Application

This unit of competency describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to interpret a prescribed request for a dental radiographic image. It also includes the preparation of the patient for dental radiography and the selection of equipment requirements.
This unit applies to dental assisting work under the instruction and supervision of the dental practitioner.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Dental radiography work must only be performed by a person with a radiation user licence granted by the relevant State/Territory regulatory authority under legislation.

What You'll Learn

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
• correctly interpret at least three different dental radiographic requests and prepare for procedure including:
• confirming patient identity and consent
• selecting correct radiographic imaging equipment using relevant technical variables for the requested radiographic procedure
• using procedures to minimise the risk of radiation to the patient, the practitioner and others.

Knowledge Evidence

Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
• features, characteristics and movements of a range of dental radiographic equipment associated with intraoral and extraoral units
• national and State or Territory legal and ethical requirements and considerations for dental assisting work and how these are applied in organisations and in individual practice including:
• codes of practice and safety guides:
• radiation protection in dentistry
• safe use of radiation
• duty of care
• informed consent and statutory requirements of consent
• practice standards including dental guidelines privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
• radiation user licence
• records management
• work role boundaries including responsibilities and limitations
• work health and safety
• radiographic appearance of anatomic landmarks, normal dentition and associated bony structures for dental radiograph images
• radiographic appearance of dental anomalies and common oral pathological conditions
• range of dental radiographic imaging techniques and the reasons for selection of each technique
• reasons for inaccuracies in radiographs and techniques for minimising errors.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must be demonstrated in a dental clinic workplace with the addition of simulations and scenarios where the full range of contexts and situations cannot be provided in the workplace.
Assessment must ensure:
• access to suitable facilities, equipment and resources including:
• barrier protection materials
• dental chair and unit
• X-ray unit
• practitioner and assistant protective equipment
• radiographs or sensors
• codes of practice and safety guides for radiation use
• modelling of industry operating conditions including access to people for simulations and scenarios in dental assisting work.
Assessment must involve demonstration of tasks under verbal or written prescription from a dental practitioner.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations’ requirements for assessors, hold a minimum of five years clinical dental experience and a current radiation user licence.

Foundation Skills

• {'skill': 'Foundation Skills', 'description': 'Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.'}

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