December 2012
ADEX 8th Annual Meeting Report
On behalf of the ADEX Executive Committee and the ADEX Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome you to the 8th Annual meeting of the ADEX House of Representatives and excited to be able to give you a positive report on ADEX this year.
As always, our primary concern is the development of the dental and dental hygiene examinations. The Occupational Analysis, which we did last year, suggested that while dentists, both newly graduated and seasoned dentists, do perio scaling, perio scaling is performed less frequently than the supervision of this skill. Perio scaling was not judged as critical as some of the other skills that are included for measurement on the ADEX clinical examinations. As a result, the ADEX Dental Examination Committee voted to make the present perio examination an optional part of the exam, depending on the requirements of a particular state board. In other words, ADEX will be offering the present clinical perio examination for those states that require a patient based perio exam, but for those states that do not require a patient based perio examination, candidates will not be required to successfully complete a patient based perio exam.
At the same time, we have appointed a perio committee to explore the possibility of developing a patient based perio examination that more accurately reflects what dentists do once they begin their professional careers. In addition, the DSCE, which is the computer component of the ADEX Dental Examination, has had more emphasis added to it in the area of periodontics.
Furthermore, during the past year, the DSCE has undergone a periodic and comprehensive review by Alpine Testing Solutions and, as a result, the exam has been refined and shortened.
We have devoted a considerable amount of time and expense to improve our dental calibration exercises. Dr. Pappas and his Calibration Committee have worked diligently over the course of the last year to increase both the number and quality of the images in our calibration. The committee has also created new scenarios to mimic circumstances that examiners encounter during the course of our examinations. Our goal is, over a period of time, to increase the number of images and scenarios to where we can offer a series of different calibrations. During the February/March perio restorative examination, we will begin to roll out the new calibration exercises.
Our communication committee has completed the video that we commissioned last year. We continue to inform and educate our state boards through our website, written communications and presentations. The “ADA NEWS”, a publication of the American Dental Association, featured us twice this year regarding our examination and its growing acceptance.
During August, we were invited to the SRTA Annual Meeting in Bonita Springs, Florida. At this meeting, old friendships were renewed and new relationships were formed. Plans were formulated to familiarize and assist SRTA with the transition into ADEX. SRTA also announced that they voted to administer the ADEX Dental Hygiene examination in 2014. We welcome that decision and look forward to working with the SRTA dental hygienists.
This past year, the ADEX Dental Examination was administered at two new locations. In March, we were invited to bring the Examination to Arizona at Midwestern University where we examined 38 candidates. In Mississippi, with the assistance of examiners from Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, the ADEX examination was given for the first time in May.
Three states have joined ADEX as new members: Virginia, Mississippi and New Mexico. We welcome them and look forward to their participation in ADEX. With the addition of these three states that brings us to a total of 30 members with 41 states accepting the exam for initial licensure.
Our outreaches to non-member state boards continue and we have several appearances scheduled. We remain open to conversations with any state boards and testing agencies as we continue to seek common ground in order to realize our goal of a unified national examination.
Bruce Barrette, DDS
President