Preliminary Examination Handbook

Preliminary Examination Timeline

Last date to change venue

Examination held over two

Last date for 80% refund on withdrawal

consecutive days in the first half of March and September

Exam closing date

4 weeks before exam

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

10 - 12 weeks after exam

Dates/location information issued by exam venues

Results posted to candidates 28 days from date of results letter to lodge written request for verification of results

Last date for 50% refund on withdrawal

CONTENTS

Introduction.................................................................................................... 4 Changing Venue .............................................................................................. 4 Candidate Contact Information ....................................................................... 4 Withdrawing from the Examination ................................................................ 5 Conduct of the Examination............................................................................ 5 Results ............................................................................................................ 6 Preliminary Examination Grades ..................................................................... 6 Specification Matrix for Preliminary Examination Format ............................... 7 Sample Questions ........................................................................................... 7 Sample Multiple Choice Questions.............................................................. 8 Sample of Short Answer Questions ........................................................... 11 Resources ..................................................................................................... 12

Introduction
The ADC Preliminary Examination is designed to test the candidates knowledge of the science and practice of dentistry and of clinical and technical procedures relevant to dental practice in Australia. Consisting of two Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) papers and a Short Answer Question (SAQ) paper, the Preliminary Examination is held over two consecutive days on two occasions each year, during the first half of March and September. The examination is offered in multiple locations within Australia and overseas. The papers must be completed in the one examination session, ie it is not possible to do one of the papers in March (or September) and the remaining paper/s in September (or March). Each examination consists of a different set of questions. The standard required of each examination is at the same level. There is no restriction on the number of attempts allowed for the ADC Preliminary Examination, but a new fee must be paid for each attempt. A pass in the Preliminary Examination is valid for three years only. This means that candidates who pass the Preliminary Examination must pass the Final Examination with a closing date that is within three years of them being notified of their successful result in the Preliminary Examination. Candidates who do not complete the Final Examination in this timeframe must resit and pass the Preliminary Examination to again become eligible to enter the Final Examination. Changing Venue Candidates should advise the ADC prior to the examination closing date if they wish to change their venue. Candidate Contact Information Any change in mailing address must be notified immediately. Information will not be reissued to candidates who fail to advise the ADC or employ a suitable mail redirection service from their previous address. Candidates must arrange redirection of mail if they change their postal address after a closing date for a Preliminary Examination. Venue details and urgent information may be communicated to you via your nominated email address. Please ensure the email address you provide is reliable and checked regularly. Candidates who use free internet providers (gmail, yahoo etc) should properly maintain their mailboxes and check junk mail or other filters. The ADC will not be responsible for non-receipt of correctly addressed emails.
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Withdrawing from the Examination

It is to be noted that examination fees and application forms can not be transferred to alternate examinations. Candidates will forfeit 20% of their examination fees if their withdrawal from an examination is received before the closing date for that examination. Candidates whose withdrawal is received after the closing date for the examination will forfeit 50% of their examination fees. Those withdrawing within four weeks of a scheduled examination will forfeit the whole fee unless they can produce a medical certificate reporting inability to undertake the examinationin which case 60% of the fee will be refunded. Failure to undertake the examination because of an inability to obtain necessary visas or to arrange travel etc will be considered a withdrawal, and the full examination fee, or withdrawal fee as above, will apply.

Conduct of the Examination

Examinations are conducted under strict supervision. Candidates will be provided with all materials necessary for the examination. Calculators or other electronic or mechanical aids are neither required nor permitted. Scrap paper is neither provided nor permitted for the Preliminary Examination papers. Candidates should remember to bring with them: Examination confirmation letter Evidence of identity which will be checked at the beginning of the examination. This can be a passport, labour card, national ID or driving licence. It must be an original document which bears the candidates photograph. Candidates must be at the examination centre no later than the arrival time stated on the advice provided to them by their venue. Once the examination has commenced no candidate will be granted late entry, regardless of the reason. Failure to sit a paper will be deemed an automatic FAIL of the entire examination.

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Results
Candidates will be advised in writing by the ADC about the results of the Preliminary Examination as soon as practicable, usually within 10 to 12 weeks after the date of the examination. Candidates should not contact the ADC before this time has elapsed. Candidates who fail the Preliminary Examination and who wish to have their results verified must apply to the ADC within 28 days of the date of the letter notifying them of their results. Candidates must complete the relevant application form (obtainable by contacting the ADC) and pay the applicable fee. The verification process is a manual check to ensure that the results and grade notified to a candidate are correct and in accord with the decisions of the examiners. Relevant records will be viewed by authorised ADC personnel in order to verify the accuracy of the result notified to the candidate, which will be confirmed by the Chair of Preliminary Examination Sub Committee or his/her delegate. Examination papers are NOT remarked or graded. The verification process does not provide candidates with the questions and their answers from the examination. The ADC does not release examination material to candidates.

Preliminary Examination Grades

Candidates attempting the ADC Preliminary Examination are advised that results will appear on the candidate's Results Profile as grades rather than scores. The marking system for the MCQ papers is as follows: Grades A, B and C are a PASS Grades D and E are a FAIL The marking system for the SAQ paper is Pass/Fail. To be awarded a pass in the Preliminary Examination, candidates must achieve: PASS (Grade A, B or C) in each MCQ paper and PASS the SAQ Paper; and PASS (Grade A, B or C) in 4 of 7 sections of the MCQ papers.

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Specification Matrix for Preliminary Examination Format

Paper 1
Section A Tooth Conservation Dental Pulp Endodontics Section B Crown and Bridgework Prosthodontics (Partial) Prosthodontics (Full) Section C Dental Caries Applied Basic Science (Operative Dentistry) Applied Basic Science (Prosthodontics & Materials)

Paper 2
Section D Anaesthesia & Resuscitation Infection Control Oral Surgery Surgery Applied Basic Science (Oral Surgery)

Section E Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Pharmacology & Therapeutics Medicine

Section F Radiology Dentistry for Children Orthodontics

Section G Periodontics Preventive Dentistry Public Dental Health

Sample Questions
In the following pages we have provided samples of MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) and SAQ (Short Answer Question) questions. The sample questions are from previous examination papers and will not be used again in any future examination. While these sample questions represent the type of questions currently being used in the examination, it is possible that some of the sample questions and answers may not reflect recent advances in knowledge or practice. The SAQ paper consists of three questions requiring short written answers. Sixty minutes will be allowed for this paper. A sample SAQ and answer are included at the end of this booklet.

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Sample Multiple Choice Questions for Preliminary Examination (Papers 1 and 2)

Correct answers are marked in red. 1. Which of the following would most clearly differentiate an acute periodontal abscess from an acute periapical abscess? A. B. C. D. E. pigmentation of the gingivae nature of the swelling degree of tooth mobility response to a test for vitality tenderness to percussion

2. A 25 years-old male complained of many minute vesicles on the vermillion border of the upper lip. The vesicles were preceded by an "itching" sensation. The patient stated the vesicles develop "two or three times" a year. The MOST LIKELY diagnosis is A. B. C. D. E. impetigo herpes zoster recurrent herpes simplex infection primary herpetic stomatitis recurrent aphthous ulceration

3. A patient presents with painless, bluish lump (10 mm in diameter) just inside the vermillion border of the lower lip. The MOST LIKELY diagnosis is A. B. C. D. E. smokers' keratosis squamous cell carcinoma mucocoele fibroma fibro-epithelial polyp

4. The EARLIEST apical radiographic change seen in a pulpally involved tooth is A. B. C. D. E. resorption of bone loss of lamina dura external root resorption hyper-cementosis widening of the periodontal ligament space

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5. The drug most commonly used to treat trigeminal neuralgia is A. B. C. D. E. diazepam (Valium) carbamazepine (Tegretol) Ergotamine phenytoin (Dilantin) metronidazole (Flagyl)

6. An injection at the anterior border of the ramus of the mandible, a centimetre above the lower occlusal plane, will anaesthetise the A. B. C. D. E. lingual nerve long buccal nerve facial nerve posterior superior alveolar nerve mylo-hyoid nerve

7. The MOST COMMON problem arising from premature extraction of deciduous molars is the loss of A. B. C. D. E. arch length facial contour vertical height sibilant speech sounds freeway space

8. A substance used as a non-cariogenic substitute for sugar is A. B. C. D. E. fructose glucose lactose maltose sorbitol

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9. A patient develops unilateral facial paralysis within ten minutes after an attempted inferior alveolar nerve block on the same side. The most logical explanation is that the injection was made into the A. B. C. D. E. parotid gland masseter muscle maxillary artery pterygomandibular ligament buccinator muscle

10. The tooth MOST often congenitally missing is the A. B. C. D. E. mandibular first premolar mandibular lateral incisor maxillary first molar maxillary lateral incisor maxillary canine

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Sample of Short Answer Question for Preliminary Examination (Paper 1A)

Question: Discuss the potential adverse effects associated with the administration of a dental local anaesthetic. Sample Answer: The following is an example of an answer that would be regarded as satisfactory by the examiners. It includes information derived from: Subramaniam, S and Tennant, M. A concise review of the basic biology and pharmacology of local anaesthesia. Australian Dental Journal Medications Supplement 2005: 50-4. Oral and Dental Expert Group. Therapeutic guidelines: oral and dental. Version 1. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited; 2007 Local anaesthesia is an effective and relatively safe method of pain control, and has a very low incidence of significant adverse effects. Different anaesthetic drugs can have different complications. The adverse effects of local anaesthetics include: syncope central nervous system effectslight-headedness, nervousness, apprehension, euphoria, confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred or double vision, twitching, tremors, convulsions and unconsciousness, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, sensations of heat or cold respiratory effectsrespiratory depression, respiratory arrest cardiovascular effectsbradycardia, hypotension, and cardiovascular collapse which may lead to cardiovascular arrest allergic responsescutaneous lesions, urticaria, oedema, anaphylactoid reactions local complications including: o equipment failure, eg needle breakage o anatomical issues, eg nerve trauma, paraesthesia, facial nerve paralysis o tissue trauma either operator- or patient-induced, eg trismus, haematoma, infection toxicity When choosing and administering a local anaesthetic consideration should be given to: previous history including: o the patients level of apprehension o previous reactions/side effects appropriate technique support and management of complications.

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RESOURCES
Candidates may wish to consult the following books should they need information on multiple choice questions: Tyldesley, WR Diagnostic Picture Tests in Oral Medicine (Wolfe) Rock, WP et al Diagnostic Picture Tests in Paediatric Dentistry (Wolfe) McMinn, RMH et al Picture Tests in Human Anatomy (Wolfe) Cawson, RA MCQ in Dentistry (Churchill, Livingstone) The content of the examinations is derived from the same broad range of resources that dental students and practitioners in Australia commonly refer to. As a result it is not possible to identify a narrow list of textbooks and journals with which candidates must be familiar and from which the examination will be derived. However, as a guide candidates might find recent editions of the following a useful starting point in preparing for the examinations: Journals Australian Dental Journal British Dental Journal Journal of the American Dental Association Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry Operative Dentistry Quintessence.

Textbooks Mount, GJ & Hume, WR Pitt Ford, TR Roberson, TM (ed) Walton, RE. Andreasen, JO Sicher, HB Shillingburg, HT (ed) Johnston, JF Anusavice, KJ (ed) Preservation and restoration of tooth structure The restoration of teeth. Sturdevant's art & science of operative dentistry Principles and practice of endodontics Essentials of traumatic injuries to the teeth Sicher and DuBrul's Oral anatomy. Fundamentals of fixed prosthodontics Johnston's Modern practice in fixed prosthodontics. Phillips' science of dental materials
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Wilson,H et al Grant, AA & Johnson W Boucher, CO Roberts, DH & Sowray, JH Lewis MAO & Lamey PJ Little, JW Cawson, EW Neville BW Regezi, JA Soames, JV Okeson, JP Howe, GL Howe, GL White, SC & Pharoah, MJ Kasle, MJ Australian Radiation Protection & Nuclear Safety Agency. Cawson, RA & Spector, RG Rag, HP Boon, NA (ed) Scully, C McDonald, RE et al

Dental materials and their clinical applications Removable denture prosthodontics Boucher's prosthodontic treatment for edentulous patients Local anaesthesia in dentistry Clinical Oral Medicine Dental management of the medically compromised patient Essentials of oral pathology and oral medicine Oral and maxillofacial pathology Oral pathology: clinical pathologic correlations Oral pathology Bell's orofacial pains : the clinical management of orofacial pain Minor oral surgery The extraction of teeth Oral radiology : principles and interpretation An atlas of dental radiographic anatomy Code of practice & safety guide : radiation protection in dentistry Clinical pharmacology in dentistry Pharmacology Davidson's principles and practice of medicine. Medical problems in dentistry Dentistry for the child and adolescent

Cameron, AC & Widmer, RP Handbook of pediatric dentistry Foster, TD A textbook of orthodontics

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Proffit, WR et al Lindhe, J et al Newbrun, E

Contemporary orthodontics Clinical periodontology and implant dentistry Cariology

Thylstrup, A & Fejerskov, O Textbook of clinical cariology

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 Copyright 2012 This work is copyright 2012. Copyright is held by the Australian Dental Council. It may not be reproduced for commercial use or sale. Reproduction requires a licence or written permission which may be obtained from: Australian Dental Council Ground Floor 120 Jolimont Road East Melbourne Vic 3002 Australia Tel +61 (0)3 9657 1777 www.adc.org.au

ABN 70 072 269 900

Ground Floor, 120 Jolimont Road East Melbourne Vic 3002 Australia Tel: +61 3 9657 1777 Email: info@adc.org.au Web: www.adc.org.au

Version January 2012