Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) is a test that all dental graduates must take and pass to get admission into higher degree programs in the United States dental colleges. This article is a complete guide to the examination with all the required steps, and the study material that will be helpful for the students in this test. This examination is important for all students pursuing a career in dentistry in the USA.

National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Vs. Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE)

This Board certification exam was initially developed in 2020. Part 1 of this test was administered after a few months meanwhile; Part 2 was conducted in August 2022.

The major difference between NBDE and INBDE is the new item in presentation format named “Patient Box”. This section includes the case information of the patient that the dentist will evaluate and diagnose at the time of their visit. The candidate will then evaluate and document the relevant information from the item “patient box” and apply their knowledge from dental classes and practical to answer the questions in the test.

Meanwhile, way back in the year 2009, NBDE (National Board Dental Examination) was developed by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examination. The purpose was to make changes in the dental college modules and curriculum by combining the basic sciences with clinical and behavioral sciences.

The goal for developing this examination was set on two major concepts: Integration and Clinical Relevance. These two different concepts: Integration is defined as the knowledge of fundamentals, clinical, and behavioral sciences with a combination of cognitive skills to comprehend and solve clinical, and professional problems. Whereas Clinical Relevance is defined as aspects that influence patient outcomes in clinical or professional settings.

The major factor behind the development of this examination was because the dental schools claimed that the NBDE examination consists of two parts that divide the student's focus into two exam preparations and pull them away from their education and training. For which the newly created INBDE replaced the two-step NBDE test.

Inside the INBDE Examination

It is a computer-based test taken in two parts in 2 days. Day 1 test includes 360 test items (1 set of 60 case study questions, and 2 sets of individual questions with 100 questions in each set). Day 2 test consists of 140 items (2 sets of case study questions with 70 questions in each set). The total time for both days is 12.5 hours including all 500 questions, breaks, tutorials, and surveys.

Earlier, the NBDE examination consisted of two parts including 900 questions in total. However, this examination highlights the understanding and combination of clinical concepts through the blend of basic sciences and dental knowledge.

This test cancels out the recalling and memorizing tradition. Moreover, in this examination, the authorities evaluate the decision-making skills of the dentists and their readiness for professional and safe dentistry practice.

This freshly designed test consists of 500 questions covering all the domains of dentistry. Consists of basic clinical knowledge and clinical content areas that are important for the independent, professional, and basic practice of dentistry by fresh graduates. The dentistry domain is the primary foundation for the INBDE test structure.

Pass and Fail criteria of this examination

The scoring criteria of this test is pass or fail. This test does not provide numerical scores for participating candidates. As the scores are not provided, the candidate's exam attempt is counted and displayed on the final report.

It is advised to pass these examinations on the first attempt, as appearing in the test more than once is a disadvantage for the candidate while applying for advanced dentistry degree programs.

The point to be kept in mind is that most of the schools check for the number of attempts for the test. Therefore, it is good to pass the test by preparing well for the first attempt and avoid failure.

What happens if you fail?

Nothing to worry about if you fail and are unable to succeed on the first attempt in this test. Just like the NBDE test part 1 and part 2, you can reappear in the INBDE exam if you fail in the first attempt. However, there is a change in the rules for reappearing in exams.

A candidate can only reattempt examination up to 5 times and the gap between each attempt must be minimum of 90 days. If a candidate fails three times, then a gap of 1 year is mandatory to apply for a retake.

Time for this exam

The newly designed exam includes 500 questions and is taken in 2 days. The total time allocated for the test is 12 hours and 30 minutes.

For day 1, 8 hours and 15 minutes are allocated and the questions that the candidate needs to answer are 360.
For day 2, the time given is 4 hours and 15 minutes with 2 sets of a total of 140 questions.

When to take the INBDE examination?

Usually, dental medical students participate in this examination in the final year of their dentistry education.

Topics included in this test

The syllabus for this test is identical to what was during the NBDE. The questions are repeated in this exam. Previously, the NBDE test included the curriculum taught in most dental schools in part 1 of the test, and clinical-related questions in part 2.

The INBDE contains all the questions from the two parts of NBDE like case studies and regular questions consisting of evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and all the steps of assessing, diagnosing, and physically evaluating the patient’s underlying condition. As well as it also includes questions related to social, psychological, and behavioral sciences questions along with safe and professional treatment alternatives for the patient.

The topics included in this examination are behavioral, biomedical, and clinical sciences to evaluate the cognitive skills of the dental candidate.

The clinical content areas of this examination reflect the basic tasks to be performed by dentistry practitioners at the beginner level. The three sections are Oral health management (42%), Diagnosis and treatment planning (36.2%), and practice and profession (21.8%).

A candidate needs to master these 56 basic areas of knowledge to pass the exam. These 56 basic areas are further divided into the following subjects in this examination:

12.2% for biochemical, cellular, and systems-level structure, development, and function.
6.8% for chemistry and physics to reflect biology and pathobiology-related knowledge.
8.0% for chemistry and physics to reflect knowledge of the use and characteristics of materials and technologies.
10.6% for principles of congenital, genetic, and developmental conditions and diseases and their clinical characteristics to evaluate the patient's risk rate.
9.0% for molecular and cellular bases of non-immune and immune host defense systems.
11.8% for general evaluation and disease-specific pathology evaluation of the patient's risk rate.
10.6% for microorganisms and biology in pathology and physiology.
10.6% for pharmacology.
10.6% for ethics, behavioral sciences, and legal systems.
Research methodology and analysis, and informatics tools: 9.8%
9.8% for research method, analysis, and informatics tools.

INBDE study material

Now we will discuss the material a candidate needs to study for this test. As this is a complete guide (see below for more details about the package) to this examination, we will surely discuss all the study material required.

You can find plenty of material on our website with repeated examination questions as well.

How to register for the INBDE?

We are now going to explain the registration steps involved for participating in this examination.

Total time: 1 minute

Eligibility Certificate:

A certificate of eligibility is required in the case of a candidate who is doing an internship or studying dentistry in their home country. The certificate must have the dean's signature to JCNDE, a department associated with the American Dental Association (ADA) in the US.

Those who have already completed their degree do not need to submit an eligibility certificate and move directly on to step number 2.

A Dentpin Number creation with ADA:

This step involves logging in to the ADA website and creating a dentpin number there.

Evaluation of degree courses:

In this step, the candidate needs to request an evaluation for the degree courses. This can be done by creating a profile on the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) website.

In this step, the candidate needs to submit some documents to ECE, where they get a GPA or grade on their degree. Then the candidate requests to submit a copy of the report to JCNDE.

INBDE registration

After the ECE report is received by the ADA and JCNDE, the ADA sends an email to the candidates, citing that they are now eligible to apply for this examination.

Submitting the exam fee

Candidates now should log in using the dentpin and pay $680 through a credit card. After submitting the fee, the candidate can schedule the test on the Prometric website.

Supply:

INBDE Preparation Courses

Tools:

INBDE Live Classes
INBDE Study Material

Materials: INBDE PDF Study Material INBDE Video Classes

Time required for Preparation

We hope this comprehensive guide has provided you with enough knowledge for this examination. Now you should start preparing for this exam. A candidate should not take this test as nominal.

You should already have researched how to prepare for the NBDE exam. However, INBDE examinations need to prepare well for the fundamental knowledge of clinical and basic sciences, especially for foreign-trained dentists trying to apply in the United States.

Therefore, to pass this examination, a candidate needs to invest enough energy and time in preparing for the test. Usually, depending on an individual capability, a candidate requires 6 months to 1 year to fully prepare for the examination.

All the efforts and time must be invested into preparing well for the exam as they combine the NBDE exam part 1 and part 2. A candidate should schedule the test only after they are fully prepared.

INBDE FAQs

Please explain the worth of INBDE in the US?

It is a two-day exam, which has replaced the previously called NBDE. The new examination has been designed in a way to assess and evaluate various clinical skills of the dental students.

What is the eligibility criteria for this exam?

If you are a dental graduate of any of the CODA certified dental educational institutions in the US, you can apply for this examination. In certain cases, candidates also participate when they are studying in the final year of their dentistry program.

What is the examination content of INBDE?

The primary content for conducting the examination is Practice and Profession, Oral Health Management and Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.

Can I work in the US after completing my BDS degree?

No, the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) isn’t a fully recognized degree program in the US. Besides fulfilling the academic requirement, you’ll need to comply with visa pre-requisitions of the US as well.

Is there any difference between Day 1 and Day 2 of the examination?

The INBDE examination includes 500 questions and is taken in 2 days. The allowed time for the test is 12 hours and 30 minutes. To be more precise, for day 1, the candidates get 8 hours and 15 minutes, and they should attempt 360 questions during this time. Meanwhile for day 2, the candidates are allocated 4 hours and 15 minutes, and they should answer 140 questions.

What is the time duration required to prepare for the examination?

It depends on the capability of the candidate. But on average, a lot of energy and effort is required to prepare for the examination. It is advised that the candidate should spend somewhere around 6 months to 1 year to get ready for the test.

Is there a worth of BDS degree in Canada?

Yes, if you have a BDS degree, you can work as a dentist in Canada. However, you need to undergo through an equivalence process of the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB).

INBDE

INBDE: Everything You Need to Know