06 May 2021
As per the requirements of the Dental Board of Australia, it is your obligation to determine whether or not a course is scientific or non-scientific. The following extracts from the Australian Dental Board may assist in determining whether the course is scientific or non-scientific.
Scientific activities
The Dental Board CPD Guidelines provide for “an activity to be recognised as clinically or scientifically based it must relate to the clinical, scientific, or technical aspects of oral health care. For example, activities about infection prevention and control, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), patient record keeping or dento-legal responsibilities would be classified as clinical/scientific, as would topics relating to oral health or particular dental procedures such as endodontics, caries treatment, crown preparations and so on.”
Non-scientific activities
“Non-scientific activities are those that are indirectly related to but supportive of dental care, and include courses about practice management. Subjects that relate to a dental practitioner’s financial wellbeing (such as marketing or personal finance) would be considered non-scientific. The activities need to contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of your knowledge, skills and performance of oral health care.”