Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 3

T he National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) has been formally evaluating the existing Equivalency Process (EP) for graduates of non-accredited dental programs. This review was intended to identify strengths and potential areas for modifications in the evaluation of international dental graduates who are seeking licensure in Canada. The NDEB started the review of the EP with a national study to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required for entry to dental practice in Canada. Using the results of this analysis, NDEB examiners revised the blueprints for each of the examinations in the EP; the Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge (AFK), the Assessment of Clinical Skills (ACS), and the Assessment of Clinical Judgment (ACJ) and recommended a series of changes to the NDEB Board. The NDEB now has a multi-stage plan in place, called Vision 2022 , to modify the EP while preserving the fairness, validity and reliability of its examinations. Three Key Steps • The first step relates to the total number of questions on the AFK, which is currently a 300-question multiple-choice examination. Independent psychometric consultants recommended that the number of questions on the examination could be reduced while still maintaining strong validity and reliability. Beginning in 2021, the AFK will now be comprised of 200 questions and continue to be administered electronically. • The second step is an update to eligibility for the examinations in the EP. Currently, examinees who are successful in the AFK are then eligible to take both the ACJ and the ACS at the same time or in the order of their choosing. Beginning in 2022, the eligibility will become sequential. Participants who successfully complete the AFK will first be eligible to take the ACJ. The Future of theNDEB Equivalency Process Dr. James Richardson, NDEB president, is interviewed on CDA Oasis: bit.ly/2QXc6OK or visit: ndeb-bned.ca/en Once successful in the ACJ, examinees will be eligible to sit the ACS. This change is being made to align the testing with the principle that individuals must demonstrate that they have clinical judgement prior to performing technical skills on patients, especially irreversible dental procedures. • The third step involves the ACS. Currently, the ACS can be taken a maximum of 3 times. Examinees can fail one of 12 requirements and still pass the examination. In the updated EP model, an examinee will be able to take the new ACS an unlimited number of times. However, they will not be permitted to fail any requirements. The new ACS will introduce new requirements that will test skills required for general practitioner dentists. The NDEB expects this newACS to be in place in 2022. Permanent Test Facility As part of Vision 2022 , the NDEB also announced construction of an in-house ACS testing facility in Ottawa. This permanent test site will allow the NDEB to administer the new ACS in a controlled purpose-built testing environment on a regular basis throughout the year, reducing any scheduling issues while increasing capacity for this hands-on, clinical skills examination. For examinees, it provides greater scheduling flexibility, a consistent testing experience, and an overall lower stress environment. The NDEB is projecting to open the facility in time to offer the new ACS in 2022. 29 Issue 3 | 2021 |