NZ Dental Therapy REX study guide
NZ Dental Therapy REX · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The New Zealand Dental Therapy Registration Examination (REX) is the assessment route the Dental Council of New Zealand uses to decide whether an applicant is competent to hold an annual practising certificate as a dental therapist in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is aimed principally at applicants who qualified overseas, or who hold a qualification the Council does not recognise outright, and who therefore need to demonstrate that their knowledge and clinical judgement meet the local standard. The NZ Dental Therapy REX study guide has 7 sections and about 2,011 words.
01Professional, legal and ethical standards
Dental therapists in Aotearoa New Zealand practise under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCA), which gives the Dental Council responsibility for scope, competence and discipline. You must hold an annual practising certificate, work inside the dental therapy scope, keep records that justify your decisions, and notify the Registrar if you believe another practitioner poses a risk of serious harm.
337 words, about 2 min02Infection prevention and control
Treat every patient as potentially infectious. Perform hand hygiene at the WHO five moments, before glove use and after removal; bare below the elbows; use PPE matched to the task (gloves, mask, eye protection, gown) and change it between patients.
304 words, about 2 min03Oral health assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning
Start with the presenting complaint in the patient's or whānau's words, then history: medical conditions, medicines, allergies, previous dental experience, diet and free-sugar frequency, fluoride exposure, oral hygiene, smoking or vaping, and social or access barriers. Examine extra-orally (swelling, lymph nodes, TMJ) and intra-orally (soft tissues, plaque, gingival bleeding, occlusion, caries).
280 words, about 1 min04Preventive dentistry and oral health promotion
Core measures: community water fluoridation, twice-daily brushing with 1000 ppm fluoride toothpaste for children and adults (5000 ppm for high-risk patients aged 16+ where appropriate), professional fluoride varnish (22,600 ppm) two to four times a year for high-risk patients, resin fissure sealants on at-risk permanent molars, and silver diamine fluoride for arresting active primary-tooth caries where its staining is acceptable and it is approved for use. Diet advice targets free-sugar frequency, not just quantity.
266 words, about 1 min05Clinical dental therapy practice
Dental therapy scope covers assessment, prevention, restorative care for primary teeth and appropriate permanent teeth in children and adolescents, pulpotomy of primary molars, preformed crowns including the Hall technique, extraction of primary teeth, local anaesthesia and management of dental trauma, with referral where the case exceeds your competence or scope. Behaviour guidance - tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, distraction - is a clinical skill, not an afterthought.
271 words, about 1 min06Patient safety, risk management and quality improvement
Patient safety rests on reporting, learning and system design. Report incidents and near misses through your service's system, take part in open disclosure when harm occurs (consistent with Right 6 and Health and Disability Commissioner guidance), and use clinical audit, consumer feedback and PDSA cycles to improve care.
260 words, about 1 min07Communication and patient-centred care
Right 6 requires information a reasonable consumer would need, in a form they can understand, including the expected benefits, risks, alternatives and the likely outcome of doing nothing. Use plain language, short sentences, and teach-back: ask the person to explain the plan in their own words.
293 words, about 1 min