March 26, 2004
Students from the University of Washington School of Dentistry rank No. 1 in the nation
Students from the University of Washington School of Dentistry rank No. 1 in the nation among the 50 dental schools that participated in the December 2003 National Board Dental Examinations Part II. These students, who graduate in June 2004, scored in the fifth (top) quintile in all categories of the examination.
“The UW School of Dentistry has consistently achieved top scores for both research dollars awarded to dental schools in the country and in National Boards Part II,” said Dr. Martha J. Somerman, dean of the UW School of Dentistry. “This indicates our strength in both clinical education and research activity.”
The purpose of the National Board Dental Examination is to assist state boards in determining qualifications of dentists who seek licensure to practice dentistry. The examination assesses the ability to understand important information from basic biomedical and dental sciences and also the ability to apply such information in a problem-solving context.
The case-based component of the Part II Examination presents events dealing with actual patients. The patient cases are developed to include approximately 70 percent adults and 30 percent children. A minimum of 15 percent of the questions in this component address the medical management of compromised adults and children, individuals whose health status requires modification of standard treatment.
Although written examinations may be developed at the local level, most licensing boards use the National Board Dental Examination (Parts I & II) as a major portion of their written examination requirement. Currently, all 53 United States licensing jurisdictions, which include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the United States, recognize National Board results.
