Oral Examinations

Candidates who pass the ABP Qualifyng Examination have two years of eligibility to apply for the Oral Examination on a first-come first-served basis. Each candidate is scheduled for two 1½-hour exam sessions conducted on the same day. Placement of candidates is on a first come/first serve basis. Ultimate placement of candidates in at the sole discretion of the Board. The American Board of Periodontology (ABP) will attempt to administer the Oral Examination as scheduled. Should the ABP cancel the Oral Examination or be prevented from appropriately administering or completing an Oral Examination at the appointed time and location, the ABP will not be responsible for any expense of the candidate in connection with the Oral Examination and any subsitute Oral Examination.

2010 Oral Exam

Dates: May 3-7, 2010 Location:Testing Center, Dallas, TX. Candidates who submitted applic;ations by October 31, 2009 will receive their scheduled exam date and other pertinent information by February 2010.

Candidate Registration/Orientation

Candidate registration and orientation will be held the same day as exam prior to exam at testing center. Candidates are reminded that electronic devices; i.e. cell phones, pagers, etc. are not permitted at the testing center. Candidates will be required to show photo i.d. at time of registration. Candidates who may have a name change may be permitted to take the exam, but must provide legal evidence of name change prior to receiving results of the exam. Candidates must arrive and leave the testing center via ABP shuttle bus transportation . Daily shuttle Transportation will be provided by the Board from the Hyatt-Summerfield Suites meeting room located in the hotel lobby to the Testing Center with return to Hyatt Summerfield Suites.

Hyatt-Summerfield Suites Downtown Dallas
2914 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX
Phone 214/661-9702

Applying for the May 2011 Oral Exam

Complete the 2011 Oral Examination Application and mail it with the required documents and fee to the Board office.

Oral Exam Format

All candidates must arrive and leave the testing center via shuttle transportation provided by the Board from the Hyatt-Summerfield Suites. The examination follows a presentation, interview, and discussion format to evaluate the candidate’s diagnostic and therapeutic skills. Protocols (vignettes) developed by the Board form the basis of the testing process. Three to four protocols will be presented at each 1 ½ hour session. Candidates will complete two 1 ½ hour sequential sessions on the same day with two different teams of examiners. Each protocol measures the following six skills included in the protocol: diagnosis; etiology; prognosis; treatment planning; selected therapy; and evaluation and maintenance of therapy. Candidates will be taken back to the Hyatt-Summerfield Suites by shuttle transportation after their examination session is completed. View hypothetical protocol and protocol content areas.

Oral Exam Scoring

Candidates are scored independently by four different Directors or Examiners of the Board (2 each session). Each skill is graded as 4-Outstanding, 3-Satisfactory, 2-Marginal, or 1-Unsatisfactory (Evaluation Rating Scale Definitions) . Final scores will be computed statistically.

Candidates who fail the Oral Examination and whose eligibility peroid has not expired may repeat the Examination within the eligibility period. Placement of candidates in a particular session is on a first come/first serve basis and at the sole discretion of the Board. No monies will be refunded.

Candidates who successfully completed the ABP Qualifying Examination in 2007, 2008 and fail the Oral Examination in their last year of eligibility, may apply to retake the examination on a one-time basis only. If a Candidate fails the examination in the spring session he/she may apply for the fall examination. A candidate who fails in the fall, may apply to retake the examiantion in the spring of the following year. Placement of candidates in a particular session is on a first come/first serve basis and at the sole discretion of the Board. No monies will be refunded.

Beginning in 2009 candidates who fail the Oral Examination in the last year of eligibility, (3 years without extension; 4 years if extension is granted), will be required to restart by successfully completing the ABP Qualifying Examination

Board Directors include:

Dr. Cary Shapoff
Dr. Hom Lay Wang
Dr. Henry Greenwell
Dr. Louis Rose
Dr. Georgia Johnson
Dr. Brian Mealey
Dr. Thomas Kepic
Dr. Robert Sabatini
Dr. Bryan Pearson
Dr. Steven Blanchard

Board Examiners include:

Dr. Daniel Assad
Dr. Mary-Aichelmann-Reidy
Dr. Grishondra Branch-Mays
Dr. Leslie Batnick
Dr. Steven Blanchard
Dr. Clark (Toby) Barco
Dr. Joseph Califano
Dr. Lewis Claman
Dr. Steven Detsch
Dr. John Dmytryk
Dr. Sylvan Feldman
Dr. Bryan Frantz
Dr. Thu Getka
Dr. James Hinrichs
Dr. David Kerns
Dr. Thomas Kepic
Dr. Paul Levi
Dr. Angelo Mariotti
Dr. Michael McQuade
Dr. Jose Mellado
Dr. Robert O’Neal
Dr. David Paquette
Dr. Michael Reddy
Dr. Mark Reynolds
Dr. Paul Rosen
Dr. Jeffrey Rossmann
Dr. Leslie Salkin
Dr. Robert Sabatini
Dr. Surendra M. Singh
Dr. Ahmad Soolari
Dr. Richard Tami
Dr. Herbert (Hank) Towle
Dr. Byron Wade

Oral Exam Candidate Withdrawal Prior to Exam Session Dates

Candidates who request to withdraw from the oral examination must submit their request in writing to the Board office. Candidates whose eligibility has not expired may transfer their oral examination fee to a subsequent examination for a reapplication fee of $400. Candidates withdrawing with special circumstances, (i.e., illness, family death, national disaster) may submit written request to the Board that the Oral Examination re-application fee be waived. The decision will be at the sole discretion of the Board and candidates will be notified in writing of the Board’s decision.

Oral Exam Candidate Failure to Show at scheduled Exam

Candidates who fail to attend the mandatory Orientation Session prior to the Oral Examination; or who fail to show for the Oral Examination; arrive more than fifteen minutes after the scheduled exam start time and cannot be accommodated, must restart the application process by a new completed application, attestation, and credential forms and fee of $800.00 to the Board office.