Welcome back to TTD!
Today let’s discuss the NDEB equivalency process. This process was introduced several years ago to make it easier for foreign-trained dentists (FTD) to integrate into the system. With this new process, FTDs did not need to go back to a 2-3 year University program; they could get a license if they passed all the exams in the equivalency process. It is also called the direct license process.
The direct licensing process has three exams: AFK, ACJ and ACS. After these three exams, you are considered equivalent to a Canadian graduate and are eligible to take NDEB dental board exams (Written and OSCE). Passing the board exams is a requirement for registration with provincial bodies to be able to practice in any province in Canada ( Eg. Manitoba Dental Association, aka MDA, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, aka RCDSO, etc.).
Let‘s expand on AFK today. AFK- Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge. In this exam, the candidates are tested for their knowledge in all the subjects from all four years of dentistry. It is a lot to cover. I suggest reading Dental Decks, start with Part 2 of the decks (it has all the clinical subjects), don’t cram it, make your fundamentals clear. You will know which areas you need to work on after reading the deck once. Now go to the books mentioned on the NDEB website; you won’t be able to read them all, so pick one book per subject as your reference book, when in any doubt, go to the one book of your liking and stick to your answer no matter what the internet study groups say.
Ah Ha! The internet study groups are essential; they keep you on track; there is a good discussion in these groups regarding the exam preparation, but don’t change your answers based on online groups. Always fall back on the books recommend by NDEB for the most accurate answers.
Give yourself at least six months to prepare for the exams. I took six months, and I was working part-time in a nursing home during that time, I did take the last two weeks before the exam off to focus just on the exam.
Once you have read Dental Decks part 2 and worked on your problem areas, take the Mock exam on the NDEB website to see how much more you need to read and which subjects need more focus. You should be able to obtain a passing score in the mock test before you take the actual exam.
Now that your clinical subjects are ready try to read basic sciences once. You do need to focus on Dental Anatomy here.
There are a lot of online and in-person AFK coaching institutes in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. I did not take these courses, so I can not comment on them. You can also choose to go to university after your AFK exam. For that, you apply to different universities and appear for their interviews.
After getting a passing score in AFK (75 percentile or more), you are eligible to take ACJ and ACS. We will discuss these exams in detail in the upcoming blog posts.
I know it feels like an almost impossible task, but people have done it, and so can you! Keep working hard, and the universe will provide!
Sending Love and good vibes to all you lovely people out there ❤️
Yours Truly,
The Travelling Dentist