NDLE case studies
NDLE · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NDLE (National Dental Licensure Examination) is the licensing examination a dental graduate must pass before practising as a dentist within the jurisdiction that administers it. It is intended for final-year dental students and graduates of recognised dental programs who are seeking entry to clinical practice, and it tests whether a candidate can apply foundational science to safe, competent patient care rather than simply recall lecture material. The NDLE case studies are 5 cases and about 4,839 words.
1Necrotic Mandibular Molar With a 6-mm Buccal Pocket and a Request for Antibiotics
A 47-year-old man presents with tooth 46 (FDI), which had a deep occlusal restoration replaced three weeks earlier. He reports spontaneous throbbing pain for three nights and now pain on biting; there is no swelling, fever, or lymphadenopathy.
979 words, about 5 min2Deep Caries, a Fractured Marginal Ridge, and a Teenager Who Wants a Tooth-Coloured Restoration
A 17-year-old student attends with a fractured MOD amalgam in tooth 36 (FDI). She has had no spontaneous pain, but the tooth is sensitive to cold drinks for a few seconds and to biting.
916 words, about 5 min3Bilateral Erosive Gingivitis in a Woman Taking Lisinopril
A 63-year-old woman reports eight months of sore, 'peeling' gums that make eating spicy food painful. She has bilateral erythematous, erosive gingiva on the facial and lingual aspects of the premolar and molar regions, with white, lacy striae on both buccal mucosae.
909 words, about 5 min4Stage III Periodontitis in a Smoker With Prediabetes Who Wants Implants
A 44-year-old woman attends for a check-up and asks about implants to replace her recently extracted lower right molars. Probing depths are 6–8 mm on the molars and 5 mm interproximally elsewhere, with generalised bleeding on probing and about 40% radiographic bone loss; teeth 46 and 47 have already been lost and 36 has grade II mobility.
988 words, about 5 min5Zoledronic Acid, a Fractured Root, and a Patient Asking for a Guarantee
A 71-year-old woman needs extraction of tooth 36, which has a vertical root fracture and a 9-mm pocket, but no swelling, pus, or fistula. She has received intravenous zoledronic acid 5 mg annually for osteoporosis for four years, with the last dose five months ago, and takes calcium with vitamin D, levothyroxine, and lisinopril.
1,047 words, about 5 min