ADC Written Exam (Dental Hygiene) study guide
ADC Written Exam (Dental Hygiene) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ADC Written Examination is the second stage of the Australian Dental Council's assessment pathway for internationally qualified dental practitioners, including dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists. It is a computer-delivered, multiple-choice question examination held over two consecutive days, and it is delivered in partnership with Pearson VUE at test centres around the world. The ADC Written Exam (Dental Hygiene) study guide has 4 sections and about 1,329 words.
01Biomedical Sciences: Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Microbiology and Pharmacology
Biomedical questions reward systematic recall across five strands. Anatomy: bony landmarks of maxilla and mandible, the temporomandibular joint, muscles of mastication, the trigeminal divisions (V1 ophthalmic, V2 maxillary, V3 mandibular - only V3 carries motor fibres, to the masticatory muscles plus mylohyoid, anterior digastric and tensor veli palatini), and the five terminal branches of the facial nerve (temporal, zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular, cervical).
340 words, about 2 min02Clinical Dental Sciences: Restorative, Endodontics, Periodontics, Prosthodontics, Oral Surgery, Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry
Restorative: caries risk assessment, minimally invasive cavity design, moisture control and material selection. Endodontics: diagnosis, working length 0.5–1 mm short of the radiographic apex, rubber dam, sodium hypochlorite as tissue solvent, and obturation of a shaped canal.
328 words, about 2 min03Behavioural Science, Ethics and Professionalism
Ethics questions test the regulator's standards and the legal framework behind them: putting patients first, obtaining valid consent, maintaining confidentiality, raising concerns, and keeping complete records. Understand the four-principles approach (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice) and how it maps onto real decisions.
345 words, about 2 min04Public Health, Prevention and Dental Practice Management
Epidemiology: prevalence versus incidence, DMFT/dmft (teeth, not surfaces), and the care index. Screening: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and why predictive values shift with disease prevalence - link this to Wilson and Jungner screening criteria.
316 words, about 2 min