Dental Prosthetist Salary: What the Data Shows
Dental prosthetists design, construct and fit dentures and mouthguards. It is a small occupation – around 880 people are employed nationally, according to Jobs and Skills Australia. The ABS does not publish a median or average weekly earnings figure specifically for dental prosthetists (ANZSCO 411212) because the sample size is too small to produce a reliable estimate. This means there is no official single figure for a "dental prosthetist salary" in Australia.
However, you can still gauge where pay in this field might sit by looking at broader national benchmarks. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings release for May 2026 gives the national full-time adult ordinary-time average at $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year when multiplied by 52 weeks. This is the reference line used on this site. The full-time median (from the ABS Employee Earnings survey, August 2025) is about $90,532 per year, and the all-employees median is about $74,100 per year.
National Benchmarks for Full-Time Workers
To understand how a dental prosthetist’s earnings might compare, start with these key figures from the ABS:
- National full-time adult ordinary-time average: $2,083.70 per week ($108,352 per year)
- Full-time median (all employees): about $1,741 per week ($90,532 per year)
- All-employees median (including part-time): about $1,425 per week ($74,100 per year)
The full-time average is higher than the median because it is pulled up by higher-paid roles. For a dental prosthetist – a skilled health professional – earnings could reasonably fall somewhere between the median and the average, but without published data we cannot be certain.
Jobs and Skills Australia notes that 69% of dental prosthetists work full-time, and the average full-time hours are 43 per week (slightly above the standard 38-hour week used on this site). The median age is 53, suggesting an experienced workforce. Experience and location are likely to influence actual pay.
A Resident Take-Home Sketch
Using the national full-time average as a hypothetical salary for a dental prosthetist, we can illustrate what a resident would take home after tax and the Medicare levy under 2026–27 rates.
- Gross annual salary: $108,352
- Tax payable:
- $0 on the first $18,200
- 15% on the next $26,800 = $4,020
- 30% on the remaining $63,352 = $19,005.60
- Total tax: $23,025.60
- Medicare levy (2%): $2,167.04
- Total deductions: $25,192.64
- Take-home pay: $83,159.36 per year, or about $1,599 per week
This is a rough sketch. If a dental prosthetist earned closer to the full-time median of $90,532, the take-home would be lower. The point is that the national average gives a useful reference point for thinking about after-tax income.
State and Territory Variations
Earnings vary significantly across Australia. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings release for May 2026 provides full-time adult ordinary-time averages by state and territory. These are annualised below:
- Australian Capital Territory: $119,090
- Western Australia: $115,825
- New South Wales: $109,658
- Victoria: $106,137
- Queensland: $106,064
- Northern Territory: $103,173
- South Australia: $102,450
- Tasmania: $96,008
Dental prosthetists may be concentrated in certain states – for example, larger populations in NSW and Victoria. The state average can give a rough guide to local pay levels, but occupation-specific data is not available.
Minimum Wage and Award Coverage
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week on a 38-hour week ($52,255 per year). Award minimums rose by 4.75% from the same date. Dental prosthetists may be covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award or a similar industrial instrument, which would set minimum pay rates above the national minimum. Checking the relevant award is the best way to understand legal minimums for this occupation.
How to Use This Site
This site uses the national full-time adult ordinary-time average from the ABS as its reference line. You can place a salary on the line to see how it compares – whether it sits above, below, or close to the average. For a broader view, explore job medians for other health professions or states and territories to see regional differences. The Guides section explains how the figures are set and what they mean for your pay.
While a precise dental prosthetist salary is not published, the national benchmarks and take-home sketch provide a solid framework for understanding where this occupation likely stands in the Australian earnings landscape.