Oral Clinical Examination

A man listens to ear pods while taking notes as he looks at a laptop computer

Overview

The Oral Clinical Examination (OCE) is administered annually at a facility specifically designed for administration of professional specialty board oral examinations.

Candidates can apply for the OCE after successfully completing the Qualifying Examination (QE).

2-hour examination session
8 topic areas covered
Open-ended questions to assess candidate’s knowledge and skills

What to Expect

The OCE is designed to evaluate the candidate’s knowledge and ability for the diagnosis, treatment planning, and complications of clinical cases in pediatric dentistry.

The examination 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. Candidates will be expected to have evidenced-based knowledge of all currently acceptable therapy whether they perform the procedures in practice or not and in all types of pediatric patients.

The topic areas covered by the vignettes include:

Comprehensive Care
Hospital Dentistry
Behavior Guidance
Management of the Developing Occlusion

Oral Pathology
Prevention
Special Health Care Needs
Trauma

A young girl smiles as a dental progressional with blue glove prepares to use dental tools

Step by Step

Examination Timeline

APPLY FOR OCE

The OCE application opens annually in January. The application can be completed by logging into your ABPD portal. Limited spots are available and filled on a first come first served basis.

Prepare for Exam

View study tips here

Schedule Travel

ABPD will assign examination dates approximately six months before the administration of the examination.

Renew Board Candidacy

All active candidates are required to log into their profile annually and complete the renewal and credentials form. Renewal period opens December 1st and the deadline to complete is November 30th.