Professor Janet Wallace, Honorary Professor Oral Health
PhD, GCPTT, BOH, Dip DT, Dip BM, FACI, FICD, ADAVSA
PROFESSOR JANET WALLACE is a registered oral health therapist and an honorary Professor in Oral Health at the University of Newcastle, Australia.
Janet completed her full-time career at the School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, and Health at the University of Sydney, where upon appointment, she was only the second female Professor to be appointed in the dental school in 120 years.
Prior to joining the University of Sydney in 2021, she was the Head of Discipline, for Oral Health at the University of Newcastle where she co-wrote the Diploma of Dental Therapy program and the Bachelor of Oral Health program, the first oral health adult scope program to be offered in NSW. She remains strongly connected to the University of Newcastle where her honorary Professorship covers the supervision of higher degree students, research involvement and teaching into the program to support student placements in aged care facilities, her Senior Smiles translational research. This research is internationally recognised.
Prior to joining the academic world, she spent 20 years plus, working as a dental practitioner and manager in private practice and public sector dental services in NSW. She knowledges this valuable career experience enabled her to move successfully into the university environment. Professor Wallace has served on numerous national and international committees, including the scope of practice review and the independent practitioners review committees. She was instrumental in the scope of practice review and the independent practitioners' rights successes and has advocated for the profession through her career. She has dedicated a significant amount of her time in guiding her profession in scope of practice requirements, bringing years of knowledge and expertise to this often-controversial topic.
She served on the NSW Dental Council for the maximum term of 9 years from 2013 to 2021, where she was also the Education and Research Chair and a member of the Health Practitioners committee. She served on the New Zealand, Dental Council, Accreditation Committee from 2019 to 2023 and was the Deputy Chair of the AHPRA Dental Board, Registration and Compliance Committee also, from 2019 to 2023. In semi-retirement, she is currently an Australian Dental Council assessor and an assessor for the New Zealand Dental Council for overseas practitioners and the owner/partner of Collective Dental Education, an online CPD learning platform.
In recognition of Professor Wallace's valuable contributions to the profession, she has been awarded the following honours:
- Life member of ADOHTA in 2005
- Honorary Fellow in the Academy of Dentistry International in 2017 Honorary member of DHAA in 2019
- Recipient of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Boards Award in 2020 Australian Dental Association, Valuable Service Award in 2021 Honorary Fellow of the International College of Dentists in 2023
- Life Member of OHAA 2025
Scope of Practice
Scope of practice requires an understanding of the Regulatory system, clinical competency and your ethical and legal responsibilities as a registered dental practitioner. Safety of the public, professional and personal responsibility are paramount in achieving appropriate career success.
This presentation will provide you with valuable guidance to achieve safe, appropriate and rewarding clinical practice within your scope of practice.
Learning Objectives
1. To understand the role of the Regulators in scope of practice
2. To apply scope of practice principles to your career
3. To identify and manage professional boundaries within scope of practice
4. To understand your responsibilities in maintaining your scope of practice