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NBDE
NBDE
The National Board Dental Examination is the United States national dental examination. It is required to get licensure in United States and to apply to advanced postgraduate studies in any of the dental specialities after completing a dental degree. Foreign-trained dentists also have to take this test in order to get admission in one of the Advanced Standing programs in any U.S. dental school.
The purpose of this exam is to assist state boards in determining qualifications of dentists who seek licensure to practice dentistry. The Examination assesses the ability to understand important information from basic biomedical and dental sciences and also the ability to apply such information in a problem-solving context.
Recognition of the NBDE Scores
Currently, all 53 United States licensing jurisdictions recognize National Board results. These jurisdictions include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.
Indian Dental Students
All Indian dental students/ practising dentists (BDS/MDS) who wish to join U.S. Dental Schools are required to take the NBDE. They need to consider two main issues, before they decide to take the exam. One, they are required to travel to the U.S on a visitor visa to appear for the exam and two, they must have their credentials evaluated by the Educational Credential Evaluators (http://www.ece.org/).
Scope of the Examination
The National Board Dental Examinations are organized into two parts. Each part is developed according to examination specifications. The specifications list topics included in each examination.
NBDE-I
Part I is a comprehensive, computer-based examination that is administered in one day.
Purpose and Design of Part I
- Part I -designed to assess theoretical knowledge in a clinically-relevant integrated context.
- 400 multiple-choice items in the disciplines of Anatomic Sciences, Biochemistry-Physiology, Microbiology-Pathology, and Dental Anatomy and Occlusion.
- 120 items are independent; 80 items are testlet dependent. For the purposes of the examinations, a testlet consists of a brief clinical scenario and a patient history with a series of associated items, To endorse the correct response to the item, the candidate must possess the related requisite knowledge, interpret the clinical scenario correctly, and then identify the most appropriate alternative among the four or five provided.
- The items in the different disciplines are intermingled throughout the examination.
- Part I is a uni-dimensional measure of the basic biomedical and dental sciences. Therefore, performance is reported with a single standard score with the associated pass/fail status.
- To the extent that measurement error occurs on Part I, research has shown that it is lowest at the pass/fail point along the measurement scale, which ranges from 49-99.
Eligibility Requirements for NBDE I
To participate in the National Board Part I Dental Examinations, a candidate must qualify under one of the following categories:
Dental Student
A student is eligible for examination when the dean of the dental school or a designee of the dean certifies that the student has successfully completed all subjects included in Part I. If the dental school is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation at the time the application is filed, the signature of the dean or the designee on the application meets this requirement. Only dental schools in the United States and in Canada (by reciprocal agreement) are accredited by the Commission.
A dental student attending a non-accredited dental school can also be certified for examinations. However, the application is not signed by the dean. If the dental school is not accredited, certification must be on a form provided by the Joint Commission. The completed certification form must include the seal of the school and the signature of the dean or the registrar and must be submitted with the application.
Former Dental Student
A former dental student who has completed courses in preparation for Part I but is no longer enrolled in the same dental school is eligible for examination only if admitted or conditionally admitted to another accredited dental school. For the purpose of this paragraph, "conditionally admitted" is defined as admission contingent upon successful completion of Part I examinations.
Verification of admission or conditional admission from the accredited dental school must be submitted with the application. Verification must be in the form of a letter from the dean of the accredited dental school.
Dentist
A dentist who is an active, life or retired member of the American Dental Association is eligible for examination without documentation.
An affiliate member or a non-member must submit with the application verification that he or she is a dentist. Such verification must be in the form of a letter of recommendation from one of the following:
- The secretary of a board of dentistry of a United States licensing jurisdiction in which the individual is licensed or eligible for licensure as a dentist.
- The dean or registrar of an accredited dental school from which the dentist has graduated. Graduates of non-accredited dental schools must have evidence of graduation verified and submitted as described under Documentation on this page.
- The dean, director or registrar of an accredited advanced dental education program in which the dentist studied or is studying at the postgraduate level.
- The dean of a dental school that is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation to which the dentist is applying for admission with advanced standing. (This establishes eligibility for Part I only.)
The letter should state the name of the school that granted the D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree, the degree and when it was granted.
NBDE II
Part II is a comprehensive, computer-based examination that is administered in two consecutive days.
Purpose and Design of Part II
- Part II -designed to assess theoretical knowledge in a clinically-relevant integrated context.
- 500 multiple-choice items in the disciplines of endodontics, operative dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery/pain control, oral diagnosis, orthodontics/pediatric dentistry, periodontics, pharmacology, and prosthodontics.
- 400 discipline-based items are independent; 100 items are case dependent, based on 8-10 case problems. For the purposes of the examination program, a case consists of a synopsis of a patient’s health and social histories, the patient’s dental charting, radiographs, and photographs of the patient, when relevant. A series of items are associated with each case. To endorse the correct response to the item, the candidate must possess the requisite knowledge, interpret the clinical case materials correctly, and then identify the most appropriate alternative among the four or five provided.
- The items in the different disciplines are intermingled throughout the examination.
- Part II will include test items (approximately 30 percent) that have references pertinent to the basic sciences.
- Part II is a uni-dimensional measure of the dental sciences. Therefore, performance is reported with a single standard score with the associated pass/fail status.
- To the extent that measurement error occurs on Part II, research has shown that it is lowest at the pass/fail point along the measurement scale, which ranges from 49-99.
- Research has also shown that pass/fail decisions on Part II are highly reliable.
Case-based Component
The case-based component of the Part II Examination presents events dealing with patients. The patient cases are developed to include the following approximate distribution: Adults--70%, Children--30%. A minimum of 15% of Component B test questions will address the medical management of compromised adults and children. A compromised patient is defined as a person whose health status requires modification of standard treatment.
Each case presentation in the examination consists of:
- A synopsis of a patient's health and social histories,
- The patient's dental charting,
- Radiographs, and
- Photographs of the patient (when relevant);
Each case is comprised of 10 to 15 questions about various aspects of this patient's dental care. These questions, totalling 100 for all of the cases, might derive from any of the basic sciences and clinical disciplines. The proportion stemming from any particular discipline depends upon the nature of the case itself. For example, the case of an elderly adult might be based upon Maxillofacial Surgery and Pain Control, Prosthodontics, and Operative Dentistry; whereas, a child's case might derive from Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, and Patient Management.
In responding to these questions, the candidate must:
- Interpret the findings and information provided.
- Identify the problems and make diagnoses.
- Select materials, technique, and armamentarium.
- Apply treatment.
- Evaluate progress and complications.
- Establish procedures for prevention and maintenance.
Examination items are selected by test construction committees composed of subject-matter experts in accordance with examination specifications approved by the Joint Commission.
The American Dental Association Universal/National tooth notation system is used on all National Board Dental and Dental Hygiene Examinations. This system is a sequential tooth numbering system, designating the permanent dentition with numbers 1-32, and the primary dentition with letters A-T.
Eligibility Requirements for NBDE II
A candidate is eligible for Part II only after successful completion of the Part I examination. Exceptions to this provision are granted only at the specific written request of a dental licensing board. In case of exception, the candidate's scores are reported but no National Board Certificate is issued. The candidate must not have failed Part I Examination within the past five years. Such a request must be presented on the stationery of the board of dentistry and must indicate that Part II results will be a determinant in the initial or continued licensure of the candidate.
Scores
Two factors affect a candidate's score: the number of correct answers selected by the candidate and the score scale conversion for the examination. For the National Board Dental Examinations, there is no penalty for selecting an incorrect response. A candidate's total score is reported in terms of a standard score, which has been converted from the total number of correct answers. If two or more answers are marked by a candidate for the same test item, credit is not awarded.
The minimum passing score on the Part I and II examinations is a standard score of 75. The minimum passing score and the remaining scale are based on the judgments of experts. The examination results are reported in standard scores of 49 to 99. The Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations uses consistent methods including equating to guarantee that scores accurately and fairly reflect the knowledge and problem solving skills assessed by the examination.
Test Centers
The NBDE is administered by Prometric Test Centers only in the United States, its territories including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and Canada. Indian students are required to get a visitor visa and travel to the U.S. to appear for the test.
46, Vinobhapuri,
Lajpat Nagar 2
New Delhi 110024
ph: +91.11.46540393
fax: +91.11.422354222
alt: +91.9899430509
info
