Basic Medical and Dental Sciences
What the exam expects
Basic science questions on the Taiwanese licensing exam are usually applied, not purely recall-based. You must be able to move from a mechanism to a clinical consequence. Core areas include gross and micro anatomy of the head and neck, membrane physiology and acid-base balance, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, autonomic and antimicrobial pharmacology, the major bacterial and viral pathogens of the oral cavity, and general pathology (inflammation, wound healing, neoplasia).
Concepts to master
- Physiology: resting membrane potential, Na+/K+ ATPase, renal handling of bicarbonate, and the compensation rules for metabolic and respiratory acid-base disorders.
- Biochemistry: rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and the urea cycle; the difference between ketogenesis and ketolysis.
- Pharmacology: receptor subtypes of the autonomic nervous system, the mechanism of local anesthetics (Na+ channel blockade), and antibiotic mechanisms (cell wall, protein synthesis, folate).
- Pathology: the cardinal signs of inflammation, the phases of wound healing, and the hallmarks of benign versus malignant neoplasia (invasion, metastasis, pleomorphism).
Traps
Questions often reverse a mechanism (e.g., asking which drug blocks rather than activates a receptor) or present a normal value in an unusual unit. Read for the direction of the effect and the species of the ion.
Worked rule of thumb
For acid-base problems, first check pH to identify acidosis or alkalosis, then check PaCO2 and HCO3- to identify the primary disorder, then apply the expected compensation. If compensation is not in the expected direction, suspect a mixed disorder.
Study strategy
Link each basic science fact to a clinical scenario you have seen. This dual coding reduces the chance of confusing similar mechanisms under exam pressure.