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AACD: American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry

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American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation

Always the updated and eager to learn candidate is able to fetch way good fortune than others. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation helps you get way ahead of others. It is specially designed to test the knowledge of dentists in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Achieving accredited position from the AACD requires devotion to enduring education, vigilant observance to the protocols and a resolve to generate incomparable dentistry. At the end, you will know all the details about this exam. so, let us get underway.

What is American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation?

The Accreditation Examination is a foundational level test in cosmetic dentistry. Individuals who possess knowledge in all phases of cosmetic dentistry are expected to pass the examination. The accreditation process encourages further education. If a candidate is already a member of the academy, then interaction with determined co-worker will turn out to be beneficial. Being an accredited member can lead to professional growth.

To qualify the examination the candidate must be:

  • A cosmetic dentist who should have a clear understanding of all the latest technologies.
  • An eye for detail and how to use current tools in cosmetic dentistry.
  • A cosmetic dentist with good business skills is need of the hour.

Cosmetic dentistry involves:

  • The addition of dental material to teeth or gum- porcelain, bonding, veneers.
  • Gum grafting which includes the removal of tooth and gum structure-gingivectomy, enameloplasty.
  • For Instance, Improvement in appearance of face- dental laminates, scaling.
  • Addition or removal of dental material- teeth whitening, gum depigmentation, straightening teeth.

Accreditation overview

Accreditation is a three-step process, consisting of a written examination, clinical case submissions for examination and lastly an oral examination. Each part must complete in order i.e. you have to first pass the written examination, then the clinical case submission and not vice versa.

3 step process for American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation

There is a five-year time limit to complete the entire Accreditation process. The clinical case portion of the Accreditation process must be completed by the expiration of the candidate’s written examination. The oral examination must be successfully completed by the oral examination session immediately following the expiration of the candidate’s written examination. In order to be fair to all individuals pursuing Accreditation in the AACD, the ABCD has established policy that no waivers or time extensions will be granted within the Accreditation process.

1. Written Examination

  • Candidate has to apply and appear for the written examination at the Annual AACD Scientific Session or at a Scantron Testing Center.
  • After qualifying the written examination, the five-year time period starts.
  • Next Candidate has to attend to two required workshops at an Annual AACD Scientific Session or they can watch them online* in the Virtual Campus.
  • Once the written examination is passed and the two required workshops are successfully completed, candidate then moves onto the next examination i.e. the case submission.

2. Clinical case submission

In order to complete the second step, these 5 submissions are necessary. Make sure you follow all the protocol exactly mentioned above. If you still have a doubt, check here more.

3. Oral exam

When all the clinical cases are successfully submitted, candidate receives the invitation to oral exam. Finally, the last step to become an accredited member.

A few guidelines before appearing for the oral examination-

  • The dentist must have cleared all five mandatory clinical cases. In case of lab technicians, they must have cleared all three mandatory clinical cases.
  • The candidate must have attended at least half of the annual scientific sessions.
  • The application, fee, and external flash drive must be submitted at the AACD Executive Office till the last date.
  • The dentist or the lab technician can defer appearance for the oral examination as long as all three parts of the Accreditation process are concluded within the time frame.
  • Now that the above-mentioned guidelines are clear. Candidate should make sure to dress professionally and be on time. Make sure you’re fully rehearsed with all the clinical cases.

After the third and the last step of the accreditation process, you become an accredited member. the detailed information about each step is described below.

FAQs

To know more about the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation visit: AACD Accreditation FAQs

Detailed information

1. Written examination

written exam

The Accreditation Written Examination tests a dentist’s foundational knowledge in cosmetic dentistry. Dentists who are knowledgeable in all phases of cosmetic dentistry are expected to pass the written examination. The written examination is administered at the Annual AACD Scientific Session and at additional dates as directed by the ABCD. The annual scientific session is held in the spring at different locations, and is publicized well in advance of the date.

Eligibility for the Written Examination

To be eligible to take the written examination at the next annual scientific session, the following requirements must be met is Application – completed and fee paid for the written examination.

Application and Fees

Applications for the written examination are made through the AACD Executive Office.  The application will be mailed upon request or is available on the AACD website.  

A non-refundable written examination fee of $400 for a member and $600 non-member (USD) is applicable. If you elect to take the written examination at a testing center during the allotted time frame, the non-refundable application fee is $600 (USD). In addition, testing center fees will be applied.

Rescheduling policy

If the written examination is postponed in writing, an administrative fee of $125 (USD) will be required to reschedule. If you fail to appear for a scheduled written examination that will result in forfeiture of the entire fee.

Exam Syllabus

Foundational knowledge in cosmetic dentistry includes all disciplines of dentistry with an emphasis on those subjects with a special relevance to aesthetics. The exam will consist of following topics on which a candidate is to be evaluated:

  • Smile design
  • Adhesion
  • Materials
  • Occlusion
  • Porcelain/resin restorations
  • Posterior aesthetic restorations
  • Bridges and pontics
  • Implants
  • Color/shade
  • Whitening
  • Periodontics
  • Orthodontics
  • Laboratory communication
  • Photography

Some questions will be included that are based on scenarios of clinical cases concerned with

cosmetic dentistry.

Exam format

The written examination is a multiple-choice examination. Each question is referenced to a textbook or referred source to ensure its validity. The examination can be both written as well as computer-based. There are more than 100 multiple choice questions in the first written examination. More than 90% of the questions test foundational knowledge of cosmetic dentistry.

Clinical Case Submissions/Examination

Step 2

The Accreditation Clinical Case Examinations are the core of the Accreditation process. The clinical case submissions allow the dentist pursuing Accreditation to demonstrate diagnostic skills and clinical excellence. Five specific types of cosmetic dental treatments have been chosen to cover a variety of techniques.

Prerequisites for Submission of Clinical Cases

To submit clinical cases, the following requirements must be met:

  • Dentist must have passed the written examination
  • Dentist must have attended two workshops: The Accreditation Workshop and the Criteria Workshop.
  • Attended at least half of the annual scientific sessions since passing the written examination.
  • For individuals passing the written exam at a testing center, you can submit cases as long as you attended the annual scientific session the calendar year you pass the testing center written exam.
  • Submission form completed and fee paid for each clinical case submitted.
  • Any outstanding “ethical issues” with the AACD must be resolved prior to clinical case submission.
Exam format: Five required cases

These ae the following 5 cases which the candidates have to submit:

  • Six or more indirect restorations (treating upper incisors and canines)
  • One or two indirect restorations (treating upper incisors; adjacent teeth must have no indirect restorations)
  • Tooth replacement
  • Direct Resin Restoration
  • Six or more direct resin veneers
Fee structure

This too includes a non-refundable submission fee of $250 member and $350 for non-member (USD) per clinical case submitted.  Moreover, the candidate needs to submit a total of five clinical cases to qualify in this section.

Submission Procedure

A total of five clinical case submissions must be examined and passed to complete the second part of the Accreditation process. From one to five clinical cases may be submitted at a time, however, only one of each case type may be submitted at a time for examination.

3. Oral Examination

step 3

When all the clinical cases are successfully submitted, candidate receives the invitation to oral exam. Finally, the last step to become an accredited member.

Prerequisites

The candidate must have fulfilled the following prerequisites:

  • The dentist must have passed all five required clinical cases
  • Attended at least half of the annual scientific sessions, starting with the session that the dentist took and passed the written examination
  • Application completed and fee paid for the oral examination, which must accompany the submission of your external flash drive that contains all cases properly loaded with the original RAW images.
Fee structure

Fee for the oral examination is also non-refundable which includes $500 for members and $725 for non-member (USD). With the successful completion and qualification of the oral examination, a dentist becomes an Accredited Member in the AACD.

Exam format

The purpose of the Accreditation Oral Examination is two-fold.

  • The first one is to provide the dentist an opportunity to verify and authenticate passed casework. The dentist may be asked questions about case selection, diagnosis and treatment planning, or materials and techniques on any of their passed clinical case submissions. The dentist’s knowledge should clearly demonstrate a familiarity and understanding of these cases. Additional questions may be asked that cover related topics considered relevant by the examiners.
  • Another purpose of the oral examination is to provide the dentist with an opportunity to demonstrate their treatment planning abilities. The dentist will be presented with information regarding a pre-selected case. Adequate time will be allowed for the dentist to formulate a treatment plan, which will then be shared and discussed.
Rescheduling policy

The dentist may defer appearance for the oral examination as long as all three phases of the Accreditation process are completed within the time limit. If the oral examination is postponed in writing at least two months in advance an administrative fee of $125 (USD) must be paid to reschedule. If the oral examination is postponed with less than two months’ notice the original application fee will be forfeited.

Preparatory resources

preparation guide for American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation

There are numerous resources through which you can start preparing. But remember to choose the most reliable ones as they will determine your performance and will sharp your knowledge related to the subject matter. Getting this accreditation can be somewhat easier when you have right set of resources by your side. Let us have a look at some of them.

Books and Journals

Books are the best valued resource for preparation. You can pic multiple books or can read journals from which you can prepare and can get them from libraries or book stores. Make sure to check the reliability of the books and journals and quality of the content. also, make sure that the book has covered all the necessary topics that will form the evaluation basis for you.  Some of the books that you can refer to are:

BOOKS

  • AACD Guide to Accreditation Criteria Contemporary Concepts in Smile Design Diagnosis and Treatment Evaluation in Cosmetic Dentistry American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
  • A Guide to Accreditation Photography Photographic Documentation and Evaluation in Cosmetic Dentistry American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
  • Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique by Terry and Geller.
  • Contemporary Implant Dentistry by Misch.

 JOURNALS

ADDITIONAL TOOLS

AACD virtual campus

Your fourth preparatory step includes the AACD virtual campus. In simpler terms, this is your one stop destination for all the learning resource. The virtual campus offers you with all the education content, from the remarkable lineup of lectures at annual scientific sessions, to Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry articles and archives, to Accreditation resources, and much more. Therefore, make sure to check this out.

Online courses and instructor led training

Online courses and instructor led courses are the one of the best ways of preparing. They are prepared by the experts of the subject matter and are reliable enough. They can help you build strong conceptual understanding and there are many reliable sites that provides with the online courses and other quality content.

Sample papers and practice tests

Make sure that you have practiced enough before taking the written exam. practicing more and more will help in identifying the weak portions and remove the loopholes in your preparation. This is the best way to judge how well you are prepared. You can try a free practice test now! Practicing more and more will even make you confident and you will feel less strange on the day of the examination.

Earn the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation and add something really valuable to your skill set. Start preparing for American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Accreditation now!

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