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Paediatric Dentist salary in Australia
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.
Roles that pay more than paediatric dentist
The largest typical pay rise is $22,500 a year, moving into Dentist.
- Dentist+$22,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher paediatric dentist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time paediatric dentist salary is $145,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Paediatric Dentists are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Patient care and support and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general paediatric dentist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Dentist pays a typical $22,500 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Paediatric Dentist salary questions
How much do paediatric dentists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a paediatric dentist is $145,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is paediatric dentist pay rising or falling?
The median paediatric dentist salary is up $30,900 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than paediatric dentist?
Dentist pays a typical $22,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to paediatric dentist.