NBDE Part II study guide
NBDE Part II · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part II is the second component of the two-part board examination sequence that dental graduates historically used to demonstrate the biomedical and clinical knowledge expected of a new practitioner in the United States. It is aimed at students in their final year of a CODA-accredited DDS or DMD program and at internationally trained dentists working through a licensure pathway. The NBDE Part II study guide has 11 sections and about 3,364 words.
01Endodontics
Endodontic questions cluster around three decisions: is the pulp diseased and how, can the tooth be saved, and how do you clean, shape, and seal it predictably. Know the diagnostic vocabulary: reversible pulpitis (provoked, brief, no spontaneous pain), symptomatic and asymptomatic irreversible pulpitis, and pulp necrosis, then correlate with the apical diagnoses - symptomatic apical periodontitis, asymptomatic apical periodontitis, acute and chronic apical abscess, and condensing osteitis.
341 words, about 2 min02Operative Dentistry
Operative questions center on preserving tooth structure while restoring form, function, and esthetics without injuring the pulp. Understand caries as a process: demineralization precedes cavitation, so sealants and infiltration can arrest early lesions, and extension for prevention has given way to minimally invasive preparation design that keeps margins out of heavy contact areas.
326 words, about 2 min03Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Pain Control
This domain covers exodontia and minor surgery, complications, medical risk assessment, and local anesthesia. Know the indications for third molar removal: recurrent pericoronitis, caries, periodontal defects on the adjacent second molar, cyst or tumor, and associated pathology.
326 words, about 2 min04Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric questions test development, behavior guidance, prevention, and trauma; orthodontic questions test growth, diagnosis, and biomechanics. Primary eruption begins with the mandibular central incisor at 6–10 months; the first primary molar erupts around 12–16 months, and the primary dentition is complete near 2.5–3 years.
298 words, about 1 min05Periodontics
The 2017 classification replaced chronic and aggressive periodontitis with staging (severity and complexity, I–IV) and grading (rate of progression, A–C). Staging rests largely on interdental clinical attachment loss: Stage I up to 2 mm, Stage II 3–4 mm, Stage III 5 mm or more, with Stages III and IV adding complexity such as probing depths of 6 mm or more, furcation involvement, ridge defects, and tooth loss from periodontitis.
322 words, about 2 min06Prosthodontics
Fixed and removable prosthodontic questions reward systematic thinking: what is missing, what remains, what will support the restoration, and how forces reach the supporting structures. Kennedy classification and Applegate's rules: classify by the most posterior edentulous area; missing third molars are not counted when they will not be replaced; a missing second molar is not counted when the first molar is present and the space will not be restored.
311 words, about 2 min07Oral Diagnosis, Oral Radiology, and Treatment Planning
History (chief complaint in the patient's own words, history of present illness, medical history, medications, allergies, social history), examination, differential diagnosis, and a treatment plan ordered by urgency. Distinguish a working diagnosis, a differential, and a definitive diagnosis requiring biopsy.
303 words, about 2 min08Pharmacology
Local anesthetics, analgesics, antibiotics, anxiolytics and sedation, emergency drugs, and drug interactions. Amides (lidocaine, mepivacaine, articaine, prilocaine, bupivacaine) are metabolized mainly in the liver, except articaine (plasma esterases) and prilocaine (lung and liver).
281 words, about 1 min09Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Classify lesions as developmental, inflammatory, cystic, neoplastic, or systemic, then ask where the lesion is, what it looks like, and what the history contributes. Cysts: the radicular (periapical) cyst is the most common odontogenic cyst and is inflammatory; the dentigerous cyst is the most common developmental odontogenic cyst; the odontogenic keratocyst has a high recurrence rate and a PTCH1 association.
303 words, about 2 min10Patient Management (Behavioral Science and Ethics)
Questions test your ability to read anxiety, apply behavioral techniques appropriately, and respect autonomy. Core techniques include tell-show-do, voice control, positive reinforcement, distraction, and modeling; pharmacological adjuncts range from nitrous oxide to oral or intravenous sedation.
284 words, about 1 min11Dental Public Health and Community Dentistry
Prevalence is the proportion with disease at a point in time; incidence is new cases over a period. DMFT and DMFS count decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth or surfaces, while dmft is the primary-dentition equivalent.
269 words, about 1 min