Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, Vol 12, 368-372, Copyright © 2001 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Is it time to change state and regional dental licensure board exams in response to evidence from caries research?
K. J. Anusavice and D. K. Benn
Department of Dental Biomaterials, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0446, USA. kanusavice@dental.ufl.edu
State and regional board exams represent the final gateway to dental
licensure. One would expect that the requirements for licensure would
reflect procedures that are beneficial to each patient's oral health and
that are consistent with the teachings of most dental schools. We conducted
an Internet survey to determine whether Class 2 tooth preparations based on
caries lesions whose radiolucencies were confined to enamel were allowed
for state and regional exams. Information obtained for 46 of the 50 states
revealed that 33 of the states (72%) allowed teeth with either an E1 or E2
lesion to be restored. Seventeen of these states allowed teeth with an E1
lesion to be restored. Only 12 of the 46 states (26%) covered by these
boards did not allow teeth with E1 or E2 lesions to be surgically treated.
In contrast, a recent report indicates that only 30% of dental schools
permit teeth with enamel lesions to be restored to satisfy clinical
requirements and competencies.
