Are Dentists Allowed to Provide Cosmetic Injectables?

This is one of the questions we hear most frequently from dentists considering cosmetic injectable training.

Ahpra provides public-facing information about cosmetic injectables and explains that prescription-only cosmetic injectables must be prescribed by an authorised registered health practitioner. In its information for consumers, Ahpra identifies medical practitioners, dentists and nurse practitioners as the practitioners who are usually authorised to prescribe these medicines.

This does not mean that every procedure automatically sits within the scope of every dentist.

The Dental Board of Australia's Scope of Practice Registration Standard requires dental practitioners to perform only treatment for which they have been appropriately educated and trained and in which they are competent.

Ahpra Is Also Speaking Directly to the Public

This is an important development for dentists to understand.

Cosmetic injectable regulation is no longer a discussion occurring only between practitioners, professional associations and regulators. Ahpra is also providing information directly to Australian consumers about who may be involved in cosmetic injectable treatment and what patients should expect from registered health practitioners.

On 2 September 2025, new Ahpra and National Board guidelines for non-surgical cosmetic procedures came into effect, accompanied by public-facing education focused on patient safety, practitioner qualifications, informed decision-making and appropriate standards of care.

Public Information • September 2025

Ahpra public-facing cosmetic procedures campaign

This public-facing Ahpra campaign accompanied the introduction of the strengthened regulatory framework for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in September 2025.

For dentists, the significance is not simply that cosmetic injectables are discussed publicly. It is that these procedures are being clearly framed as healthcare procedures that require appropriate assessment, prescribing, education, competence and complication management.

What Does Scope of Practice Actually Mean?

Scope of practice is sometimes interpreted as a simple list of procedures that a profession is either permitted or prohibited from performing.

In reality, an individual dentist's scope is more nuanced.

The Dental Board states that a practitioner's individual scope depends not only on their division of registration, but also on their education, training and competence. This means that two dentists may legitimately have different individual scopes of practice.

A practitioner who has undertaken additional education, developed relevant clinical experience and demonstrated competence may have a different scope from another practitioner who has not undertaken that training.

What Does Ahpra Expect From Cosmetic Injectable Training?

The 2025 guidelines provide useful clarity around what adequate education and training for non-surgical cosmetic procedures should contain.

At a minimum, practitioners should receive appropriate education in relevant anatomy and physiology, training in assessing whether a person is suitable for the procedure, and both theoretical and hands-on training in the specific procedure being offered.

Importantly, the practical component is not simply attendance at a demonstration.

The guidelines refer to assessment and demonstration of competence to safely perform the procedure and provide subsequent patient care, including understanding side effects and the management of both short- and long-term complications.

Why Hands-On Training Matters

Learning anatomical landmarks is important, but cosmetic injectable practice is not simply an exercise in locating a muscle and placing an injection.

Real patients bring movement, asymmetry, variation in anatomy, previous treatment, different facial proportions, functional patterns, expectations and clinical decision-making into the consultation.

These variables are difficult to reproduce using diagrams or manikins alone.

Hands-on education allows the practitioner to bring together anatomy, consultation, assessment, treatment planning and technique in a clinical setting.

Consultation Is Part of the Treatment

Consultation should not be viewed as the administrative step that occurs before an injection. It is a clinical process.

Ahpra's current guidelines require an evidence-based, holistic assessment of the person. This includes relevant medical history, psychological, social and cultural considerations, patient motivation, expectations and suitability for the proposed procedure.

Practitioners also need to be prepared to discuss alternatives, including the option of no treatment, and to decline a procedure when it is not appropriate for that person.

Good cosmetic practice therefore requires considerably more than technical injection ability. It requires judgement.

Complication Management Is Part of Competency

A practitioner's competence should not be measured only by their ability to perform a procedure when everything goes according to plan.

Practitioners also need the knowledge and clinical systems required to recognise and respond when it does not.

Ahpra's guidelines specifically state that practitioners must have the competence and experience necessary not only to perform the cosmetic procedure, but also to deal with likely complications.

Appropriate training should therefore include prevention, recognition and management of complications, escalation pathways, patient communication and subsequent care.

Completing a Course Is Not the End of Your Training

One of the most important aspects of scope of practice is that competence is not static.

A practitioner may have completed a cosmetic injectable course several years ago, but the relevant question is not simply whether they still hold the certificate. The question is whether their knowledge and skills remain current.

Ahpra's 2025 guidelines state that registered practitioners must participate regularly in continuing professional development relevant to their scope of practice. Where that scope includes cosmetic procedures, CPD must include activities relating to cosmetic procedures.

Practitioners should consider how frequently they perform a procedure, whether their anatomical and pharmacological knowledge remains current, whether clinical guidance has changed and whether further supervised or hands-on education would strengthen their practice.

Evaluate Your Own Competency

The Dental Board places responsibility on individual practitioners to understand their own scope of practice. Honest self-assessment is therefore an important professional skill.

Dentists providing or considering cosmetic injectable treatment should periodically ask themselves:

• Is my anatomy and physiology knowledge current?
• Can I confidently undertake a comprehensive facial assessment?
• Can I identify when a patient is not appropriate for treatment?
• Do I understand the medicines and products I use?
• Can I explain the material risks and alternatives to the patient?
• Can I recognise and manage likely complications?
• Am I familiar with my current prescribing and medicine governance obligations?
• Is my advertising compliant with current Ahpra and TGA requirements?
• Have I maintained relevant CPD?
• Would additional supervised or hands-on training improve my current level of competence?

Scope of Practice and Medicines Legislation Are Not the Same Thing

Another source of confusion is the relationship between professional scope and the legal authority to prescribe, possess, supply or administer a medicine.

These are related considerations, but they are not interchangeable.

Cosmetic botulinum toxin products are prescription-only medicines. Practitioners must comply with the drugs and poisons legislation, or equivalent medicines legislation, applying in the state or territory in which they practise.

Ahpra's cosmetic procedure guidelines do not themselves give a practitioner authority to undertake a procedure or expand the scope of a profession.

Practitioners must consider professional scope, individual competence, prescribing authority, medicines legislation, professional indemnity insurance and other regulatory obligations together.

Your Advertising Is Also Part of Professional Practice

The regulatory obligations surrounding cosmetic practice extend beyond the treatment room.

Websites, social media, promotional material and patient communications must comply with the National Law, Ahpra advertising requirements and relevant Therapeutic Goods Administration requirements.

This is particularly important when advertising services involving prescription-only cosmetic medicines.

For practitioners entering cosmetic practice, advertising education should therefore form part of foundational training alongside consultation, clinical assessment and complication management.

What Should Dentists Look for in Cosmetic Injectable Training?

A cosmetic injectable course should prepare practitioners for clinical practice rather than simply demonstrate an injection technique.

When evaluating training, consider whether the program includes:

• relevant facial anatomy and physiology
• pharmacology and product knowledge
• consultation and patient suitability assessment
• facial and functional assessment
• treatment planning
• theoretical education
• hands-on clinical training
• assessment and demonstration of competence
• complication prevention, recognition and management
• informed consent and documentation
• prescribing and medicine governance
• advertising and regulatory obligations
• appropriate patient review and subsequent care.

Dentists Bring Valuable Skills — But Additional Training Still Matters

Dentists already bring substantial clinical knowledge to further education in facial aesthetics.

Dental practice requires an understanding of head and neck anatomy, facial structures, patient assessment, medical history, diagnosis, informed consent, pharmacology and clinical risk.

However, existing professional knowledge should not be confused with competence in a new procedure.

Expanding into cosmetic injectable practice requires practitioners to develop the additional theoretical knowledge, practical skills and clinical judgement appropriate to that area of practice.

This is where appropriate foundational education, real-patient experience, ongoing CPD and honest self-assessment become particularly important.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can dentists prescribe cosmetic injectables in Australia?

Ahpra's public information identifies dentists as among the practitioners who are usually authorised to prescribe cosmetic injectables. Practitioners must still comply with their professional scope, individual competence and the relevant state or territory medicines legislation.

Does being a dentist automatically make cosmetic injectables part of my scope?

No. Individual scope depends on education, training, competence and applicable professional and legal requirements. A practitioner should only undertake procedures they are appropriately prepared and competent to perform.

Does Ahpra require hands-on cosmetic injectable training?

The current Ahpra guidelines state that adequate education and training includes both theoretical and hands-on training in the specific procedure, together with assessment and demonstration of competence.

Is learning injection points enough?

No. Current guidance also emphasises anatomy and physiology, assessment of patient suitability, safe performance of the procedure, subsequent care, side effects and the recognition and management of complications.

Do I need ongoing CPD after completing a cosmetic injectable course?

Yes. Practitioners whose scope includes cosmetic procedures are expected to participate regularly in CPD that includes activities relevant to cosmetic procedures.

What if I trained several years ago but have not treated many patients?

Practitioners are responsible for assessing their current competence. If knowledge, practical experience or confidence has diminished, further education, supervised practice or hands-on refresher training may be appropriate before expanding or resuming clinical practice.

Does completing a course guarantee that a procedure is within my scope?

No. A course certificate is only one element. Scope also requires consideration of your profession, individual education and competence, experience, authorisations, medicines legislation, insurance and other regulatory requirements.

The Important Message for Dentists

Dentists should not view cosmetic injectable practice as being defined simply by whether the profession is “allowed” or “not allowed” to perform a particular injection.

The more useful question is whether the individual practitioner has the education, training, current competence and clinical judgement required to provide the treatment appropriately.

The direction of current regulation is clear: cosmetic procedures are healthcare. They require appropriate assessment, informed consent, theoretical knowledge, hands-on training, complication preparedness and continuing professional development.

For dentists entering this area, the objective should extend well beyond learning where to inject. The goal should be developing the clinical judgement to understand who to treat, how to treat, when to modify a plan and when not to treat at all.