EHPLE Dental Medicine study guide
EHPLE Dental Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The European Health Professions Licensing Examination (EHPLE) in Dental Medicine is a multiple-choice licensing assessment used to evaluate whether a dentist trained outside a given host country has the knowledge expected to practise there safely and independently. Candidates are typically internationally trained dentists, EU/EEA graduates moving between member states, and others whose qualifications require formal recognition before registration. The EHPLE Dental Medicine study guide has 12 sections and about 5,753 words.
01Oral and Maxillofacial Anatomy
This domain tests applied regional anatomy of the head and neck as you use it chairside: trigeminal branches that determine whether a block works, masticatory muscle and temporomandibular joint mechanics, the fascial spaces that predict how an odontogenic infection spreads, and the vascular and lymphatic anatomy behind surgical bleeding risk and oncology referral. V1 (ophthalmic): supraorbital, supratrochlear and nasociliary branches supply the forehead, upper eyelid and anterior nasal skin.
477 words, about 2 min02Histology and Physiology
This domain tests the microscopic structure and function of the dental hard and soft tissues, because almost every clinical decision - bonding, cavity preparation, pulp diagnosis, periodontal response, desensitising - rests on it. Enamel is about 96% mineral by weight, formed by ameloblasts that are lost at eruption, so enamel cannot regenerate.
428 words, about 2 min03Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine
This domain tests recognition and safe triage of mucosal, salivary, osseous and odontogenic disease: which white or red lesion needs biopsy now, which ulcer is immune-mediated, and which jaw radiolucency is a cyst, a tumour or something harmless. The decisive question is whether a lesion can be rubbed off (candidiasis, materia alba) and whether it is homogeneous or non-homogeneous.
432 words, about 2 min04Cariology and Restorative Dentistry
This domain tests caries as a biofilm- and diet-driven process, the evidence-based prevention that follows from it, and minimally invasive restoration design - cavity classification, material selection and adhesion. The Stephan curve shows plaque pH falling below the critical pH of about 5.5 for enamel (roughly 6.2–6.7 for root dentine and cementum) after fermentable carbohydrate, then recovering through saliva and bicarbonate.
435 words, about 2 min05Endodontics
This domain tests diagnosis, canal anatomy, shaping and disinfection, obturation and the management of failure - the sequence that determines whether a tooth is retained or lost. Establish pulpal status (normal, reversible pulpitis, irreversible pulpitis, necrotic, previously treated) and apical status (symptomatic or asymptomatic apical periodontitis, acute or chronic apical abscess, condensing osteitis).
415 words, about 2 min06Periodontology
This domain tests the distinction between reversible gingival inflammation and destructive periodontitis, the current classification and staging system, risk assessment, and the treatment sequence from behaviour change to surgery and maintenance. Plaque biofilm initiates gingivitis, which is reversible and confined to the gingiva with bleeding on probing and no attachment loss.
426 words, about 2 min07Prosthodontics and Implantology
This domain tests replacement of missing teeth with removable, fixed and implant-supported prostheses: design principles, occlusal records, material choice and the biological limits that decide implant success. Success rests on support (from the denture-bearing area), retention (from seal, adhesion and cohesion) and stability (resistance to displacement).
461 words, about 2 min08Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
This domain tests the surgical management of teeth, odontogenic infection, cysts and tumours, facial trauma and the medically complex patient - with heavy emphasis on complication recognition and safe escalation. Assess third molars with Winter's angulation and Pell and Gregory classification, plus proximity to the inferior alveolar canal.
472 words, about 2 min09Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
This domain tests growth and development, diagnosis with classification and cephalometry, biomechanical planning, appliance selection and the management of retention - the chain that turns a malocclusion into a stable result. The maxilla grows by sutural apposition and surface remodelling; the mandible grows mainly by condylar endochondral ossification with remodelling of the ramus and posterior displacement.
435 words, about 2 min10Pediatric Dentistry
This domain tests the child as a whole patient: eruption timing, caries in the primary dentition, behaviour guidance, trauma, and the interceptive management of space. Primary teeth: mandibular central incisor 6–10 months, first primary molar 13–19 months, primary second molar 25–33 months.
447 words, about 2 min11Dental Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging
This domain tests justification and optimisation of radiographic examinations, the physics behind image quality, and the interpretation of normal and abnormal appearances on intraoral, panoramic and cone-beam images. X-rays are produced when accelerated electrons strike a metal target.
457 words, about 2 min12Pharmacology, Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine
This domain tests safe drug use in dentistry: local anaesthetic selection and dose calculation, antimicrobial and analgesic prescribing, drug interactions, and the recognition and immediate management of medical emergencies in the chair. All are weak bases that block sodium channels in the nerve membrane.
868 words, about 4 min