American Board of Orthodontics: Update on the new scenario-based clinical examination Larry P. Tadlock, Nicholas Barone, Valmy Pangrazio-Kulbersh, David G. Sabott, Patrick F. Foley, Timothy S. Trulove, Jae Hyun Park, Roberto Hernandez-Orsini, and Chun-Hsi Chung St. Louis, Mo The American Board of Orthodontics has updated its clinical examination process to remove barriers to the case- based examination, strengthen the specialty, and further distinguish board-certified orthodontists from other dental practitioners providing orthodontic care. The ABO adopted a scenario-based clinical examination and dis- continued case requirements. The first new exam was administered in February 2019. It consisted of 6 scenarios with 4-7 questions for each scenario. The scenarios represent a variety of problems and patients, and the ques- tions relate to data gathering and diagnosis, treatment objectives and planning, treatment implementation and management, and critical analysis and outcomes assessment. Feedback from the February 2019 exam was positive, and 4 more have been scheduled. For more information about the ABO certification process, go to AmericanBoardOrtho.com. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2019;155:765-6) T he mission of the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) is to elevate quality orthodontic care for the public by promoting excellence through certifica- tion, education, and professional collaboration. The ABO has a responsibility to the specialty and the public to certify orthodontists in a fair, reliable, and valid manner. As reported in an article in the March 2018 issue of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofa- cial Orthopedics entitled “American Board of Orthodon- tics: Time for Change,” the ABO unveiled a groundbreaking change in the clinical examination pro- cess to remove barriers to the case-based examination, strengthen the specialty, and further distinguish board-certified orthodontists from other dental practi- tioners providing orthodontic care. 1 This change was to adopt the scenario-based clinical examination and discontinue the patient case requirements. After more than 2 years of research and extensive input from the orthodontic community, the ABO successfully adminis- tered the first scenario-based oral clinical examination in St Louis in February 2019. The development of this new scenario-based clinical examination included collaborating with psychometri- cians and more than 35 experts in the specialty, submit- ting and reviewing hundreds of cases and developing more than 1,000 questions for different scenarios. To help the examinees prepare for the scenario-based exam- ination, information was posted on the ABO Web site, including a study guide, sample cases with questions and answers, and frequently asked questions. 2-5 In addition, to accommodate the new scenario-based ex- amination, the ABO expanded the examination center by adding 900 square feet of space with two additional examination rooms and upgraded examination software. The change to the scenario-based examination was overwhelmingly supported by the orthodontic commu- nity, and the February 2019 examination slots were filled within 24 hours of opening registration. The majority of examinees for this first scenario-based examination (72%) were orthodontic practitioners out of residency for 5 or more years. This is a significant increase from the previous 10 years of case-based clinical examina- tions. The examination consisted of 6 scenarios, 1 in each examination room with 2-3 examiners. There were 4-7 questions for each scenario, with a total of 27 questions. The time for each scenario examination From the American Board of Orthodontics, St. Louis, Mo. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Po- tential Conflicts of Interest, and none were reported. Address correspondence to: Carole Newport, American Board of Orthodontics, 401 N Lindbergh Blvd, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63141; e-mail, carole@ americanboardortho.com. Submitted, March 2019; revised and accepted, April 2019. 0889-5406/$36.00 Ó 2019 by the American Association of Orthodontists. All rights reserved. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajodo.2019.04.004 765 SPECIAL ARTICLE