Just like a Paediatrician is a specialist medical doctor for health care needs for children and young adults, a Paediatric dentist is a specialist paediatric dentist and fills an important role in the provision of oral health care

Paediatric dentists are dental professionals who have completed a further 2-3 years of post-graduate training in this specialised course of dentistry where they care for children with comprehensive needs, special needs or need gentler care. This specialty training program is generally two to three years of further training after graduation from dental school. This includes hospital training which involves working with children with severe medical and dental needs and emergencies. -Paediatric dentists also work in alliance with other medical professionals including paediatricians and general dentists, who refer selected patients for comprehensive and specialised dental treatment that requires this specialised training. The Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry (ANZSPD) is an organisation with an alliance of paediatric dentists, general dentists and oral health therapists with their linked website offering a diverse selection of resources explaining their specific role in dentistry.

Paediatric Dentists specially obtain their training to:

• Identify and manage dental disease and to know how to help children and their families have healthy teeth and mouths.
• Deliver specialised techniques for managing anxious and/or young children including using special approaches for giving local analgesia and dental sedation as well as providing dental treatment under general anaesthesia.
• Treat children who have medical, physical and intellectual conditions including those with behavioural challenges such as Autism and ADHD.
• Work with doctors, paediatricians, nurses, allied health professionals as well as teachers and child care workers to help make sure that children have the best dental health possible.
• Advocate for children’s oral health