Study Strategies

1. It is important to start your preparation early. There is a lot of time from the
end of the Spring Semester until the Board exam on Monday, July 11, 2005. The
Summer Session will be lighter this year and that should help. The two weeks
before the exam are blocked off for individual study.
A good way to begin your preparation is acquire and organize the materials that
you would like to study. Due to the expense of the Dental Decks and review
books/manuals, you may want to make arrangements with other students for
sharing this type of material.
2. Pick a start date for beginning your studies for the Boards. A good start time
might be a week after the end of the Spring Semester. There is a lot of material
to cover: in some cases, it has been as much as a year and a half since you
studied the material in Dental School. If you start early, you wont feel nearly as
much pressure later on.
3. Make a schedule for your study time and stick to it. You may want to consider
forming study groups for covering material such as test questions. This will not
only help you adhere to a schedule, you can also benefit from the knowledge of
other members of the group and possibly learn new test-taking skills.
As you are studying, you will get tired and your studying may become less
effective. For those days that you are able in put in more hours of studying, you
should make sure to take some nice breaks to refresh yourself!
4. As you prepare for each section of the Board, refer to the Examination
Specifications in the Appendix at the end of the Syllabus. For each section of
the Board, the specifications outline the material on the exam and the numbers
of questions for each area in the section.
5. One of the favorite ways for preparation involves the review of questions from
released National Board exams, the Dental Decks and review books/manuals.
This works best for the Dental Anatomy/Occlusion section of the Board; for the
three Basic Science sections of the Board, this material is not as comprehensive.
Note: If you have old exams and quizzes from your classes, the multiple choice
questions should be an excellent source of additional questions.
When reviewing old questions for the Basic Science sections, I suggest that you
have a good medical dictionary such as Stedmans at hand. You should first
answer the question and check your answer try to see if there were key words
that you missed in answering the question. This is important for improving your
test-taking skills; this is one of the easiest ways to improve your test scores). If
there are terms that are not fresh in your memory, you should next look those
terms up in the medical dictionary. These terms may be the answer or topic for
questions on the Boards.

Some of the released Board exams have multiple-multiple choice questions. It is

my understanding that this type of question is no longer used on the Dental
Boards.
Note: The Board review books published for medical students are an excellent
source of questions. However, some of the questions are at a higher level than
needed. Please skip these questions.
In general there is a tendency to include more application type questions on the
Dental Boards. However, the vast majority of questions are still the basic types of
multiple choice questions. I would try to master the regular type of questions
before worrying about application type questions.
6. The review of course material (such as monographs, handouts and
PowerPoint presentations) can also be very helpful. Please refer to the
Examination Specifications in the Appendix; this should be helpful in identifying
study material that will be high yield for your efforts.
Test-taking Strategies
1. On the Basic Science sections, there may be a good number of questions that
may not know this would not be unusual. Please stay calm and do not get
wound up like a French clock. If the test on a section is hard, it will be hard for all
the students taking the test. You will need fewer correct answers to do well.
2. Please read the questions and answers carefully. Frequently, there will be a
key word that will help you choose the correct answer without spending too much
time on the question.
3. Writing in the exam booklet is allowed: it is a good idea to circle key words in
the question. It can also be helpful to put an X by the answers that you feel are
incorrect. Some individuals prefer to draw a line through the incorrect answers.
This can help you get the correct answer or improve your odds if you have to
guess.
4. If you are struggling with a question, please (1) put down an answer, (2) circle
the number of the question in the test booklet, and (3) come back to it later. Note
- if there is a question that you feel that you have absolutely no clue about, put an
X through the number of the question rather than circling the number. It is
important that you give an appropriate amount of time to the questions that you
have the best chance of answering correctly. Note: there is no penalty for
guessing, but you dont want to spend two much time on a question the first time
through the exam.
Make sure that you answer all of the questions before you worry too much about
the hard questions. The last 10 or 20 questions may be easier. Lets make sure
that we answer the easy questions first. Then we can worry about the harder

ones. On the second time through the test, review the questions with circled
numbers first.
5. On the exam you will be given two sections at a time. Divide the allotted time
in half. Dont spend too much time worrying about one section and put yourself in
a bind on the other. You can do whichever section you want first; this is a matter
of personal preference.
Some individuals prefer to start with the section that they feel will be their
hardest. This has the advantage that the student will be freshest for the harder
section. Doing the harder section first does have the potential to wear you out
before you get to the easier section.
Other students prefer to start off with what they feel will be the easiest of the two
sections. This has the potential to leave more time for the harder section.
Anatomic Sciences and Biochemistry/Physiology will be given in the morning (3.5
hours). Microbiology/Pathology and Dental Anatomy/Occlusion are given in the
afternoon (3.5 hours).
6. Plan on getting to the exam early; be sure to bring your #2 pencils with a good
eraser. It is also important that you get a good night's sleep the evening before
the exam.

NATIONAL BOARDS, PART I

DENTAL EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS
ANATOMIC SCIENCES [100 QUESTIONS]
I. Gross Anatomy* [50 questions]
A. Head
1. Oral Cavity
2. Extraoral Structures
3. Osteology
4. TMJ and muscles of mastication
B. Neck
C. Axilla, shoulders and upper extremities
D. Thoracic cavity
E. Abdominopelvic cavity
F. Central nervous system and neuroanatomy
*Note - The following topics will be considered under each category of Gross Anatomy:
(1) Bone, (2) Muscles, (3) Fascia, (4) Nerves (peripheral and autonomic), (5) Arteries, veins and
lymphatics, (6) Spaces and cavities, (7) Joints and ligaments and (8) Endocrines and exocrines.
II. Histology [23 questions]
A. Ultrastructure
B. Basic tissues
C. Bone, cartilage and joints
D. Lymphatic and circulatory systems
E. Endocrine system
F. Respiratory system
G. Gastrointestinal system
H. Genitourinary system
I. Integument
III. Oral Histology [16 questions]
A. Tooth and supporting tissues
B. Soft oral tissues
C. Temporomandibular joint
IV. Developmental Biology [11 questions]
A. Osteogenesis
B. Tooth development, eruption and movement
C. Facial and branchial arch development
D. General Embryology

BIOCHEMISTRY-PHYSIOLOGY [100 QUESTIONS]

I. Biological Compounds [10 questions]
A. Sugars and carbohydrates
B. Amino acids and proteins
C.
D.
E.
F.

Lipids
Nucleic acids and metabolism
Nutrients and minerals.
Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

II. Metabolism [17 questions]

A. Bioenergetics
B. Enzymology
C. Catabolism
D. Anabolism
E. Urea cycle
F. Regulation
G. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation
III. Molecular and Cellular Biology [10 questions]
A. DNA/RNA and protein synthesis
B. Genetic engineering
C. Cell cycle
D. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation
IV. Connective Tissues [8 questions]
A. Soft tissue
B. Hard tissue/calcification
C. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation
V.

Membranes [4 questions]
A. Structure
B. Function
C. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

VI. Nervous System [6 questions]

A. General properties
B. Central nervous system
C. Autonomic nervous system
D. Somatic nervous system
E. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation
VII. Muscle [6 questions]
A. Skeletal
B. Smooth muscle
C. Cardiac muscle
D. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

Biochemistry/Physiology continued on next page

VIII. Circulation [9 questions]

A. Fluid content and dynamics
B. Coagulation
C. Cardiodynamics and electrophysiology
D. Regulatory mechanisms
E. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation
IX.

Respiration [6 questions]
A. Mechanical aspect
B. Gas exchange and transport
C. Regulation
D. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

X.

Renal [8 questions]
A. Functional anatomy
B. Blood flow and filtration
C. Reabsorption and secretion
D. Regulation
E. Acid-base balance
F. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

XI.

Oral Physiology [3 questions]

A. Taste
B. Mastication (with reflexes)
C. Swallowing

XII.

Digestion [5 questions]
A. Neuromuscular
B. Secretions
C. Absorption
D. Regulation
E. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

XIII.

Endocrines [8 questions]
A. Pituitary/hypothalamus
B. Reproduction
C. Signaling systems
D. Pancreas/parathyroid
E. Adrenal/thyroid
F. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

MICROBIOLOGY-PATHOLOGY {100 QUESTIONS]

I. General Microbiology [21 questions]
A. Microbial biochemistry and physiology
B. Microbial Cytology
C. Microbial variations and genetics
D. Sterilization and disinfection
E. Biology of microorganisms
1. Bacteria
2. Viruses
3. Fungi
F. Antibiotics and chemotherapy
G. Oral ecology and epidemiology
II. Reaction of tissue to injury [10 questions]
A. Inflammation and repair
B. Physical and chemical injury
C. Hemodynamic disorders
III. Immunology and Immunopathology [13 questions - at least 3 on oral immunology]
A. Host defense mechanisms
B. Hypersenstivity
C. Immune system
IV. Microbiology, Immunology, and pathology of Specific Infectious Diseases
[22 questions - at least 8 on oral diseases]
A. Bacterial
B. Viral
C. Fungal
D. Chlamydial and rickettsial
V.

Systemic Pathology [22 questions]

A. Cardiovascular
B. Respiratory
C. Gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary
D. Genitourinary
E. Blood-lymphatic
F. Endocrine
G. Musculoskeletal
H. Genetic diseases
I.
Nervous system

VI. Growth Disturbances [12 questions]

A. Non-neoplastic
B. Neoplasms - etiology, epidemiology & biology
C. Specific neoplasms

DENTAL ANATOMY AND OCCLUSION [100 QUESTIONS]

I. Tooth Morphology [44 questions]
A. Primary
B. Permanent
1. Incisors
2. Canines
3. Premolars
4. Molars
II. Pulp Cavity Morphology [5 questions]
III. Calcification and Eruption

[6 questions]

IV. Principles of Occlusion and Function [37 questions]

A. Functional Anatomy
1. Interarch (static and movement)
a. Anterior teeth
b. Posterior teeth
2. Intra-arch
B. Masticatory physiology and biomechanics
1. Temporomandibular joint
2. Muscles and ligaments
3. Determinants of occlusion
V.

Clinical Considerations - Tooth Morphology and Anomalies

[8 questions]

Copyright 2003 by The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston