Free Practice Questions for ADC Written (Dental Therapy)

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Sample ADC Written (Dental Therapy) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the ADC Written (Dental Therapy) exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A dental therapist in Australia is asked by a parent to extract a permanent first molar in a healthy 9-year-old. The therapist last performed an extraction during clinical training two years ago and has not maintained competence. What is the most appropriate action under the Dental Board of Australia's recency-of-practice and scope expectations?

A.Ask the supervising dentist to watch while the therapist proceeds without further preparation

B.Perform the extraction, since deciduous and permanent extractions fall within the dental therapy scope

C.Decline and refer the patient, as practitioners must only provide care for which they have maintained competence and currency

D.Provide the service because the parent has given verbal consent

Explanation: The Dental Board of Australia requires practitioners to work within their individual competence and maintain recency of practice for the procedures they perform. A therapist who has not maintained extraction competence must decline and refer, even where the procedure is within the registered scope. Scope of practice is a ceiling, not a guarantee of individual competence.

2Under the AHPRA mandatory notification provisions, a dental therapist must make a mandatory notification about another registered health practitioner in which of the following situations?

A.The practitioner practised while intoxicated by alcohol, placing the public at risk of substantial harm

B.The practitioner placed a single restoration with a minor marginal overhang

C.The practitioner used a different but accepted technique for a stainless steel crown

D.The practitioner charged a fee the therapist considered too high

Explanation: Mandatory notifications are required when a practitioner places the public at risk of substantial harm, including practising while intoxicated, sexual misconduct, significant departure from accepted standards, or impairment. Practising under the influence of alcohol meets the threshold for a notifiable conduct.

3A 7-year-old Aboriginal child attends with their grandmother for the first time. To provide culturally safe care consistent with the ADC professional competencies, the therapist should primarily:

A.Assume the family will not engage and limit the appointment to a quick examination

B.Use only written health information to avoid taking up appointment time

C.Insist that only a parent, not a grandmother, can consent to any care

D.Build rapport, respect the family's knowledge and decision-making, and adapt communication to be respectful and inclusive

Explanation: Cultural safety is an explicit ADC competency domain. It requires respecting the patient's and family's knowledge, building trust, and adapting communication to be inclusive and non-discriminatory. Care that is culturally safe improves engagement and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

4A dental therapist realises after a child's appointment that a fissure sealant was placed on the wrong tooth, with no harm caused. In line with the duty of open disclosure expected of registered practitioners in Australia, the therapist should:

A.Say nothing because no harm occurred

B.Inform the parent of what happened, explain the implications, and document the discussion

C.Quietly remove the sealant at the next visit without explanation

D.Ask reception to alter the clinical notes to omit the error

Explanation: Open disclosure is a professional and ethical obligation in Australian healthcare. Even when no harm results, the practitioner should inform the patient or guardian, explain what happened, and document the conversation honestly. Transparency maintains trust and meets the Dental Board's code of conduct.

5When obtaining valid consent to apply silver fluoride (silver diamine fluoride) to carious deciduous teeth in a 4-year-old, the therapist must specifically advise the parent that:

A.The treatment is painless and has no visible effect

B.The teeth will become whiter after application

C.Arrested carious lesions will turn black/dark and this staining is permanent on the affected tooth structure

D.No follow-up is ever required once applied

Explanation: Valid consent requires disclosure of material risks and outcomes. Silver fluoride arrests caries but stains the arrested carious dentine black, an effect the parent must understand and accept before treatment. Failing to disclose this foreseeable cosmetic outcome invalidates consent.

6A dental therapist observes clinical signs strongly suggestive of child dental neglect and possible abuse in a 6-year-old. Under Australian child protection obligations, the most appropriate first step is to:

A.Ignore it unless the child discloses abuse directly

B.Confront the parent with an accusation in the waiting room

C.Refuse to treat the child and discharge them from the practice

D.Document objective findings carefully and make a report to the relevant child protection authority according to jurisdictional requirements

Explanation: Dental practitioners are well placed to detect signs of child maltreatment and have a professional and, in many jurisdictions, legal responsibility to report concerns. The correct approach is careful objective documentation and a report to the appropriate child protection service, not accusation or abandonment.

7Which statement best reflects the relationship between a dental therapist and a dentist under contemporary Australian regulation, following the removal of the structured supervision requirement by the Dental Board?

A.A therapist practises within their education, training and competence, using collaborative/referral relationships with dentists as needed for the patient

B.A therapist may only ever work in the physical presence of a dentist

C.A therapist may independently perform any procedure a dentist can perform

D.A therapist must obtain written dentist sign-off for every individual patient before treatment

Explanation: The Dental Board of Australia removed mandatory structured supervision; therapists now practise within their scope, education and competence using professional collaborative and referral relationships. This is patient-centred and risk-based rather than requiring constant dentist presence or per-patient sign-off.

8A 16-year-old attends alone and requests fissure sealants, demonstrating a clear understanding of the procedure, benefits and risks. With respect to consent for this mature minor in Australia, the therapist should:

A.Always refuse care to anyone under 18 without a parent present

B.Assess the young person's capacity (Gillick competence) and, if competent for this low-risk procedure, may proceed with their consent

C.Telephone the parent and treat only if the parent verbally agrees, regardless of the minor's capacity

D.Treat without any consent because sealants are preventive

Explanation: Australian law recognises the mature-minor (Gillick) principle: a young person with sufficient maturity and understanding can consent to their own care. For a low-risk preventive procedure such as fissure sealants, a competent 16-year-old can provide valid consent.

9Under the Privacy and health records obligations applying to Australian dental practices, a parent of an 8-year-old requests a copy of the child's dental record. The therapist should generally:

A.Refuse all access to records as they are confidential

B.Email the full record to anyone who asks for it

C.Only release records to another dentist, never to a parent

D.Provide access to the parent as the child's legal guardian, in accordance with privacy legislation and practice policy

Explanation: Parents or legal guardians acting in the best interests of a young child generally have a right to access the child's health information under Australian privacy law. Access should follow the practice's privacy policy and verify identity and guardianship.

10A dental therapist wishes to advertise their services online. Under the Dental Board of Australia's advertising guidelines, which of the following is NOT permitted?

A.Listing the services offered and their fees

B.Stating the practitioner's registration type and qualifications accurately

C.Using patient testimonials that review the clinical care provided

D.Providing oral health education content

Explanation: The National Law prohibits the use of testimonials about the clinical aspects of regulated health services in advertising. Advertising must not be false, misleading, or create unreasonable expectations of benefit. Accurate service listings, qualifications and educational content are acceptable.

About the ADC Written (Dental Therapy) Exam

The ADC Written Examination (Dental Therapy) assesses whether overseas-qualified practitioners meet the competency standards of a newly qualified Australian dental therapist. It is a computer-based, scenario-based multiple-choice examination delivered through Pearson VUE and shares the DHDT assessment stream with dental hygiene, with the therapy scope adding paediatric restorative dentistry, deciduous tooth extraction, child oral health, preventive care and radiography.

Exam sponsor: Australian Dental Council (ADC). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Computer-based, scenario-based single-best-answer multiple-choice questions delivered through Pearson VUE, blueprinted to the ADC professional competency domains for hygiene/therapy practice.

Time Limit

Delivered in computer-based sections of approximately 2 hours each over the examination session (per the ADC/Pearson VUE format).

Passing Score

Criterion-referenced; the pass standard is set through standard-setting rather than a fixed published percentage.

Exam / Certification Fees

Set on the ADC fees schedule for the DHDT written examination. The commonly cited AUD 2,122 is the dentist written exam fee; verify the current DHDT fee on the official ADC fees page.

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

12%

Social Responsibility and Professionalism

Ethics, scope of practice, valid consent, cultural safety, mandatory notification, advertising and record-keeping under Australian dental regulation.

Health Promotion

Population and individual prevention including water fluoridation, diet counselling, fluoride toothpaste advice, behaviour change and child oral health.

30%

Clinical Information Gathering

History taking, examination, vital signs, caries-risk assessment, periodontal screening, radiographic interpretation and lesion recognition.

30%

Diagnosis and Management Planning

Diagnosis and planning across paediatric restorative care, deciduous extraction, pulp therapy, prevention, periodontics, pharmacology and referral decisions.

20%

Clinical Treatment and Evaluation

Performing and evaluating procedures: restorations, fissure sealants, deciduous extraction, local anaesthesia, infection control and medical emergency management.

Preparing for the ADC Written (Dental Therapy) Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Criterion-referenced; the pass standard is set through standard-setting rather than a fixed published percentage.
Assessment: Computer-based, scenario-based single-best-answer multiple-choice questions delivered through Pearson VUE, blueprinted to the ADC professional competency domains for hygiene/therapy practice.
Time limit: Delivered in computer-based sections of approximately 2 hours each over the examination session (per the ADC/Pearson VUE format).
Exam / certification fees: Set on the ADC fees schedule for the DHDT written examination. The commonly cited AUD 2,122 is the dentist written exam fee; verify the current DHDT fee on the official ADC fees page. Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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ADC Written (Dental Therapy): Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the Therapeutic Guidelines (Oral and Dental) and Dental Board of Australia standards, because the exam tests clinical judgement applied to the Australian context rather than rote recall.

2Focus heavily on paediatric care unique to the therapy scope: deciduous tooth extraction technique, pulp therapy, stainless steel crowns, space maintenance, fluoride and silver fluoride, and child behaviour management.

3Practise reasoning through clinical vignettes that integrate prevention, diagnosis, treatment planning and scope-of-practice/referral decisions, mirroring the scenario-based MCQ format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who administers the ADC Written Examination for dental therapy and how is it delivered?

The Australian Dental Council (ADC) owns the examination, which is delivered as a computer-based, scenario-based multiple-choice test through Pearson VUE test centres worldwide.

What is the pass mark for the ADC dental therapy written examination?

There is no fixed published percentage pass mark. The ADC uses a criterion-referenced standard set through standard-setting, so the cut score reflects the minimum competence expected of a newly qualified Australian dental therapist.

How long is a passing ADC written examination result valid?

From March 2026 a successful written examination result is valid for five years (previously three years), within which candidates must complete the practical examination.

How does the dental therapy stream differ from dental hygiene?

Hygiene and therapy share the DHDT written assessment stream, but the therapy scope adds paediatric restorative dentistry, deciduous (baby) tooth extraction, child oral health, preventive care and radiography.