OCE Blueprint & Scoring

Behavior guidance - 14%

Assess a patient's physical, psychological, and social development - Analyze/Evaluate
Assess a patient’s temperament and cooperation potential - Analyze/Evaluate
Recommend a behavior guidance approach based on patient assessment - Understand/Apply
Communicate with the patient and their guardian about development assessment and behavior guidance recommendations - Understand/Apply
Evaluate pharmacologic options based on indications and contraindications - Analyze/Evaluate
Communicate risks and benefits of pharmacologic behavior guidance to patient and guardian, including pre and post instructions - Understand/Apply
Provide non-pharmacologic behavior guidance - Understand/Apply
Administer nitrous oxide analgesia, monitor, and manage adverse events - Understand/Apply
Provide care for patients under moderate or deep sedation (general anesthesia), monitor, and manage/follow protocol for adverse events - Understand/Apply
Prevent, assess, and manage patient pain - Analyze/Evaluate

Growth and development - 8%

Identify dentofacial growth patterns - Understand/Apply
Determine the presence of a dental, skeletal, or functional abnormality - Understand/Apply
Recognize abnormal child development and make referrals as needed to medical specialists (speech therapy, ENT) - Analyze/Evaluate
Determine the need for, and interpret the findings from a panoramic radiograph to assess growth and development - Understand/Apply
Diagnose and manage developing dentition (including dental, skeletal, and functional abnormalities) - Understand/Apply
Determine the need for and provide appliance for space maintenance - Understand/Apply
Identify the indications and mechanisms of interceptive appliances - Understand/Apply
Provide early or interceptive orthodontic treatment (Phase 1) - Understand/Apply
Perform a facial analysis - Understand/Apply
Perform an occlusal analysis - Understand/Apply
Determine the need for, and interpret the findings from a cephalometric analysis - Analyze/Evaluate
Evaluate orthodontic records, including occlusal analysis and model analysis - Analyze/Evaluate

Oral facial injury, emergency care and oral surgery - 16%

Assess and evaluate oral facial injuries, dental pain, and infections -Analyze/Evaluate
Evaluate, diagnose, and manage/treat dentoalveolar trauma including maxillary and mandible jaw fractures - Analyze/Evaluate
Evaluate, diagnose, and manage/treat the pulpal, periodontal and associated soft and hard tissues following traumatic injury - Analyze/Evaluate
Evaluate and manage non-accidental trauma due to child abuse or neglect - Understand/Apply
Explain prognosis and potential sequelae, importance of continued care - Understand/Apply
Recognize and manage a soft tissue lesion - Understand/Apply
Extract teeth - Understand/Apply
Suture soft tissue following extraction or intraoral laceration - Understand/Apply
Manage a supernumerary tooth - Understand/Apply
Manage missing teeth in mixed and immature permanent dentition - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and discuss autotransplantation - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and manage decoronation of tooth - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and discuss implant therapy - Understand/Apply
Management of third molars - Understand/Apply
Manage adverse events and medical emergencies - Analyze/Evaluate

Diagnosis, oral pathology, oral radiology, and oral medicine - 10%

Recognize the normal appearance of the oral cavity (predentate, primary dentition, mixed dentition and permanent dentition) - Analyze/Evaluate
Diagnose, manage, and explain the common pediatric oral/facial anomalies - Analyze/Evaluate
Diagnose, manage, and explain the common pediatric oral/facial pathological conditions - Analyze/Evaluate
Evaluate, diagnose, and manage dental attrition - Understand/Apply
Develop a radiographic survey plan based upon patient assessment - Understand/Apply
Interpret radiographic images and correct errors - Understand/Apply
Identify the need for antibiotic therapy and prescribe antibiotics - Understand/Apply
Identify indications and evaluate options for referrals to medical and dental specialists and communicate reasons/risk to patient, parent, or guardian - Understand/Apply
Identify risk factors for, diagnose, and classify gingival and periodontal disease - Understand/Apply
Manage gingival and periodontal disease non-surgically - Understand/Apply
Identify the need for surgical treatment of gingival and periodontal disease and refer - Understand/Apply
Evaluate and diagnose disorders of the TMJ, treat, and refer cases that are beyond scope - Understand/Apply

Prevention and health promotion - 10%

Evaluate patient medical history - Understand/Apply
Conduct a comprehensive oral examination - Understand/Apply
Evaluate risk for caries, periodontal disease, and trauma - Analyze/Evaluate
Formulate an individual prevention plan based on medical and dental history, radiographs, and assesments - Analyze/Evaluate
Explain exam findings, risks, and recommendations to patients and guardians - Analyze/Evaluate
Use behavior change and communication strategies to motivate change in patients and/or parents or guardians - Understand/Apply
Provide oral hygiene instructions and recommendations - Understand/Apply
Provide diet counseling - Understand/Apply
Complete oral prophylaxis/scaling/removal of plaque/calculus deposits - Understand/Apply
Recommend fluoride type and treatment modality - Analyze/Evaluate
Establish recall/recare visits based on patient needs - Understand/Apply
Identify and classify enamel erosion and determine the etiology - Understand/Apply

Dental caries diagnosis, non-restorative caries management and restorative treatment - 17%

Detect caries lesions and determine diagnose techniques - Analyze/Evaluate
Diagnose caries through visual, tactile, and radiographic techniques - Analyze/Evaluate
Develop and implement a systematic approach to assess caries progression, arrest, or remineralization for primary or permanent teeth - Analyze/Evaluate
Perform non-operative caries management/treatment in primary and permanent dentition - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and apply sealants for primary and permanent teeth - Understand/Apply
Manage minimally invasive restorative treatment for primary and permanent teeth and prescribe follow-up reassessment plan - Understand/Apply
Excavate deep caries (partial or complete removal) in primary and permanent teeth (indirect pulp treatment) - Understand/Apply
Manage enamel erosion with preventive and restorative techniques for primary and permanent teeth - Understand/Apply
Manage esthetic concerns in the primary and permanent dentition - Understand/Apply
Manage hypoplastic and hypomineralized teeth in primary and permanent dentition - Understand/Apply
Restore primary and permanent teeth with amalgam - Understand/Apply
Restore primary and permanent teeth with composite - Understand/Apply
Restore primary and permanent teeth with glass ionomer - Understand/Apply
Restore primary and permanent teeth with stainless steel crown - Understand/Apply
Restore primary and permanent incisors with composite crown - Understand/Apply
Restore primary incisors, canines, and molars with zirconia crown - Understand/Apply
Identify the indications for prosthetic therapy in the primary and permanent dentition - Analyze/Evaluate

Pulp therapy - 8%

Recognize, assess, and diagnose and explain pulpal pathology of primary and permanent teeth - Analyze/Evaluate
Recognize indications for and perform vital pulp therapy in primary anterior teeth and molars - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and perform non-vital pulp therapy in primary anterior teeth and molars - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and perform vital pulp therapy in permanent anterior and posterior teeth - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and perform non-vital pulp therapies in permanent anterior teeth - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and understand the techniques for non-vital pulp therapies in permanent posterior teeth - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and understand the technique for apexogenesis - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and understand the techniques for apexification - Understand/Apply
Recognize indications for and understand the techniques for regenerative endodontics - Understand/Apply

Special health care needs - 8%

Recognize special health care needs (congenital or acquired) in patients and the challenges of providing dental care for individuals with these needs - Analyze/Evaluate
Identify and manage common oral manifestations often associated with special healthcare needs - Understand/Apply
Explain the relationship between oral health and general health to patients, guardians, or other medical providers - Understand/Apply
Modify treatment modality based on special health care needs - Analyze/Evaluate
Discuss the impact of special health care needs on oral health and growth and development with patients and guardians, including alternative treatment goals - Understand/Apply
Provide guidance to patients and guardians on ways to prevent oral disease and minimize the impact of syndromes, diseases, conditions, or disorders on oral health - Understand/Apply
Identify patients who have special healthcare needs that require the care of an interdisciplinary team and coordinate care with the interdisciplinary team(s) - Analyze/Evaluate

Advocacy and Education - 4%

Maintain social and cultural awareness during patient care - Understand/Apply
Explain the importance of the dental home and early pediatric care - Understand/Apply
Advocate for patients to receive needed care and refer patients and guardians to social support resources, including community-based oral health programs and care opportunities - Understand/Apply
Participate at the local, state and/or national levels in organized dentistry in its advocacy for public health policy, legislation, and regulations to protect and promote the oral health needs of children. - Understand/Apply

Elements of pediatric dental practice - 5%

Practice in a professional and ethical manner - Understand/Apply
Employ principles and mechanisms of infection control and safety practices to ensure a safe patient care environment (by following professional organization guidelines and complying with local, state, and national standards/regulations) - Understand/Apply
Develop and follow protocols for clinical practice including safety, technology, privacy, licensing, malpractice, billing, and security - Understand/Apply
Develop and follow protocols for teledentistry including safety, technology, privacy, licensing, malpractice, billing, and security - Understand/Apply
Maintain privacy of protected health information according to HIPAA - Understand/Apply
Continually evaluate the practice for adherence to professional standards (e.g., evidence-based dentistry, practice, policies) - Analyze/Evaluate
Evaluate research articles for application to clinical practice - Analyze/Evaluate

Scoring

ABPD contracts with a professional testing organization to develop a format designed to ensure the reliability, validity, and objectivity of the exam in order to identify those individuals who possess the necessary knowledge, skill and judgement to achieve Diplomate status. The scoring of the OCE relies on ratings provided by the examiners that allow for the calibration of all examination facts, including candidate scaled scores and candidate outcomes. Therefore, the quality of the examiners’ ratings and usefulness to the scoring model is closely monitored.

ABPD utilizes the following criteria for scoring. Questions and acceptable answers are developed for each of vignette.

Score 3 - The candidate showed a full understanding/application or analysis/evaluation of the knowledge and skills, clinical reasoning, communication, and professionalism required for safe and effective practice for the task being assessed.

Score 2 - The candidate showed less than a full understanding/application or analysis/evaluation of the knowledge and skills, clinical reasoning, communication, and professionalism required for safe and effective practice for the task being assessed.

Score 1 - The candidate did not show accurate understanding/application or analysis/evaluation of the knowledge and skills, clinical reasoning, communication, and professionalism required for safe and effective practice for the task being assessed.

The examiners independently score each candidate’s responses. Examiners do not discuss scores or come to a consensus. To assure valid and reliable examinations, the examiners are not allowed to give candidates any feedback on their responses.

Candidates are encouraged to apply knowledge to a clinical situation, defend a point of view in a convincing manner and not use stalling tactics by being excessively slow in response, leading to insufficient information in the time allotted. It is most important that the candidate proceeds through all skillsets in the vignette.