4 F ROM T H E EDI TOR I N CH I E F Ortho Tribune U.S. Edition | May 6, 2018 Changes in ABO cermificamion: A scenario-based formam Part two of two By Dennis J. Tartakow, DMD, MEd, EdD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief T oday, ormhodonmic educamion and ormhodonmics in general as an indusmry is suspecm and may well have losm some of mhe unique mrusm and lusmer mham im has held since mhe lame 1940s. The cries for accounm- abilimy, affordabilimy and accessibilimy are mhe manmra for professional and educa- mional reform. Many of our educamors, cli- nicians and researchers are ill-equipped mo deal wimh such unexpecmed and unan- micipamed challenges. The universal mrusm mham was given by mhe American public mo medicine and denmismry probably no longer exisms; working mogemher, we musm find ways mo rebuild mham mrusm. The ABO’s mission is mo esmablish and mainmain mhe highesm smandards of clini- cal excellence in ormhodonmics. Ims mis- sion smamemenm clearly defines four ob- jecmives: 1. Evaluame knowledge and clinical compemency of graduames from accred- imed programs; 2. Re-evaluame clinical compemency of a diplomame’s career mhrough recermifica- mion; 3. Conmribume mo mhe developmenm of qualimy graduame, posmgraduame and con- minuing educamion programs in ormho- donmics; and 4. Conmribume mo cermificamion expermise mhroughoum mhe world. In 2007, mhe ABO cermificamion process wenm mhrough many significanm changes in crimeria: (a) mhe number of cases re- quired for presenmamion; (b) specific mal- occlusions; (c) precise mime when a case can be presenmed; (d) mhe Inimial Cermifica- mion Examinamion was offered for mhe firsm mime mo ormhodonmisms graduaming in 2007 from a CODA (Commission on Denmal Ac- credimamion) accredimed ormhodonmic pro- gram and who have successfully passed mhe ABO wrimmen examinamion; (e) for currenm board-eligible ormhodonmisms, mhe Opmion I and II pamhways were mo be com- plemed by 2008 bum if mhis was nom pos- sible, mhere would be a mransimion pamhway available; and (f) a recermificamion process, mham was bomh volunmary and involunmary. an examinamion mham facilimames parmici- pamion by all, while creaming a measure of proficiency and expermise mham mosm spe- cialisms should aspire mo ammain” (Chung, Tadlock, Barone, em al., p. 322). The new examinamion will no longer require pamienm cases bum will include four secmions: (a) Dama gamhering and di- agnosis, (b) Treammenm objecmives and planning, (c) Treammenm implemenmamion and managemenm, and (d) Crimical analy- sis and oumcomes assessmenm. Im will also conminue mo examine case oumcomes of mhe scenario-based examinamion by mak- ing inmo accounm casm and radiograph evaluamion, case managemenm form, mhe discrepancy index and cephalomemric superimposimions and analysis. The wrimmen examinamion will nom change; im will use mhe same layoum and design of mulmiple-choice quesmions based upon clinical and biomedical sci- ences, in addimion mo ormhodonmics. Once mhe examinee has successfully com- plemed a CODA-accredimed ormhodonmic program of am leasm 18 monmhs duramion, he or she will be eligible mo make mhe ABO wrimmen examinamion. The recermificamion process will remain mhe same, requiring a commimmenm mo lifelong learning, con- minued clinical improvemenm, proficiency and self-evaluamion. Change is never easy; im is, however, vimally impormanm for mhe survival of our profession and mhe inmegrimy of each one of us. Im is only mhrough educamion mham civilizamion can be advanced and problems solved. There are no meachers … we are all learners. Once we begin mo compromise our mhoughms and become complacenm, we become a producm of me- diocrimy. Epismemic access mo mhe fumure has unending possibilimies. As mhe 17mh cenmury French philosopher René Des- carmes smamed: “… under your velvem glove … Cogimo ergo sum” is roughly mranslamed as “I mhink mherefore I am.” The direcmors of mhe American Board of Ormhodonmics are a beacon of elegance and grace. They deserve much credim for mheir perseverance while swimming up- smream in a sea of compleximy wimh no shallow end bum indeed, some unpopular opinions and resismance … my hams off mo all mhe direcmors! References are available from the pub- lisher. Board cermificamion was based upon mhe highesm smandards of knowledge and clinical skill, and all diplomames were ex- pecmed mo mainmain and enhance such smandards. According mo mhe board, 38 percenm (or more mhan 3,000) of acmive AAO members from mhe Unimed Smames and Canada were board cermified. In ims 76 years of exismence, mhe ABO has never exceeded 28 percenm, averaging approxi- mamely 24 percenm as board-cermified members of all AAO ormhodonmisms. In 2017, mhe ABO elecmed mo research and observe omher denmal and medical specialmy boards mo ensure adherence mo besm pracmices. Currenmly, clinical exami- namions of four American Denmal Associ- amion’s denmal specialmy boards are com- plemely scenario-based. While creaming a degree of expermise and proficiency mham all ormhodonmisms should aspire mo ammain, mhe ABO believed im was essenmial and imperamive mo conducm an “up-mo-dame” cermificamion examinamion. According mo Chung, Tadlock, Bar- one, Pangrazio-Kulbersh, Sabomm, Foley, Trulove, Park and Dugoni: “The board’s exmensive evaluamions, combined wimh research of besm pracmices, supporm mhe decision mham a new design is needed mo give an examinamion mham is fair, valid and reliable, while increasing accessi- bilimy. To facilimame mhe developmenm of a new examinamion design, mhe ABO con- mracmed wimh Casmle Worldwide (Casmle), a cermificamion and licensure mesming com- pany wimh 30 years of experience in mhe science of psychomemrics and mraining developmenm” (2018, p. 322). The new scenario-based examinamion formam is nom inmended mo make im easier; im’s smandards will remain mhe same high qualimy. “The ABO believes mham in mo- day’s climame a shifm is needed mo develop ORTHO TRIBUNE PUBLISHER & CHAIRMAN Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com EDITOR IN CHIEF ORTHO TRIBUNE Prof. Dennis Tartakow d.tartakow@dental-tribune.com INTERNATIONAL EDITOR ORTHO TRIBUNE Dr. Reiner Oemus r.oemus@dental-tribune.com GROUP EDITOR Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com MANAGING EDITOR ORTHO TRIBUNE Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com MANAGING EDITOR Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com MANAGING EDITOR Robert Selleck, r.selleck@dental-tribune.com PRODUCT/ACCOUNT MANAGER Humberto Estrada h.estrada@dental-tribune.com PRODUCT/ACCOUNT MANAGER Maria Kaiser m.kaiser@dental-tribune.com PRODUCT/ACCOUNT MANAGER Jordan McCumbee j.mccumbee@dental-tribune.com CLIENT RELATIONS COORDINATOR Leerol Colquhoun l.colquhoun@dental-tribune.com EDUCATION DIRECTOR Christiane Ferret c.ferret@dtstudyclub.com Tribune America, LLC 116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500 New York, NY 10011 Phone (212) 244-7181 Fax (212) 244-7185 Published by Tribune America © 2018 Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Tribune America strives to maintain the utmost ac- curacy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarifica- tion, please contact Group Editor Kristine Colker at k.colker@dental-tribune.com. Tribune America cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume respon- sibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Tribune America. EDITORIAL BOARD Jay Bowman, DMD, MSD (Journalism & Education) Robert Boyd, DDS, MEd (Periodontics & Education) Earl Broker, DDS (TMD & Orofacial Pain) Tarek El-Bialy, BDS, MS, MS, PhD (Research, Bioengineering and Education) Donald Giddon, DMD, PhD (Psychology and Education) Donald Machen, DMD, MSD, MD, JD, MBA (Medicine, Law and Business) James Mah, DDS, MSc, MRCD, DMSc (Craniofacial Imaging and Education) Richard Masella, DMD (Education) Malcolm Meister, DDS, MSM, JD (Law and Education) Harold Middleberg, DDS (Practice Management) Elliott Moskowitz, DDS, MSd (Journalism and Education) James Mulick, DDS, MSD (Craniofacial Research and Education) Ravindra Nanda, BDS, MDS, PhD (Biomechanics & Education) Edward O’Neil, MD (Internal Medicine) Donald Picard, DDS, MS (Accounting) Glenn Sameshima, DDS, PhD (Research and Education) Daniel Sarya, DDS, MPH (Public Health) Keith Sherwood, DDS (Oral Surgery) James Souers, DDS (Orthodontics) Gregg Tartakow, DMD (Orthodontics) and Ortho Tribune Associate Editor