NBDE Part I case studies
NBDE Part I · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NBDE Part I is the first of the two written examinations in the National Board Dental Examination sequence, administered by the American Dental Association's Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. It is a multiple-choice, discipline-based exam that most U.S. dental students sit for during the preclinical years, and passing it is a requirement that state dental boards and many dental schools use as part of licensure and advancement decisions. Because it is a board exam rather than a classroom exam, it rewards integrated, conceptual knowledge across biomedical and dental sciences rather than isolated fact recall. The NBDE Part I case studies are 5 cases and about 4,006 words.
1Rapidly Spreading Odontogenic Infection From a Mandibular Molar
A 47-year-old man is referred after 4 days of a rapidly enlarging right-sided facial and submandibular swelling. He smokes but has no other medical history and takes no medications.
734 words, about 4 min2Cyanosis After Topical Benzocaine
A 34-year-old woman with a marked gag reflex receives two applications of 20% benzocaine gel to the posterior palate and oropharynx before a maxillary impression. Twenty-five minutes later the assistant notices blue-gray discoloration of her lips and nail beds.
737 words, about 4 min3Extraction in a Previously Irradiated Mandible
A 61-year-old man had 70 Gy of external-beam radiation to the oropharynx for a tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma 26 months ago. He now presents with #19, which has recurrent cervical caries extending to the pulp and a periapical radiolucency.
850 words, about 4 min4A Tipped Molar, a Centric Slide, and a Nonworking Interference
A 52-year-old woman complains that her upper right back tooth feels loose and is sore on waking. She clenches and grinds in her sleep, has visible masseter hypertrophy, but no joint pain or clicking.
884 words, about 4 min5A Nonhealing Lateral Tongue Ulcer
A 62-year-old man presents with a 2 cm ulcer on the right lateral border of the tongue that has been present for nine weeks. It is indurated, has rolled everted margins, and is only mildly painful.
801 words, about 4 min