National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0
3 - Health occupations
This broad category comprises specialized middle management occupations in health care, as well as occupations concerned with providing health care services directly to patients (professional and technical occupations in health) and occupations that provide support to health services.
31 - Professional occupations in health
This major group comprises professional occupations in health, including health treating and consultation services professionals; therapy and assessment professionals; and nursing and allied health professionals. These occupations come with Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility (TEER) identified as TEER 1. Occupations classified in TEER 1, as those in this group with a 1 as the second digit of their code, typically require a university degree (bachelor's, master's or doctorate) or the accumulation several years of experience and expertise in the subject matter knowledge in a related occupation found in TEER 2, when applicable (which includes occupations with a 2 as a second digit in their code).
311 - Health treating and consultation services professionals
This sub-major group comprises health treating and consultation services professionals, including physicians and veterinarians; dentists, optometrists and audiologists; and pharmacists and dietitians.
3111 - Dentists, optometrists and audiologists
This minor group comprises dentists, optometrists and audiologists and speech-language pathologists. They work in private practice, in hospitals, clinics, and public health facilities; laboratories; educational institutions; rehabilitation centres; and government; and in the dental and optical industries.
31110 - Dentists
Dentists diagnose, treat, prevent and control disorders of the teeth and mouth. They work in private practice or may be employed in hospitals, clinics, public health facilities or universities.
Illustrative example(s)
- dentist
- endodontist
- oral and maxillofacial surgeon
- oral pathologist
- oral radiologist
- orthodontist
- pediatric dentist
- periodontist
- prosthodontist
- public health dentist
Exclusion(s)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (See 33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants)
- Dental hygienists and dental therapists (See 32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists)
- Dental technologists and technicians (See 32112 Dental technologists and technicians)
- Denturists (See 32110 Denturists)
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Dentists
- Examine patients' teeth, gums and surrounding tissue to diagnose disease, injury and decay and plan appropriate preventative or corrective treatment
- Provide general dental care such as cleaning teeth, filling cavities, performing root canals, applying veneers, and fitting crowns, bridges and dentures
- Restore, extract and replace diseased and decayed teeth
- Instruct patients on oral hygiene and preventive dental care
- Monitor patient progress to identify changes or the progression of dental disease
- Prescribe antibiotics or other medication as required
- Bleach, clean, or polish teeth to restore natural color
- Supervise dental hygienists, dental assistants and other staff
- Refer patients to dental specialists as needed for recommended procedures
- May provide basic orthodontic treatments with additional training.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
- Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment
- Administer general and local anesthetics
- Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants or to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues
- Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth, as well as tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions
- Perform surgery on the mouth and jaws to treat conditions, such as cleft lip, palate, and jaw growth problems
- Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones
- Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
Orthodontists
- Examine patients' teeth, gums and surrounding tissue to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures
- Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities
- Propose treatment plan for conditions such as underbites, overbites, crowding and others
- Design and fabricate appliances, such as space maintainers, retainers, and labial and lingual arch wires
- Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth
- Coordinate orthodontic services with other dental and medical professionals
- Educate patients about improving and maintaining orthodontic care, and promoting routine dental health care.
Prosthodontists
- Examine patient's teeth, gums and jaws to diagnose disease, injury and decay, and plan appropriate treatment to enhance patients' dental and facial aesthetics, or correct orofacial problems
- Replace missing teeth and associated oral structures with permanent fixtures, such as implant-supported prostheses, crowns and bridges, or removable fixtures, such as dentures
- Restore function and improve aesthetics for traumatic injury victims, or individuals with diseases or birth defects
- Design and fabricate dental prostheses, or supervise dental technicians who construct the devices
- Fit prostheses to patients, making any necessary adjustments and modifications
- Restore damaged teeth with materials such as fillings, veneers and crowns
- Collaborate with general dentists, dental specialists, and other health professionals to develop solutions to dental and oral health concerns.
Employment requirements
Dentists
- Two to four years of pre-dentistry university studies or, in Quebec, completion of a college program in sciences and a university degree from a recognized dental program are required.
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial regulatory body is required.
- Dentists in general practice can move into a specialized practice through advanced training.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
- Four to seven years of specialty residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery are required.
Orthodontists
- Three years advanced orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics program accredited by the Canadian Dental Association is required.
Prosthodontists
- Three years advanced prosthodontics program accredited by the Canadian Dental Association is required.
Additional information
- Certification by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada entitles dentists or graduates of approved dental programs to practice dentistry in any province in Canada provided requirements set out by the provincial and territorial licensing authorities are met.
- Dentists with further education, training and licensing, can specialize and practice in such areas as oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, oral pathology, oral radiology or public health dentistry.
31111 - Optometrists
Optometrists examine eyes to assess and diagnose ocular diseases and disorders. They prescribe and fit eyeglasses and contact lenses and recommend treatments such as exercises to correct vision problems or ocular disorders. They work in private practice, hospitals, clinics, community health centres, rehabilitation centres, the optical industry, government and universities.
Illustrative example(s)
- doctor of optometry (OD)
- optometrist
Exclusion(s)
- Ocularist (See 32129 Other medical technologists and technicians)
- Ophthalmologist (See 31101 Specialists in surgery)
- Opticians (See 32100 Opticians)
- Optometric technician (See 33109 Other assisting occupations in support of health services)
- Optometrist assistant (See 33109 Other assisting occupations in support of health services)
- Orthoptist (See 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals)
- Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (See 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating)
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Examine patients' eyes, conduct tests and use ophthalmoscopes, biomicroscopes and other specialized instruments to determine ocular health and visual efficiency
- Prescribe and provide treatment (excluding surgery) to maintain, improve and correct vision and manage other ocular diseases and disorders
- Prescribe, dispense and fit eyeglasses, contact lenses and other visual aids
- Educate, counsel and advise patients on contact lens use and care, ocular hygiene, surgical and non-surgical options, and preventive care and maintenance related to occupation and lifestyle
- Refer patients to ophthalmologists or other physicians and surgeons for treatment of ocular diseases or conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration and systemic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure
- Collaborate with ophthalmologists and other healthcare professionals to provide pre- and post-operative care for patients undergoing eye surgeries such as laser vision correction
- May prescribe from a limited list of medications
- Conduct research and promote advancement in the visual sciences.
Optometrists may specialize in fitting visual aids for people who are partially blind, fitting contact lenses or correcting special vision problems.
Employment requirements
- Three years of university undergraduate studies or, in Quebec, completion of a college program in sciences and a four- to five-year university program in optometry are required.
- Licensing by the provincial or territorial regulatory governing body is required.
31112 - Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
Audiologists diagnose, evaluate and treat individuals with peripheral and central hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems. Speech-language pathologists diagnose, assess and treat human communication disorders including speech, fluency, language, voice and swallowing disorders. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists are employed in hospitals, community and public health centres, extended care facilities, day clinics, rehabilitation centres and educational institutions, or may work in private practice. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists who are supervisors are included in this unit group.
Illustrative example(s)
- audiologist
- certified audiologist
- clinical audiologist
- educational speech-language pathologist
- research audiologist
- speech therapist
- speech-language clinician
Exclusion(s)
- Braille instructor (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
- Hearing aid practitioner (See 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment)
- Lip-reading instructor (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
- Managers in health care (See 30010 Managers in health care)
- Phoniatrician (See 31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine)
- Sign language instructor (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
- Speech-language pathology assistant (See 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment)
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Audiologists
- Develop and administer audiometric tests and examinations using specialized instruments and electronic equipment to diagnose and evaluate the degree and type of patients' hearing impairment
- Plan and implement habilitation/rehabilitation programs for patients, including selection, fitting and adjustment of amplification devices, such as hearing aids, balance retraining exercises, and teaching speech (lip) reading
- Educate and counsel patients and families regarding the nature, extent, impact and implications of hearing loss and treatment
- Establish personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
- Conduct research related to hearing and hearing disorders
- May instruct and supervise audiometric technicians, students and other health care personnel.
Speech-language pathologists
- Administer tests and examinations and observe patients to diagnose and evaluate speech, voice, resonance, language, fluency, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
- Develop, plan and implement remedial programs to correct speech, voice, language, fluency, resonance, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
- Establish group and personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
- Educate and counsel patients and families regarding communication and swallowing disorders
- Conduct research on speech and other communication disorders and on the development and design of diagnostic procedures and devices
- May instruct and supervise communicative disorders assistants, students and other health care personnel.
Employment requirements
- Audiologists require a master's degree in audiology.
- Speech-language pathologists require a master's degree in speech-language pathology.
- Registration with a regulatory body is required for audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
- Membership in the national association, Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, is usually required.
- In some jurisdictions, audiologists may be required to obtain a separate licence to dispense hearing aids.
Additional information
- Progression into management positions, such as chief audiologist or director of speech-language pathology, is possible with experience.
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