Relevance date: These instructions will apply to the National Dental Specialty Examination (NDSE) conducted beginning in 2010. See the RCDC website for instructions for examinations conducted on earlier or later dates.

Prosthodontics in Canada

Prosthodontics is that branch and specialty of dentistry concerned with the diagnosis, restoration and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance and health of the patient by the restoration of the natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth and contiguous oral and maxillofacial tissues with artificial substitutes.

Purpose

The RCDC examination in Prosthodontics will evaluate the candidate’s ability to demonstrate expertise in Prosthodontics consistent with the high standards of practice recognized by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (RCDC).

The standard used by examiners in judging candidates performance is the reasonable, ethical and prudent practice of prosthodontists in Canada for the diagnosis, preservation, restoration and maintenance of oral and contiguous structures.

Examination Structure

The examination dates for Component II will be determined following completion of the written examinations and the publishing of the written component results, and will be based on the number of candidates challenging Component II. These dates may fall anywhere within the indicated window and are fixed once set. The RCDC cannot accommodate requests for exceptions, other than in the case of religious or special needs that have been indicated before the date has been set.


Examination Details

Prosthodontic ‘Sub-discipline’ Definitions

Fixed Prosthodontics is that branch of prosthodontics concerned with the replacement and/or restoration of teeth by artificial substitutes that are not removable from the mouth.

Removable Prosthodontics is that branch of prosthodontics concerned with the replacement of teeth and contiguous structures for edentulous or partially edentulous patients by artificial substitutes that are removable from the mouth.

Implant Prosthodontics is that branch of prosthodontics concerned with the replacement of teeth and contiguous structures by artificial substitutes partially or completely supported and/or retained by alloplastic implants.

Maxillofacial Prosthetics is that branch of prosthodontics concerned with the restoration and/or replacement of stomatognathic and associated facial structures by artificial substitutes that may or may not be removed.

The examination has two (2) components: Component I – written, Component II – oral.

COMPONENT I

Component I consists of two (2) written exams administered five to six months in advance of Component II. The two (2) written exams are of three (3) hours duration each and are administered on the same day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The written exams consist of short answer questions that cover the broad spectrum of prosthodontic topics listed in TOPICS FOR REVIEW - PROSTHODONTICS BLUEPRINT at the end of this section. Examination content will be weighted to reflect topic importance as it relates to the academic knowledge base of Prosthodontics and clinical application of that knowledge to the Prosthodontic Practice. Component I will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Successful completion of Component I is required before proceeding with Component II.

COMPONENT II

The oral component of the examination is primarily designed to assess the candidate’s ability to make appropriate clinical decisions when managing individual patients. Clinical decision making ability will be evaluated and weighted with standardized oral questions that reflect the relative importance of that clinical decision as covered in the broad spectrum of prosthodontic topics again listed in TOPICS FOR REVIEW - PROSTHODONTICS BLUEPRINT described at the end of this section. The weighting of the oral exam questions will be greatest for the “(I) In-Depth” level of knowledge, moderately for the “(II) Understanding” level of knowledge and lightest for the “(III) Familiarity” level of knowledge. All case material is standardized in the sense that all candidates for that examination are provided with the same material and same questions as developed by the Prosthodontic Examination committee. There will be no advanced candidate clinical cases required.

Component II oral examination will consist of questions involving two sections:

Section #1: One comprehensive clinical case

The comprehensive clinical case will involve the candidate being presented with a standardized set of diagnostic data. The candidate will be given 30 minutes prior to the examination to review the diagnostic data and think about the clinical management of the case as presented. Subsequently, the examiners will provide questions on the case that will focus on clinical decision making skills oriented around diagnosis/etiology, pre-prosthetic management strategies, prosthodontic treatment plans, treatment execution and sequence of prosthetic treatment, post operative management and long-term prognosis. The total duration of this section of the oral examination is 75 minutes. (Consists of case review for 30 minutes and questions for 45 minutes)

Section #2: A number of topic specific clinical case scenarios.

The oral examination will continue with topic specific clinical scenarios with questions on standardized case material provided by the RCDC prosthodontic specialist committee. This section of the oral examination will consist of two sessions.

• The first session will immediately follow the comprehensive case review for an additional duration of 45 minutes.
• The second session will follow a break and will consist of an additional 90 minute session of questions.
  
  For Component II, the candidates are required to obtain a minimum score to pass.

PROSTHODONTIC BLUEPRINT

Basic Science and Clinical Topics Related to Prosthodontics

The topics listed below are suggested as a guideline only for review and should not limit the candidate’s review of the Prosthodontic literature in preparation for the RCDC Prosthodontic examinations. The topics listed below are subject to change and revision and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the examinations to this list. Candidates are expected to demonstrate knowledge levels of ‘in-depth’, ‘understanding’ and ‘familiarity’, as indicated for each topic below.

Prosthetic Blue Print Definitions:

1. In-depth – level of knowledge required to administer advanced Prosthodontic care
2. Understanding – level of knowledge necessary for choosing the appropriate course of action for patient care
3. Familiarity – level of knowledge sufficient to avoid the possibility of putting the patient at risk

Domain I                In-Depth Knowledge                 65%

1. Complete Dentures
2. Removable Partial Dentures
3. Fixed Partial Dentures
4. Dental Implants
5. Dental Occlusion

Domain II              Understanding                           25%
 

1. Maxillofacial Prosthetics
2. Temporomandibular Dysfunction
3. Complementary Topics

Domain III             Familiarity                                  10 %
 

1. Surgery
2. Periodontics
3. Endodontics
4. Orthodontics
5. Research and miscellaneous