ADC Written Exam study guide
ADC Written Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ADC written examination is the second stage of the Australian Dental Council's three-stage assessment pathway (initial assessment, written examination, practical examination) for internationally qualified dental practitioners seeking registration with the Dental Board of Australia. It determines whether a candidate 'knows how' to practise dentistry in Australia, and it assesses two things: knowledge of the science and practice of dentistry, and clinical judgement and reasoning skills relevant to dental practice in Australia. The examination is computer-delivered and multiple-choice, runs over two consecutive days, and is delivered in partnership with Pearson VUE at test centres worldwide. It is held twice a year, usually in March and September. Topics on this exam: Knowledge of the science and practice of dentistry and Clinical judgement and reasoning skills relevant to dental practice in Australia. The ADC Written Exam study guide has 2 sections and about 665 words.
01Science and Practice of Dentistry
The domain is deliberately broad, so expect questions that integrate several sciences at once. Core areas: head and neck anatomy (trigeminal divisions, fascial spaces and the route of spread of odontogenic infection, lingual nerve and inferior alveolar canal relationships), oral histology and tooth development, dental materials (polymerisation shrinkage, coefficient of thermal expansion, wear, fluoride release, bond strength), cariology and periodontal microbiology, general and oral pathology, pharmacology (local anaesthetics, analgesics, antibiotic stewardship, drug interactions), radiography (physics, ALARA, interpretation) and infection control (sterilisation, hand hygiene, sharps). Concentration arithmetic: percentage x 10 = mg/mL. A 2% solution is 20 mg/mL, so a standard 2.2 mL cartridge holds 44 mg.
331 words, about 2 min02Clinical Judgement and Reasoning in Australian Dental Practice
Registration, scope and conduct flow from AHPRA and the Dental Board of Australia. Scope of practice follows competence and training, not job title. You must know consent (voluntary, informed, specific, given by a person with capacity - a signature is evidence of consent, not consent itself), privacy and record-keeping, mandatory notification, infection control standards, and culturally safe care, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Recall intervals, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule and state public dental schemes surface in questions about access and equity.
334 words, about 2 min