Member Resources:

Licensure Adopted Resolutions

2010
Resolution Number 200RC-2010 L-4 National Board Dental Examinations 

2009
Resolution Number 201-RC-2009  New L-4 Policy on National Board Dental Exams 

2008
Resolution Number 202-2008  Revision to the A-15 Statement of Position Regarding Residency Application 

2007
Resolution Number 200-2007  CIF Definition 

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Resolution Number: 200RC-2010

Title:  L-4 National Board Dental Examinations

Reference Committee Assignment: Education & Licensure

Sponsors: Council on Licensure

Address Strategic Plan Goal(s): #1: Effective Advocacy for Students and Patients

Financial Impact: None

Board of Trustees Comments: Board recommends a yes vote

Reference Committee Comments: The Chair moves the substitution of 200RC-2010 for 200-2010, with a recommendation to adopt 200RC-2010 with a yes vote.

RESOLUTION

Resolved, that ASDA adopt the L-4 Policy on Dental Examinations to read as follows:

L-4 National Board Dental Examinations
In regards to National Board Dental Examinations (NBDE), the American Student Dental Association supports a secure examination process. In regards to an examination for advanced post graduate education in dentistry and International Dentist Programs (IDP), the American Student Dental Association supports a single exam that is secure and valid for quantitative scoring.

Action: Placed on Consent Calendar

House Action: Adopted by the House on the Consent Calendar

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Resolution Number: 301-2010

Title: C-4 Accreditation of Dental Programs

Reference Committee Assignment: Governance & Professional Issues

Sponsors: Board of Trustees

Address Strategic Plan Goal(s): #1: Effective Advocacy for Students and Patients

Financial Impact: None

Board of Trustees Comments: Board recommends a YES vote

Reference Committee Comments:

Background: While ASDA’s C-1 and C-2 policies highlight opposition to midlevel providers performing irreversible procedures, they also highlight the dentist as being solely responsible for diagnosis. The accreditation process for programs currently established for midlevel providers will dictate the core competency and curriculum of these providers. It is vitally important that dentistry maintain supervision over this educational process for the safety of the public and the preservation of quality dental work in the United States. ASDA recognizes the need to take a stance in favor of CODA accreditation for these programs, even though we are opposed to their existence; therefore, be it

RESOLUTION

Resolved, that while ASDA maintains its opposition to midlevel providers performing irreversible procedures and working outside of the supervision of a dentist as per C-1 and C-2 policies, ASDA recognizes that accreditation of established midlevel providers should be overseen by CODA, and be it further

Resolved, that ASDA adopt a new C-4 policy that reads as follows:

C-4 Accreditation of Dental Programs
ASDA supports Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) evaluation for accreditation of all programs that train dental providers to perform irreversible procedures.

Action: Placed on Consent Calendar.

House Action: Adopted by the House on the Consent Calendar

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Resolution Number: 201RC-2009

Reference Committee Assignment: Education and Licensure

Title: New L-4 Policy on National Board Dental Exams

Addresses Strategic Plan Goals: #1 Dental Education, Professional Issues and Student Advocacy

Financial Impact: None

Reference Committee Comments: None

Board of Trustees Comments: None

Therefore be it

RESOLUTION

Resolved, that ASDA institute a new L-4 Policy titled National Board Dental Examinations that reads as follows:

In regards to National Board Dental Examinations, the American Student Dental Association supports a secure examination process that is valid for quantitative scoring.

Action: The chair moves the substitution of 201RC-2009 for 201-2009, with a recommendation to adopt 201RC-2009 with a yes vote.

House Action: Adopted by the House

Resolution Number: 202-2008

Title: Revision to the A-15 Statement of Position Regarding Residency Application

Financial Impact: None

Reference Committee Assignment: Education and Licensure

Reference Committee Comments: 

Board of Trustees Comments:

Therefore be it

RESOLUTION

Resolved, that the Statement A-15 Residency Application Process (2005) be amended to read, 

“ASDA encourages all CODA-approved residency programs to accept a standard, universal and affordable application and admissions process that does not request supplemental material already provided by the standard application,”

and be it further

Resolved, that ASDA investigate the need to standardize admissions policies for postdoctoral programs.

Action: Placed on the Consent Calendar

House Action: Adopted by the House on the Consent Calendar

Title: CIF Definition

Addresses Strategic Plan Goal:  #10 – Dental Education

Financial Impact:   None

Reference Committee Assignment:   Education & Licensure

Sponsors: Executive Committee

Board of Trustees Comments:   Board unanimously recommends a yes vote

Reference Committee Comments:  

Background:  The 2005 ADA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 20H amending the Association’s policy on the use of human subjects in examinations for the purpose of initial clinical licensure.

Resolved,  that the Association supports the elimination of human subjects/patients in the clinical licensure examination process with the exception of the curriculum integrated format within dental schools, and be it further

Resolved, that the Association encourages all states to adopt methodologies for licensure that are consistent with this policy.

The principle change to the policy was the addition of the language endorsing the concept of the “curriculum integrated format” (CIF). Unfortunately, because no generally accepted definition of the CIF exists the mandate of the second resolved clause to encourage adoption of examinations “consistent with this policy” cannot be effectively implemented.

There are current examining bodies that have applied the term CIF to describe their examinations. However, while these examinations are temporally related to the curriculum, it is difficult to argue that they are truly integrated into the dental school curriculum. The typical arrangement of the examination under this format is that any typodont simulations and written examinations are available earlier in the final year of dental school, while the patient-based clinical examination is still offered only once at the end of the academic year. Unfortunately, because the clinical examination is left intact and unmodified, this format fails to address any of the concerns that led the Association to support the elimination of human subjects from the process of examination for the purposes of initial clinical licensure.

Last year, ASDA’s House of Delegates passed Resolution 205-2006 defining Curriculum Integrated Format as follows:

Resolved, that the American Student Dental Association present the following resolution to the American Dental Association’s House of Delegates:

Resolved, that the American Dental Association defines the curriculum integrated format of an examination for initial clinical licensure as one that, at a minimum, is designed to test competency standards defined by the State Board of Dental Examiners that have been accepted by the dental school’s curriculum committee and have been integrated into the predoctoral dental curriculum, and be it further

Resolved, that such an examination should be offered more than once during the final year of the pre-doctoral curriculum and successful performance should be a requirement for graduation.

ASDA’s delegation presented this definition as Resolution 34-2006 to the ADA House of Delegates.  After much debate, Resolutions 34-2006 and 34S-1-2006 were referred to the ADA’s Council on Dental Education and Licensure with a mandate to “develop a definition of Curriculum Integrated Format and the necessary steps from the communities of interest to implement such an evaluation and report back to the 2007 ADA House of Delegates.”  Through collaboration this year with the ADA Council, we believe that ASDA should revise our current definition of Curriculum Integrated Format and promote this improved definition to the 2007 ADA House of Delegates when the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure’s definition is before the ADA House of Delegates.  This definition will solidify our intent to develop an evaluation process that is truly integrated into dental school curriculum and is a requirement for graduation.  In addition, while ASDA still supports the elimination of live patients from the licensure process, we feel it is appropriate to add this definition of Curriculum Integrated Format to ASDA’s licensure policies. 

Therefore be it

RESOLUTION

Resolved,  that ASDA adds the following to its Licensure policy as L3 -  Definition of Curriculum Integrated Format: An initial clinical licensure process that requires candidates to successfully complete an independent clinical assessment prior to graduation from a dental education program accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation.

If such a process includes patient care as part of the assessment, it should be performed by candidates on patients of record whenever possible, within an appropriately sequenced treatment plan.  In order to be integrated into the curriculum, the competencies assessed must be mutually accepted between the dental education program and the examining agency.

All portions of this assessment must be available three or more times during dental school.This ensures that patient care is accomplished within an appropriate treatment plan and allows candidates to remediate and retake any portions of the assessment, which were not successfully completed.  There must also be a defined mechanism within the dental education program curricula for remediation of students who fail any section of the assessment and be it further

Resolved,  that ASDA further promote this policy at the ADA House of Delegates.

Action:   The chairman moves the adoption of 200-2007 with a recommendation to vote yes.

House Action:   The resolution was adopted by the House of Delegates.