The duties of the school dental nurses as listed by the New Zealand Department of Health Division includes:

Oral examination. Prophylaxis. Topical fluoride application. Advice on dietary fluoride supplements. Administration of local anaesthesia. Cavity preparation and placement of amalgam filling in primary and permanent teeth. Pulp capping. Extraction of primary teeth. Individual patient instruction in tooth brushing and oral hygiene. Classroom and parent – teacher dental health education. Referral of patient to private practitioners for more complex services, such as extraction of permanent teeth, restoration of fractured permanent incisors and orthodontic treatment.