American Board of General Dentistry
This Rules and Procedures document was designed to be a guide to aid candidates in their quest for Board Certification. For additional copies, please contact:
312/440-4336
or
312/440-4973
or
E-mail us at:
Admin@abgd.org
Visit the ABGD website at
I.
BACKGROUND
Organization, Objectives, and Responsibilities
The
Certifying Board of General Dentistry was incorporated in 1984, under the laws
of the State of
The
ABGD was organized to fulfill the following objectives and responsibilities:
1. To
evaluate the standards and advance the science and art of general dentistry by
encouraging its study and improving its practice;
2. To
examine and determine the qualifications and proficiency of dentists who
voluntarily apply to the Board for certification;
3. To grant
and issue certificates in general dentistry to qualified candidates; and
4. To
maintain a registry of all dentists certified and to verify the credentials of
those certified upon request.
Basic Requirements for Board Certification
A
candidate seeking Certification by the American Board of General Dentistry must
submit all required applications and fees, successfully pass all examinations
given by the Board and meet all of the requirements established by the ABGD
Board of Directors.
The Certificate
The
certificate conferred by the American Board of General Dentistry may be used
for credentialing purposes only. Certification does not confer legal
qualification, privilege, or license to practice general dentistry. The
certificate shall not be held out to the public as evidence of superior skill
and/or knowledge. The Board does not intend in any way to interfere with or
limit the professional activities of any duly licensed general dentist who is
not certified by this Board.
Titles
to all certificates shall remain the property of the American Board of General
Dentistry, but each person to whom a certificate is issued shall be entitled to
its possession until it is revoked or voluntarily returned.
The official seal is the exclusive property
of the American Board of General Dentistry and its use is limited to the Board
for certificates, stationery and official documents.
The Logo
The American Board of General Dentistry has developed an official logo for public usage by dentists certified by the ABGD. All Board Certified dentists who wish to use the ABGD logo are required to abide by the official logo guidelines. Written notification will be sent to any dentist found violating the ABGD logo guidelines. The ABGD reserves the right to revoke the Board Certification status and certificate of any dentist who continues to violate the ABGD logo guidelines subsequent to written notification.
II. BASIC
REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY
The
requirements for eligibility to be examined by the Board are as follows:
§ Possession of a current
license to practice dentistry granted by a dental licensing body with
jurisdiction in the
§ Successful completion of a
GPR/AEGD program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation or;
§ Completion of formal training
to a DDS or DMD degree from a school accredited by the Commission on Dental
Accreditation, which qualifies that individual for the diagnosis, treatment,
management and overall coordination of services that meet a patient’s oral health
needs and who has not announced a limitation of practice to any of the
specialty areas recognized by the American Dental Association.
Post
graduate professional experience and education or training in general dentistry
must comply with one of the following Board-established entry points on the
route to certification:
Entry Point I
Successful
completion of a two‑year postdoctoral general dentistry residency (AEGD
or GPR) which is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
Dentists
who have completed one year of a CODA-accredited two-year post graduate program
in general dentistry and who provide a letter from the Program Director
affirming the resident’s continued enrollment in and expected completion of the
program may be granted the status of Conditionally Educationally Qualified and
will be allowed to sit for the Written Examination.
Entry Point II
Successful
completion of a one‑year postdoctoral general dentistry residency (AEGD
or GPR) which is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
and documented attendance at a minimum of 600 clock hours of continuing dental
education courses. See section for CDE criteria for Entry Point II.
Dentists
who have completed the formal educational criteria (completion of a CODA-accredited
one-year post graduate residency program in general dentistry) but who have not
yet met the continuing education requirements may be granted the status of
Conditionally Educationally Qualified and will be allowed to sit for the
Written Examination.
Entry Point III
Attainment
of Mastership with the
Dentists
who have been approved to receive their Mastership award from the Academy of
General Dentistry (AGD), but who have not yet attended the AGD convocation
ceremony, and who provide a copy of their Mastership approval letter from the
AGD Council on Dental Education may be granted the status of Conditionally
Educationally Qualified and will be allowed to sit for the Written Examination.
III.
CRITERIA
FOR CONTINUING DENTAL EDUCATION (CDE) ACTIVITIES ACCEPTED FOR ENTRY INTO THE
CERTIFICATION PROCESS
Course Attendance
Credit
hour requirements for Entry Point II candidates may be completed after taking
the Written Examination. Candidates who opt for this alternative will not
become Board Eligible until they have completed the requirements and passed the
examination.
§ Courses must be a minimum of
one hour in duration.
§ Credit must be earned in
specific subject categories, as outlined under “Subject Category Requirements.”
§ Course content must be
directly related to the practice of dentistry.
§ Participation course credit is
awarded only if the course meets the criteria of a participation course as
defined herein.
Other Acceptable CDE Activities
Teaching1:
Original presentations receive three hours of credit for each hour of teaching.
Repeat presentations receive hour-for-hour credit. Credit will be awarded upon receipt of
verification from the sponsoring organization or institution. Credit for teaching does not apply toward the
200-hour participation requirement.
Credit is awarded only for full‑ or part‑time faculty
positions at ADA/CDA-accredited institutions or for continuing education
presentations sponsored by FAGD/MAGD-approved sponsors.
Publications[1]: Credit is awarded if an applicant authors a
published scientific article or textbook, or chapter in a textbook.
Subject Category Requirements
A
minimum number of hours must be earned through attendance at courses in each of
the 11 dental subject categories as listed on the following page. After these
minimums are met, dentists who meet the qualifications for entry via Entry
Point II may apply credits earned either in actual course attendance, teaching,
or publications. The maximum number of hours that will be accepted by the Board
is also listed for each subject category. After subject category minimums are
met, dentists may apply credits earned in elective courses.
|
600 CDE Hours Required (200 hours must be in participation courses) |
||
Subject Category |
Minimum # of Hours
Required |
Maximum # of Hours Accepted |
|
Operative Dentistry |
30 |
120 |
|
Periodontics
|
30 |
120 |
|
Prosthodontics |
30 |
120 |
|
Endodontics |
30 |
120 |
|
Oral Surgery/Oral Pathology |
30 |
120 |
|
Orthodontics/Pediatric Dentistry |
30 |
120 |
|
Radiology/Oral Diagnosis/ Oral Medicine |
30 |
120 |
|
Esthetics |
0 |
100 |
|
Basic Sciences |
0 |
100 |
|
Implant Dentistry |
0 |
100 |
|
Occlusion |
0 |
100 |
Special Patient Care |
0 |
100 |
|
Teaching/Publications |
0 |
100 |
Documentation
must be provided for each CDE course attended, for teaching and publications,
and for completion of a GPR or AEGD program, as specified here.
Course
Attendance - any of the following
1. Current
AGD course record printouts
2. Course
record forms
3. CDE
registry records from a state recording service
4. Military
records of CDE attendance
5. Letters
of verification from CDE sponsors or instructors
Teaching
1. Letter
from the applicant’s supervisor in the institution in which the applicant
teaches, verifying the dates of the academic appointment, the subject area(s)
taught, and the number of hours spent teaching each subject, are required
2. An AGD
course record printout that indicates credit received for teaching
Publications
1. A
photocopy of the journal article or title page of the textbook is required
2. An AGD
printout that indicates credit received for the publication
AEGD/GPR Program
1. A copy of
the certificate of completion from an AEGD/GPR program
IV. THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION
Eligibility
Once
a candidate has been designated Educationally Qualified (EQ) or Conditionally
Educational Qualified (CEQ) for Certification, the candidate is eligible to sit
for the Written Examination. A candidate
must apply for and pass the Written Examination within five years of attaining
an EQ or CEQ status. Candidates who do
not pass the Written Examination within the five years must re-establish the EQ
or CEQ status for Certification.
Application
A
candidate must submit a completed Written Examination application and fee to
sit for the Written Examination. Applications for the Written Examination are
available through the office of the ABGD. Written Examination applications must
be submitted to the ABGD staff a minimum of 60 days prior to the test date for
all candidates within the continental
Examination Dates and Locations
The
Written Examination is administered on the first Friday in March in
Candidates
may arrange to sit for their examinations at military base sites run by the
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). While DANTES
sites are not obligated to test civilians, many are willing to do so.
Those
candidates testing at DANTES sites within the continental
§ Name of the person who will
administer the examination
§ Shipping address for the
examination
§ Contact telephone number or
e-mail address
§ A statement confirming that
the TCO will administer the exam and secure it until it is returned to the
American Board of General Dentistry
§ The letter must confirm the
name of the candidate who will be sitting for the examination
Those
candidates who wish to test at a DANTES site, but do not submit the appropriate
letter from the Test Control Officer will NOT be allowed to test. Test Control Officers cannot e-mail this
letter or telephone the ABGD for approval to test. Interested candidates may obtain a list of
sites in a particular area by contacting the ABGD staff.
Special Accommodations
The
American Board of General Dentistry may grant special accommodations for the
Written Examination to a candidate who:
1. submits a
letter, a minimum of 60 days before the examination deadline, requesting
special accommodations, and
2. provides
documentation verifying their condition as well as the specifics of the special
accommodations from a qualified professional (i.e. physician, psychologist,
counselor) currently treating the candidate.
The
ABGD reserves the right to authorize the use of auxiliary aids or modifications
in such a way as to maintain the integrity and security of the examination
process.
Content
The
Board develops its examinations based upon clinical knowledge, skills and
procedures delineated by the Board and validated by many dental professionals.
The
Written Examination consists of 350 multiple choice test questions. The exam is divided into two sections. Each section consists of the following:
Section
1
§ Dental Materials
§ Endodontics
§ Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine
& Oral Diagnosis
§ Oral Surgery
§ Orthodontics
§ Pediatric Dentistry
§ Dental Radiology
§ Fixed Prosthodontics
§ Periodontics
§ Public Health & Infection
Control
§ Removable Prosthodontics:
Complete & Partial
§ Operative Dentistry
The
Written Examination is a one-day exam that is administered in two, three-hour
sessions. Section 1 is administered in
the morning session and Section 2 is administered in the afternoon.
This
examination is criterion-referenced.
This means that a minimum passing score is determined by the Board,
based on what the Board considers to be the minimum knowledge a general dentist
must possess to be considered proficient.
If all examinees meet or surpass the minimum passing score, they all
pass the examination. Their scores are
not compared to other candidates.
There
is no penalty for guessing on the examination therefore it is in the
candidate’s best interest to answer all the questions within each section of
the exam.
Testing Irregularities
The
Written Examination is proctored. The
proctor is responsible for protecting the integrity of the examination process
and will provide a written report to the Board of any irregularities observed
during the examination process. Examples
of irregularities include, but are not limited to, alterations of the test
booklets, discrepancies in test materials, unforeseen interruptions in test
administration and dishonest behavior by candidate(s). Such irregularities will constitute grounds
for invalidation of the candidates’ examination. The Board maintains full authority for
failing candidates on the basis of irregular behavior.
Results of the Written Examination
Candidates
will be informed of the results of their performance on the Written Examination
within eight to ten weeks following its administration. Examination results are
confidential and will not be released to anyone other than the candidate,
without written consent of the candidate.
Examination results cannot be released over the phone or by e-mail.
Passing the Written Examination
Candidates who pass the Written Examination will be
granted the status of Board Eligible or Conditional Board Eligible upon
approval of the Board.
Failing the Written Examination and Appeal Mechanism
Candidates
who fail the Written Examination may appeal this decision to the Board. A candidate whose Written Examination score
is within five questions of the passing score may review and/or appeal the
results of their performance on the examination by complying with the following
procedures:
1. The
candidate must submit a written request to the ABGD staff, stating their intent
to appeal their examination scores to the Board. The request for appeal must be received
within thirty (30) days after the examination scores are mailed to candidates.
2. The
candidate must make arrangements through the ABGD staff to review their
examination in Chicago for one day during normal ABGD office hours under the
direct supervision of an ABGD appointed staff member, with AGD (and ADA, if
necessary) reference materials available.
This review must take place within 180 days after the letter of appeal
is received by the ABGD staff.
3. The
candidate will be provided only the questions they missed and only their
responses to those questions, not the correct responses. The candidate will be permitted
to appeal no more than ten (10) questions.
4. The
appeal must be developed during the review session and must contain a
documented rationale for each question that the candidate believes they
answered correctly. The appeal, all
notes and examination materials must be given to the proctor at the end of the
session.
5. The
appeal will be reviewed by the ABGD at its next scheduled meeting. The Board will review and make a decision on
each test question debated. Based on its
deliberations, the Board will make a final decision regarding the candidate=s overall score on the written examination.
6. The
results of the Board=s deliberations will be communicated to the candidate
within thirty (30) days of the Board meeting during which the appeal was reviewed.
7. The
decision of the Board concerning all appeals of Written Examination scores will
be final.
8. A
candidate who elects to review and/or appeal the examination results is
precluded from sitting for the Written Examination for one year from the date
of their review and/or appeal of the previous examination. Formal appeal procedures are available from
the ABGD staff.
Retaking the Written Examination
The
Written Examination is comprehensive.
Therefore, if a candidate fails the examination, they must retake the
entire examination, not just those areas on which they did poorly. A candidate must submit a new Written
Examination application and re-examination fee in order to qualify to sit for
the exam the following year. Candidates may
not retest within the same calendar year nor sit for the same version of
the Written Examination more than once.
Candidates
are allowed a maximum of three opportunities to take and pass the Written
Examination, regardless of the number of times that Educationally Qualified
status is conferred. Permission to take the Written Examination a fourth time
may be granted only after the candidate submits a formal request to the Board
stating the measures they have taken to improve their probability of passing
the examination. Formal appeal procedures may be obtained from the American
Board staff.
Mentors
The
ABGD will attempt to provide a Board Certified mentor to any candidate who
requests guidance through the Board Certification process with regard to the
Written Examination. Those candidates
who would like to have a mentor assigned to them should contact the ABGD staff
for assistance.
V. THE ORAL EXAMINATION
Eligibility
After
passing the Written Examination and meeting all other eligibility requirements,
a candidate is notified of their Board Eligible status by the Board. A
candidate who is Board Eligible must pass the Oral Examination within five
years after being declared Board Eligible. A candidate who is eligible to sit for the Oral
Examination may not test within the same calendar year in which
they passed the Written Examination.
If a candidate is granted a Conditional Board
Eligible status, the candidate must complete all of the requirements of their
Entry Point before they will be allowed to sit for the Oral
Examination. In addition, a Conditional
Board Eligible candidate will not be allowed to sit for the Oral
Examination until they have achieved the status of Board Eligible. Conditional Board Eligible candidates have five
years to achieve Board Eligible status and pass the Oral Examination.
Application
The
Oral Examination application and fee must be received no later than February 1st
of the year in which the examination will be taken.
Examination Dates and Location
The
Oral Examination is given annually and will be administered in
§ May 13-16, 2005
§ May 12-15, 2006
§
May 11-14, 2007
§
May 9-12, 2008
Special Accommodations
The
American Board of General Dentistry may grant special accommodations for the
Oral Examination to a candidate who:
1. submits a
letter, a minimum of 60 days before the examination deadline, requesting
special accommodations, and
2. provides
documentation verifying their condition as well as the specifics of the special
accommodations from a qualified professional (i.e. physician, psychologist,
counselor) currently treating the candidate.
The
ABGD reserves the right to authorize the use of auxiliary aids or modifications
in such a way as to maintain the integrity and security of the examination
process.
Content
The
Oral Examination consists of two sections:
1) Case
Treatment Planning & Rationale and
2) Discipline-Specific
Oral Examinations.
Candidates
must pass both sections of the exam in order to complete the Board
Certification process.
The Case Treatment Planning & Rationale Section
Beginning
in 2005, the Case Treatment Planning & Rationale section of the Oral
Examination will consist of a dual track:
§ Standardized case diagnosis,
treatment planning and rationale, or
§ Presentation and rationale of
two original cases.
Candidates
must indicate which track they will to pursue when they submit their Oral
Examination application. Once a
candidate has declared a specific track, the candidate may not change
that track for the examination year in which the application is submitted. Candidates who wish to change to the
alternate track will be required to postpone all parts of the examination until
the following year.
Standardized Case Diagnosis, Treatment Planning and
Rationale Track
This
examination is a four-hour exercise in which all candidates will be presented
with a standardized case from which they will develop a treatment plan and
provide the complete rationale to support their treatment planning decision.
The
candidate must develop the following:
Ÿ
Problem list by discipline
Ÿ
Medical considerations
Ÿ
Treatment plan and rationale by phase:
1.
Emergency
2.
Diagnostic
3.
Reparative
4.
Corrective/Reconstructive
5.
Maintenance
Ÿ
Development of
the treatment plan and rationale should be set up on the paper so that the
treatment plan is on the left side of the paper and the corresponding rationale
is on the right.
The candidate will be provided with:
1.
Chief complaint
2.
Medical and dental history
3.
Complete dental examination findings
4.
Full mouth and
panoral radiographs (duplicate films or pictures)
5.
Extraoral and intraoral photographic series
6.
Perio charting
7.
Unmounted diagnostic casts
8.
Access to articulated casts and original
radiographs
The candidate will provide:
1.
Pens (blue or black only)
2.
Colored pencils (red, blue and brown)
3.
Surveyor
4.
Instruments to remove pencil marks on cast
Case Presentation Track
Each
candidate is required to submit three cases.
Each case must include a minimum of three categories from the
following list:
1. Fixed
Prosthodontics, Removable Prosthodontics or Implants
2. Periodontal
Treatment
3. Operative
Dentistry (restoration of single teeth)
4. Oral
Pathology/Oral Medicine
5. Oral
Surgery
6. Orthodontics/Pediatric
Dentistry/Public Health
7. Endodontics
§ One case must include
replacement of missing teeth, using
fixed prosthodontics, removable prosthodontics or implants, and
§
One case must
include periodontal treatment, and
§ One case must include
operative dentistry. Operative dentistry is defined as the
restoration of individual teeth.
All
cases must conform to the following criteria:
1. The majority of care must be provided by the candidate acting as the primary clinician. In the case of specialty referrals, the overall management of patient care remains the sole responsibility of the candidate.
2. All
documentation required by the Board must be provided. Case history record forms
and other pertinent materials supplied by the Board must be used.
3. Cases that are submitted must document complete care from diagnosis and treatment planning through completed treatment. Incomplete cases will not be approved.
Prior
to February 1st each year, copies of the following items for each
case are to be submitted to the Board for review and verification. Please note that more detailed specifications
for the following items will be enclosed with the application:
1. Patient
release form
2. Medical
history
3. Treatment
planning forms
4. Pre-treatment
full mouth periapical radiographs (may be from digital radiographs)
5. Post-treatment
radiographs as appropriate (may be from digital radiographs)
6. Pre-treatment
and post-treatment clinical photographic series as 35 mm color slides or
digital images
7. Pre-treatment
and post-treatment photographic series of casts as 35 mm color slides or
digital images
All
cases will be returned to the candidate.
Cases must meet all Board‑established criteria in order to be
accepted for presentation. If a case is judged as “Conditionally
Acceptable,” it will be returned to the candidate with instructions on
corrections and procedures for resubmission.
If
a case is judged as “Unacceptable,” it will be returned to the candidate. The
candidate must then submit a new case to the Board.
If
all three of the submitted cases are judged as “Acceptable,” the Board will
identify the two of the cases that the candidate must present and defend during
the Oral Examination.
The candidate must bring all case presentation materials to the Oral Examination. The candidate will have a maximum of 15 minutes to orally present each case to the examiners. The presentation must follow the format outlined in the Oral Examination application. The examiners will question the candidate on each case, including questions about hypothetical situations suggested by the case histories. The examiners will evaluate all quest