Regional Queensland
Regional recruitment specialist for Queensland employers, from Cairns to Toowoomba and Mount Isa. See how hard each region is to hire in, and how we help.
Oral health therapist recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help private dental practices, dental groups, school and community dental services and Aboriginal health services across regional Australia hire oral health therapists, dental hygienists and dental therapists, from graduates to experienced clinicians. Registration, the X-ray licence your state requires and the patients the role will treat shape the search from the first conversation.
Oral health therapist hiring at a glance
Hygienists and dental therapists are rated in shortage, and a third of the job ads in their group are outside the major cities.
- national rating for Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist in 2026
- Shortage
- In shortage means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage); both are rated S.1
- online job ads a month for dental hygienists, technicians and therapists
- 166
- Three-month average to September 2026, down from 195 a year earlier.2
- of those ads were for regional areas
- 34%
- 56 of 163 ads placed in a major city or regional area, against 29% of all job ads.3
- practitioners registered only as oral health therapists
- 3,648
- At 30 June 2026, alongside 1,520 registered only as hygienists and 516 only as dental therapists.5
What does an oral health therapist do, and how are they registered?
Oral health therapists, dental hygienists and dental therapists provide preventive and restorative dental care. Their work includes removing deposits from teeth, applying fluoride and fissure sealants, taking impressions and dental radiographs, giving local anaesthetic and running oral health education.4
All three are divisions of dental practitioner registered with the Dental Board of Australia, and registration is national. A registered oral health therapist is qualified to practise as a dental therapist, a dental hygienist or both. Within any division, each practitioner's scope depends on their education, training, experience and competence.6 The same scope of practice standard applies to every division of dental practitioner.7
Which registration and X-ray licence does an oral health therapist need in each state?
Registration is national, but the licence to take dental X-rays depends on the state. New South Wales and Queensland treat registered hygienists, therapists and oral health therapists much like dentists. Victoria requires a use licence for each type of X-ray unit.
Dental X-ray (radiation use) licensing for registered dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists, as published by each state or territory regulator, read on 1 November 2026.
| State or territory | X-ray licence for a registered OHT, hygienist or therapist |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | No user licence for intra-oral, OPG or lateral cephalometric X-rays since 1 December 2025; a licence is needed for cone beam CT8,9 |
| Victoria | Use licence; Ahpra registration for intra-oral units, plus a recognised course or degree for panoramic and cephalometric units; 3D (cone beam) units also need DEN4 and DEN5 training within the last 12 months10 |
| Queensland | Deemed to hold a use licence for intra-oral X-rays; other dental X-ray equipment needs a use licence11 |
| Western Australia | Pending a law change, the Radiological Council issues registered hygienists, dental therapists and OHTs an interim exemption licence for intra-oral, OPG and lateral cephalometric X-rays within their scope12 |
| South Australia | Radiation licence from the EPA to operate X-ray apparatus13 |
| Tasmania | Licence under the Radiation Protection Act 2005 to use a radiation source14 |
| Northern Territory | Licence needed; Ahpra registration covers intra-oral X-rays, and OPG and cone beam CT need evidence of training15 |
| Australian Capital Territory | Radiation licence; Ahpra registration for general dental X-rays, plus radiation safety training for 3D and cone beam CT units16 |
What does an oral health therapist earn?
The Health Professionals and Support Services Award lists dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists at AQF level 7. Where the award covers the role, a first-year clinician's full-time minimum is $1,308.80 a week, or $34.44 an hour, from 1 October 2026.17 The award covers employers that deliver dental services. Employees under a state public sector award fall outside it.17
Market pay sits above the award. The national median for dental hygienists, technicians and therapists, a group that also includes dental prosthetists and dental technicians, was $2,210 a week, or $55 an hour, in May 2025.4 Only half the people in the group work full-time hours, so we talk with you about the days, the rate and the relocation help that will compete for your location.4
Health Professional employee Level 1, AQF level 7, full-time minimum rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2026.17
| Years of experience | A week | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $1,308.8017 | $34.44 |
| 2nd to 3rd year | $1,409.00 | $37.08 |
| 4th to 6th year | $1,565.30 | $41.19 |
| 7th year and after | $1,689.50 | $44.46 |
Where are oral health therapists in demand?
Job ads for the group eased over the year to September 2026, from 195 to 166 a month across Australia. Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria carry the most ads, and Western Australia and South Australia each carry close to 30 a month.2 Regional ads moved from 61 to 56 a month, while city ads fell further, from 129 to 107.3
The registered workforce isn't spread like the population. South Australia has more practitioners registered only as hygienists (382) than New South Wales (344). Western Australia has 170 of the 516 practitioners registered only as dental therapists.5
Online job ads for dental hygienists, technicians and therapists by state (three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier), and practitioners registered in one of the three divisions only at 30 June 2026.2,5
Which oral health roles do we recruit?
Open a role for its rating, registration and what to put in your brief.
Oral health therapists
Clinicians qualified as both dental therapists and hygienists.
- Registration
- An oral health therapist is qualified to practise as a dental therapist and/or a dental hygienist.6
- Supply
- 3,648 practitioners were registered only as oral health therapists at 30 June 2026, 1,113 of them in New South Wales.5
- Pay
- Award minimum: $1,308.80 a week (AQF level 7, 1st year, from 1 October 2026). Market median: $2,210 a week (dental hygienists, technicians and therapists, May 2025).4,17
- What to tell us
- The split between children and adults, preventive and restorative work, the chairs and X-ray equipment, and how the role works with your dentists.
Dental hygienists
Hygienists for periodontal, preventive and maintenance care.
- Shortage
- Dental Hygienist is rated in shortage for 2026.1
- Registration
- General registration in the dental hygienist division of the Dental Board of Australia.6
- Supply
- 1,520 practitioners were registered only as hygienists at 30 June 2026, 382 of them in South Australia.5
- What to tell us
- Periodontal and maintenance caseloads, appointment lengths, any orthodontic or specialist practice work, and the days you need covered.
Dental therapists
Therapists for school, community and private practice dental care.
- Shortage
- Dental Therapist is rated in shortage for 2026.1
- Registration
- General registration in the dental therapist division; scope depends on each therapist's training and competence.6
- Supply
- 516 practitioners were registered only as dental therapists at 30 June 2026, 170 of them in Western Australia.5
- What to tell us
- Whether the role serves a school or community program, travel between sites or mobile clinics, and the age range of patients.
What to tell us about your oral health role
Tell us which division the role needs, or whether an oral health therapist who can do both suits you best. Then the patients: children, adults or both, and the mix of preventive, periodontal and restorative work.
Tell us the practical details too: the days and hours, the X-ray equipment on site, how the role works with your dentists, any travel to schools or outreach clinics, and support with relocation and housing.
How we help you hire an oral health therapist
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Part-time hours, outreach and relocation
Only half of the wider group works full-time hours.4 Tell us plainly which days and hours the role offers, and whether it combines a practice base with school or outreach clinics, so we can match it to clinicians who want that pattern.
We search first among clinicians who already live in or have ties to your region, then among those planning a move. A clinician moving interstate keeps their national registration but may need your state's X-ray licence.10 If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for an oral health role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your registration division, the patients and work you enjoy and where you would like to work. Graduate and experienced oral health therapists, hygienists and dental therapists are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next oral health therapist hire
Tell us the role, the practice or service, the location and the days you need covered.
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Can an oral health therapist work as a dental hygienist?
Yes. The Dental Board of Australia treats a registered oral health therapist as qualified to practise as a dental therapist, a dental hygienist or both. Each clinician's scope still depends on their education, training, experience and competence.6 Hire Australia asks every candidate about their division and the work they do day to day.
What is the award rate for an oral health therapist in 2026?
Where the Health Professionals and Support Services Award covers the role, a first-year oral health therapist, hygienist or dental therapist earns at least $1,308.80 a week from 1 October 2026, rising to $1,689.50 from the seventh year.17 The group median was $2,210 a week in May 2025.4 Hire Australia talks through your pay range early.
Does an oral health therapist need a radiation licence?
It depends on the state. New South Wales exempts registered hygienists, therapists and oral health therapists from a user licence for most dental X-rays. Queensland deems them licensed for intra-oral X-rays, and Victoria requires a use licence.8,10,11 Hire Australia raises your state's rule with every candidate.
How hard is it to recruit a hygienist or oral health therapist regionally?
Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist are both rated in shortage for 2026.1 Job ads for dental hygienists, technicians and therapists averaged 166 a month in the three months to September 2026, and 56 of them were for regional areas.2,3 Hire Australia plans each regional search around your days, patients and start date.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia?
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply whether Hire Australia recruits a graduate oral health therapist or an experienced hygienist.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.
Sources (17)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022 sheet). National ratings, files dated October 2026, ANZSCO 2022 coding. "In shortage" means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional; unclassified ads excluded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (occupation descriptions, earnings and employment). Medians: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national, 4-digit groups. Employment: 4-digit February 2026, trend; 6-digit occupations, 2021 Census. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Dental Board of Australia, Registrant data, 1 April to 30 June 2026 (Tables 2.1 and 4.1). Registrants at 30 June 2026 by principal place of practice, including non-practising; published 21 September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Dental Board of Australia, Dental hygienist, dental therapist and oral health therapist (page reviewed 18 March 2025). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Dental Board of Australia, Scope of practice registration standard (effective 1 July 2020). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Environment Protection Authority, Radiation user licence: exemptions and supervision requirements (updated 14 April 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Environment Protection Authority, Changes to the regulation of radiation (Protection from Harmful Radiation Regulation 2025). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Department of Health, Dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists: use licences (updated 13 October 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Queensland Health, Dental use licence (last updated 3 September 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Radiological Council of Western Australia, Licence Prerequisites: Dental Practitioners (exemption for dentists; CBCT prerequisites; interim exemption licence for hygienists, therapists and OHTs; last updated 4 April…. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Environment Protection Authority South Australia, Radiation licensing (licences to operate ionising radiation apparatus). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Tasmanian Department of Health, What is radiation protection? (a licence is needed to deal with a radiation source). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Northern Territory Government, Radiation licences for medical and dental practitioners: dental practitioners. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- ACT Government, Radiation licence for dental use (last updated 5 March 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Commission, Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 [MA000027], clauses 4, 16, 17 and Schedules A and B. Consolidated award incorporating amendments to 1 October 2026 (PR814029). Coverage: clause 4; state public sector awards excluded (clause 4.6). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑