Examination Distribution and Dates

The determination of clinical competency in operative dentistry is made, in part, by your participation in clinical competency examinations.  Clinic Competency Examination alone do not determine competence.  Eight clinical competency examinations will be spaced at regular intervals throughout your assigned clinical operative dentistry program.  You will be responsible for completion of the listed competency examination(s) during each semester in which they are required (see below).  You will also be expected to treat all of the operative dentistry needs of your assigned patients on a timely basis.

Semester Examination Distribution
Semester	Exams Required	Skill Level
DS 3 - Fall	2 + 1*	1
DS 3 - Spring	2	2
DS 3 - Summer	1	3
DS 4 - Fall	2	3

*Includes two surgical management activities and one yearlong non-surgical caries management activity.  See details below.

All exams will be performed at designated examination times (window) during the semester as indicated in the next table.  Faculty have the right to assign a procedure as an examination anytime they choose during the examination “window”.

Examination Window Dates
Semester	Start	End
Fall 2003	October 15	December 12
Spring 2004	March 1	May 14
Summer 2004	June 7	July 30
Fall 2004	September 15	November 23

Skill Level and Procedures [back to top]

You should not attempt an examination or a particular procedure from the Skill Level list until you believe you are ready to demonstrate that you are in fact competent in that particular procedure.  You should consult with your Group Leader to help assess your readiness to participate in these examinations.  Please note that delay in taking any of these exams could delay your completion of the clinical Operative Dentistry curriculum.

You are required to actively participate in 8 competency exams distributed throughout the clinical program as indicated in the Table 2 below.  You must participate in all eight examinations.  The skill level determines the allowable procedures (see below) which may be performed for the examinations during each semester.

You may choose procedures from the list below relative to their current clinic activities and skill level and subject to the conditions listed later.  The skill levels were established to prevent a student from challenging an especially complex restoration with too little clinical experience.

Allowable Procedures
Skill Level	Procedure Choices*
1	Class I Amalgam (simple pits excluded; new, non-restored carious lesion required) Class II Amalgam Class V Amalgam Class I Composite (simple pits excluded; new, non-restored carious lesion required) Class III Composite Class V Composite Non-surgical caries management
2	Class I Amalgam (simple pits excluded; carious lesion required) Class II Amalgam Class V Amalgam Complex restoration utilizing pins – Not a foundation for a crown. Class I Composite (simple pits excluded; new, non-restored carious lesion required) Class II Composite Class III Composite Class IV Composite Class V Composite Class V Glass Ionomer (must be a new, non-restored carious lesion)
3	Class II Amalgam Class V Amalgam Complex restoration utilizing pins – Not a foundation for a crown. Class II Composite Class III Composite Class IV Composite Class V Composite Class V Glass Ionomer (must be a new. non-restored carious lesion) Class II gold inlay Gold onlay

*Unless stated otherwise (Required Procedures) procedures may replace existing defective restorations, which need replacement.

Required Procedures [back to top]

Of the eight competency examinations there are five required procedures. Your are free to select the remaining three procedures from the acceptable procedure list above.

Required Procedures
Procedure	Number required	Special Conditions
Non-surgical caries management	1	Full documentation and yearlong effort required.
Class II Amalgam	2	One of which must have a new (unrestored) proximal carious lesion
Class III Composite	2	None

Completion Requirements [back to top]

During the Fall semester of the DS3 year you are required to start a non-surgical caries management program on at least one patient.  This program will include the assessment of risk, a plan of treatment, execution of treatment, and evidence of successful effort at controlling, preventing and reversing/remineralizing dental caries.  This effort can take up to one year.  Full documentation of the program must be supplied at the completion of the examination.  Details of the examination will be distributed to you at the beginning of the Fall DS 3 semester.

One class II and one class III examination restoration must be completed by the end of the Spring semester of the DS-3 year.  Also, by the end of the Spring semester, DS 3 year, you must pass both of the required exam procedures and must pass a minimum of 3 of the first 4 exams (75%) in order to pass Clinical Operative Dentistry DSOP 6655, 7755 and, 7757 regardless of other competency evaluations.  Failure to pass these examination will result in a recommendation to the Student Performance Committee(SPC) that you receive special enhancement sessions and/or repeat Clinical Operative Dentistry course(s).

The other required exam procedures must be completed by the due date (usually late November) of the Fall semester of the DS-4 year.  You must pass 3 of the 5 required exam procedures (including at least one Class II Amalgam and one Class III Composite) and must pass a minimum of 6 of the 8 exams (75%) in order to pass Clinical Operative Dentistry DSOP 8855 and 8857 regardless of other competency evaluations.  Failure to pass these examination will result in a recommendation to the Student Performance Committee that you receive special enhancement sessions and/or repeat Clinical Operative Dentistry course(s).  In either case, competency exams may not “carry forward” and may have to be repeated or exams may have to be added to the total in order to determine competency.

Special Requirements [back to top]

A procedure cannot be converted to an examination once it is started nor can an examination once started be converted back to a regular procedure without penalty.  An examination which is not completed in the same session it is started will be recorded as a failure.

Examinations can only be failed through errors which are committed during the examination if the procedure is not completed.  An examination will not be recorded as a failure because of non participation.

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