Medical and pharmaceutical technicians

How to become a medical and dental prosthetic technician

Official title: Medical and dental prosthetic technicians

Also called: Dental mechanic, Dental technician, Denturist, Orthopaedic appliance maker, Orthotic technician, Orthotist, Prosthetic technician, Prosthetist

Medical and dental prosthetic technicians design, fit, service and repair medical and dental devices and appliances following prescriptions or instructions established by a health professional. They may service a wide range of support instruments to correct physical medical or dental problems, such as neck braces, orthopaedic splints, artificial limbs, hearing aides, arch supports, dentures, and dental crowns and bridges.

Main tasks

Examining, interviewing and measuring patients in order to determine their appliance needs, and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit
Conferring with medical and dental practitioners in order to formulate specifications and prescriptions for devices and appliances
Interpreting prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated, and the materials and tools that will be required
Making or receiving casts or impressions of patients’ torsos, limbs, mouths or teeth for use as fabrication patterns
Designing and making orthotic and prosthetic devices using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand and power tools
Fitting appliances and devices to patients, testing and evaluating them, and making adjustments for proper fit, function and comfort
Repairing, modifying and maintaining medical and dental prosthetic and supportive devices, according to specifications
Bending, forming and shaping fabric or material so that it conforms to prescribed contours needed to fabricate structural components
Fabricating full and partial dentures and constructing mouth guards, crowns, metal clasps, inlays, bridgework and other aids
Instructing patients in the use and care of prosthetic or orthotic devices

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a medical and dental prosthetic technician?

Not always. 35% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a medical and dental prosthetic technician?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026