Board Certification
What Does "Board Certification" Mean
Upon completion, our Alpharetta orthodontist earns the certificate of the Board and the title "Diplomate of The American Board of Orthodontics". Certification as a Diplomate signifies a unique achievement beyond the additional two years of advanced education required by a dentist to obtain his specialty degree as an orthodontist.
Board Certification requires:
- Application for examination
- A written examination to prove eligibility
- Clinical examination
"Board Applicant" is the first step towards the certification process. The application is a thorough evaluation of the applicant's credentials. The applicant must have completed a basic college education, four years of graduate dental studies earning a D.M.D or D.D.S. degree and at least two to three years of additional training and continuous study at an ADA accredited, university affiliated graduate orthodontic program earning the right to practice as a specialist in orthodontics. Upon approval of the prospective candidate's credentials, the individual is classified as a "Board Applicant."
"Board Eligibility" requires the completion of a comprehensive written evaluation covering all aspects of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. The examination is taken after the applicant has successfully earned his certificate as a specialist in orthodontics.
"Final examination" is achieved once the candidate has successfully demonstrated actual accomplishments in patient care. Preparation for this final phase usually requires anywhere from five to ten years to complete after graduating from an orthodontic program. The candidate is required to present 10 case reports from specific categories of malocclusions. The detailed case reports must be completely documented with radiographic films, photos and study models made before and after the completion of treatment. Each case must adhere to several criteria in order to successfully pass as a board case. Once the reports are completed, a candidate is required to have each case evaluated by the Directors of the American Board of Orthodontics. The examination process requires a thorough oral examination based on the diagnosis and treatment planning of each case report.
The candidate attains the title "Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics" after successfully completing and passing all three phases of the examination process. The significance of Board Certification goes far beyond achieving the approval of that panel of experts. The greatest benefit comes from the in-depth self-evaluation that goes into the years of preparation for Board Certification. This voluntary effort in continuing education is unique in the way that it applies earlier classroom work and conventional continuing education to the real world of patient care, culminating in presentation of the results for critical review by a panel of nationally respected peers.
©1987 CDABO
