Preparing for the OCE

The Oral Clinical Examination (OCE) is the second examination of the two-part American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) certification process. The OCE is designed to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge and ability for data gathering and diagnosis, management and treatment planning, and treatment variations and complications for clinical cases in pediatric dentistry.

The OCE is composed of two one-hour sessions administered successively by two examiners. Each session consists of clinical vignettes that are presented to the candidate for discussion and open-ended questions are asked to assess a candidate’s knowledge and skills.  Candidates will be expected to have evidenced-based knowledge of all currently acceptable therapy. 

The following is recommended for preparing for the OCE:

Review the Blueprint

The OCE blueprint provides the topic areas that will be covered during the examination. By reviewing the blueprint, you will be able to determine if you need to review all the topics or just concentrate on certain topics.

Choose Study Materials

We surveyed the 2022 OCE examinees on how they prepared for the OCE. The top three responses included:

• AAPD Reference Manual
• Textbooks on Pediatric Dentistry
• Mock exam with an associate

Additional Resources

• Review additional study tips and references
• Watch the OCE Overview Session
• Review OCE Sample Vignettes
• Review Candidate Mock Examination Video
• Learn about what is expected on the day of your examination

The content of the examination is copyrighted and confidential and all participants agreed to the terms of the Applicant Examination Agreement.  To review the details of the agreement, click here.

Additional information for preparing for the OCE can be found on the ABPD website and in our Certification Guide.

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