing radiograph, but seeing what is happening in a wriggling six-year-old's mouth still depends on the dentist's eyes and hands.35%low
- Restorative and surgical treatmentPlacing a stainless steel crown or repairing a fractured incisor in a young patient requires direct hands-on work, including under sedation or a general anaesthetic.30%low
- Behaviour management and talking with familiesGetting a child through a filling with tell-show-do and distraction, and agreeing a prevention plan with a parent, are conversations no tool can hold.20%low
- Clinical notes, imaging review and recallsPractice software already drafts recall messages and stores imaging, and AI assistance with note writing and caries detection on radiographs cuts the time spent at the desk.15%high
Common questions about becoming a paediatric dentist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do paediatric dentists earn?
The median full-time pay for paediatric dentists is $145,600 per annum, before tax, which averages private specialists, hospital and community dentists, and practice owners together. Private fee for service work and hospital or sedation sessions typically sit at different points in the range.
How do you become a paediatric dentist?
You qualify as a dentist first, usually through a five-year undergraduate dental degree or a four-year graduate entry program, then complete a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry in paediatric dentistry, which takes about three years. Specialist registration with the Dental Board of Australia follows, and that registration is what lets you use the title.
Are paediatric dentists in demand in Australia?
Paediatric dentists are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 35.8% over the decade to 2035. Because the specialist workforce is small and training takes years, public hospital and community clinics can hold vacancies open for a long time, so the qualification travels well around the country.
Will AI replace paediatric dentists?
No, exposure to AI is low in this role. Software already reads radiographs and flags possible decay, and practice systems handle recalls and reminders, but the examination, the hands-on treatment and the work of getting a frightened child through an appointment stay with the dentist.
What else can a paediatric dentist do?
General dental practice is the main alternative: general dentists earn $22,500 more, and the move makes sense because the clinical foundation overlaps, though you would be treating adults as well as children. Many paediatric dentists instead stay in the specialty and open or take a partnership in their own practice, which is often where earnings grow, or move into hospital leadership and teaching.
What is the difference between a paediatric dentist and a general dentist?
A general dentist treats patients of any age and refers children with complex needs, dental trauma or difficult behaviour on to a specialist. A paediatric dentist has three years of additional training in child development, behaviour management and treatment under sedation, and sees only young patients.
Specialisation of
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