MDCN Assessment case studies
MDCN Assessment · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MDCN Assessment Examination is administered by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the statutory body whose stated mission is "To regulate the practice of Medicine, Dentistry and Alternative Medicine in the most efficient manner that safeguards best healthcare delivery for Nigerians." The Council publishes an online "application for assessment examination" through its portal, and it also maintains a separate "application for remediation programme," which signals that the assessment can be a gate that some applicants must clear before progressing. The Council's published record shows that assessment examinations run periodically rather than continuously: a news item titled "October 2026 Assessment Examination Pass List Released" appears on the MDCN site. The MDCN Assessment case studies are 5 cases and about 2,589 words.
1Severe pre-eclampsia at 33 weeks in a district hospital without a blood bank
A 29-year-old G2P1 at 33 weeks' gestation presents to a district hospital in a rural area with a 2-day history of frontal headache and blurred vision. She has no prior hypertension.
534 words, about 3 min2DKA with severe hypokalaemia when the intensive care unit is full
A 22-year-old man with type 1 diabetes is brought to the emergency department with 2 days of vomiting, abdominal pain, and increasing drowsiness after he stopped his insulin because he could not afford it. He is dehydrated, has deep sighing respiration at 32 breaths/min, pulse 118/min, BP 98/60 mmHg, and capillary glucose 31 mmol/L.
520 words, about 3 min3Symptomatic hyponatraemia in an older adult on a thiazide
A 78-year-old woman is brought in by her daughter with 2 days of confusion and one generalised tonic-clonic seizure lasting about 1 minute. She has hypertension treated with hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg daily and depression treated with fluoxetine 20 mg daily.
523 words, about 3 min4Dental extraction in a patient taking warfarin with an INR of 3.6
A 67-year-old man with permanent atrial fibrillation takes warfarin 5 mg daily. He attends for extraction of a grossly carious mandibular right first molar and a retained root.
518 words, about 3 min5Odontogenic infection with trismus and dysphagia in a 38-year-old
A 38-year-old woman presents with a 5-day history of pain from a lower right molar, now with swelling of the right submandibular region, fever, and difficulty swallowing. She has a temperature of 39.2°C, pulse 112/min, BP 100/65 mmHg, and respiratory rate 24/min; SpO2 is 96% on room air.
494 words, about 2 min