Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2023 - 11

PCSO News and Events
ABO Report
The American Board of Orthodontics
Constituency Report, Summer 2023
The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) is
committed to upholding our mission to elevate
the quality of orthodontic care for the public
by promoting excellence through certification,
education, and professional collaboration.
Dr. Jae Hyun Park
Mesa, AZ
President-Elect, American
Board of Orthodontics
ABO Yearly Update
Board certification allows orthodontists to lead
the way together as we collectively showcase our
dedication and accomplishment to our peers and
patients. Please view the following video created for
use by board-certified orthodontists to effectively
communicate the importance of using a specialist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rAhbEGg1HI.
The ABO is proud to announce that 61% of AAO
orthodontists are now board certified. The steps to
become board certified are as follows:
◾ Step 1: Successful completion of the ABO
written examination (which, once successfully
passed, never expires). The applicant must
have graduated or be currently enrolled in
an advanced specialty education program
in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
in the United States or Canada, accredited
by the Commission on Dental Accreditation
(CODA). (Note: Orthodontic residents must
have completed at least 18 months of their
program by the written examination date to
be eligible to take the written examination.)
The exam is composed of 240 multiple-choice
questions on subject areas outlined by CODA,
divided between 4 modules. It is administered
at Pearson VUE Testing Centers in the
United States and Canada. The 2023 Written
Exam Practice Questions and several archived
reading lists are available for exam preparation
at https://www.americanboardortho.com/
orthodontists/become-certified/written-exam/.
◾ Step 2: Successful completion of the ABO
scenario-based clinical examination. This
exam is composed of four domains created with
ABO-provided patient cases. The questions are
designed to objectively evaluate an orthodontist's
knowledge, skills, and critical-thinking
ability. The scenario-based clinical exam is
administered worldwide at Pearson VUE Testing
Centers. To ensure accuracy and consistency, all
scenario-based clinical examinations are scored
by multiple ABO examiners on a pass/fail basis.
Exam preparation resources are available on the
ABO website, including a study guide, examinee
orientation and introduction to the exam
format, sample cases, and videos. In addition, to
strengthen critical-thinking skills and practice
objectively analyzing facts to form their own
judgments, orthodontists are advised to review
their own patient cases. Tools previously created
to assess case outcomes will continue to be
used within the examination process, including
the Case Management Form, Cephalometric
Superimposition Technique and Interpretation,
and the Cast Radiograph Evaluation form.
To remain active, certification renewal must be
completed every 10 years. As a demonstration of
commitment to lifelong learning, board-certified
orthodontists must complete certification renewal
every 10 years. The process may be started
36 months prior to a certificate's printed expiration
date. Currently, two options are available for
completing certification renewal. Only one of the
following two should be completed: a multiplechoice
online board case examination or a mail-in
case report examination. Both options also require
the submission of continuing education credits.
Detailed information about certification renewal
can be found at https://www.americanboardortho.
com/orthodontists/renew-certification/.
The ABO staff is available to answer any question
regarding board certification! Please contact:
Written Examination Certification Coordinator |
Nicole Huson Nicole@AmericanBoardOrtho.com
Clinical Examination Coordinator | Kim Koch Kim@
AmericanBoardOrtho.com
Written Examination Update
The 2023 ABO Written Examination was administered
to 450 examinees on April 4, 2023, at Pearson
Summer 2023 PCSO Bulletin
11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rAhbEGg1HI https://www.americanboardortho.com/orthodontists/renew-certification/ https://www.americanboardortho.com/orthodontists/renew-certification/ https://www.americanboardortho.com/orthodontists/become-certified/written-exam/ https://www.americanboardortho.com/orthodontists/become-certified/written-exam/

Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2023