ADC Written Exam Exam Study Guide (2026)
Everything the ADC Written Examination for Dentists (Australian Dental Council) tests, topic by topic: what each section covers, the facts that come up most, and how to study it. Pair it with the free 15-question practice test.
The exam at a glance
| Questions | 280 scenario-based multiple-choice questions (240 scored, 40 unscored), in 56 clinical scenarios of 5 questions each |
|---|---|
| Time | 8 hours: four 2-hour sections of 70 questions, two on each of two consecutive days |
| Passing score | No set pass mark. You must pass each of the four clusters at the standard of a minimally competent recent Australian graduate (modified Angoff with Rasch equating); cluster pass scores aren't published |
| Format | Closed book, computer-based, single best answer; no calculators and no scrap paper |
| Certifying body | Australian Dental Council (ADC) |
| Test provider | Pearson VUE test centres in Australia and other countries (the same venue on both days) |
Mind map: the whole exam on one screen
Read the complete ADC Written Exam study notes for “Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics”
Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 16 minutes of reading: Caries as a disease, not just a cavity · Non-carious tooth surface loss · Choosing a direct material · Fixed prosthodontics: crowns, posts and bridges · Removable prosthodontics, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.
1. Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
The largest share of the blueprint: restorative dentistry including carious and non-carious tooth surface loss (14%), fixed prosthodontics (5%) and removable prosthodontics (5%). Expect caries management, material choice, crown and post decisions, and denture design and problems.
Key facts
- Manage caries as a disease first: assess risk, arrest non-cavitated lesions with fluoride and diet change, and restore only cavitated or cleansable-surface lesions that can't be arrested.
- In deep lesions in vital, symptom-free teeth, selective removal to soft or leathery dentine near the pulp avoids exposure; then seal well.
- Non-carious tooth surface loss: erosion (acid, smooth and cupped), attrition (tooth-to-tooth, flat matching facets), abrasion (foreign object, usually cervical), abfraction (wedge-shaped, debated). Find and control the cause before restoring.
- Glass ionomer bonds chemically (ionic bonding to calcium in tooth) and releases fluoride; composite needs micromechanical bonding through an adhesive and good moisture control.
- Post-retained crowns need a ferrule of 1.5 to 2 mm of sound tooth; the post retains the core and does not strengthen the root.
- Kennedy classification: Class I bilateral free-end saddles, Class II unilateral free-end, Class III bounded saddle, Class IV a single bounded saddle crossing the midline anteriorly.
- Complete dentures: check retention, stability, support, occlusal vertical dimension (freeway space about 2 to 4 mm) and extensions; angular cheilitis and denture stomatitis often follow lost vertical dimension and poor denture hygiene.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Scenario questions often hide the cause in the history: reflux, soft drinks, bruxism, a hard toothbrush. Name the cause before you choose the restoration.
2. Periodontics and Implantology
Periodontics is 9% of the blueprint and implantology (4%) is tested across disciplines. Know the 2017 AAP/EFP classification, step-wise therapy, risk factors and peri-implant diseases.
Key facts
- 2017 classification: periodontitis is described by stage (severity and complexity, I to IV) and grade (rate of progression, A to C).
- Stage uses interdental clinical attachment loss, radiographic bone loss, tooth loss from periodontitis and complexity (probing depth 6 mm or more, furcation, occlusal collapse).
- Grade: bone loss % ÷ age below 0.25 is A, 0.25 to 1.0 is B, above 1.0 is C. Smoking 10 or more cigarettes a day or HbA1c 7.0% or more moves the grade to C.
- Therapy is step-wise: oral hygiene and risk-factor control, then subgingival instrumentation, then re-evaluation and surgery or referral for residual deep pockets, then supportive care.
- Systemic antibiotics aren't routine in periodontitis; they're reserved for specific situations such as necrotising disease with systemic involvement.
- Peri-implant mucositis is inflammation without bone loss and is reversible; peri-implantitis adds progressive bone loss beyond initial remodelling.
- Implant spacing guides: at least 1.5 mm from an adjacent tooth and 3 mm between two implants.
Flashcards
Exam tip: When a scenario gives an age and a bone-loss percentage, calculate the grade before reading the options.
3. Endodontics and Dental Emergencies
Endodontics (7%) and dental emergencies (8%): pulp and periapical diagnosis, emergency pain and infection management under Therapeutic Guidelines, and dental trauma under the 2020 IADT guidelines.
Key facts
- Reversible pulpitis: short, sharp pain to stimuli that stops when the stimulus is removed. Irreversible pulpitis: lingering or spontaneous pain.
- Irreversible pulpitis is treated by removing the pulp (pulpotomy, pulpectomy) or extraction. Antibiotics are not indicated.
- Localised dental abscess: drain (through the root canal or by incision) and remove the cause. Antibiotics only for spreading infection or systemic signs, or if drainage isn't possible.
- Spreading infection with airway compromise, trismus, difficulty swallowing or high fever needs urgent hospital referral.
- Avulsion (IADT 2020): replant immediately if possible; store in milk, saline or saliva if not; flexible splint for about 2 weeks; root canal treatment within 2 weeks for closed apices.
- Never replant an avulsed primary tooth.
- Root fractures are splinted for 4 weeks (up to 4 months for cervical-third fractures); lateral luxation is splinted for 4 weeks and extrusive luxation for 2 weeks.
Flashcards
Exam tip: In emergency scenarios, the option that treats the cause (drain, extirpate, replant) beats the one that only prescribes.
Test yourself on these topics
Take the free 15-question ADC Written Exam test, then save your results to unlock your Readiness Score and the mistakes bank.
4. Oral Medicine, Pathology and Radiology
Oral medicine and pathology are 7% of the blueprint and radiology 10% across disciplines. Know which lesions need a biopsy, the common benign and malignant lesions, and radiation protection and radiograph selection.
Key facts
- Any ulcer or red or white patch that persists 2 to 3 weeks after removing a suspected cause needs a biopsy or urgent referral.
- High-risk sites for oral squamous cell carcinoma: lateral and ventral tongue and floor of mouth. Risk factors include tobacco, alcohol, betel quid and HPV (oropharynx).
Flashcards
Exam tip: If a lesion hasn't healed after you've removed the obvious cause, the answer is almost always biopsy or referral, not another review.
5. Oral Surgery and Pain and Anxiety Management
Oral surgery (7%) and pain and anxiety management (5%): extractions and their complications, third molars, local anaesthesia doses and techniques, analgesia, and sedation.
Key facts
- 2% lidocaine is 20 mg/mL; an Australian 2.2 mL cartridge holds 44 mg. 4% articaine is 40 mg/mL; a 2.2 mL cartridge holds 88 mg.
- Use the patient's weight to work out the maximum local anaesthetic dose, never exceed the absolute maximum, and reduce it for children and medically compromised patients.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Local anaesthetic dose questions are two-step arithmetic: mg per cartridge, then the weight-based maximum. Do both before looking at the options.
6. Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
10% of the blueprint: caries in children, fluoride use, pulp therapy for primary teeth, behaviour management, child protection, growth and eruption, and orthodontic assessment and interceptive care.
Key facts
- 2019 Australian fluoride guidelines: no toothpaste under 18 months unless advised; pea-sized low-fluoride toothpaste (0.5 to 0.55 mg/g) from 18 months to 5 years; standard toothpaste (1.0 to 1.5 mg/g) from 6 years.
- Fluoride varnish (22,600 ppm F) is applied at least twice a year for children at elevated caries risk.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Australian fluoride questions turn on the exact age bands. Learn 18 months, 5 years and 6 years cold.
7. General Medicine and Pharmacology
General medicine including medical emergencies and special needs dentistry (8%), plus pharmacology (10%) tested across every discipline. Answers follow Therapeutic Guidelines: Oral and Dental and Australian emergency guidance.
Key facts
- Endocarditis prophylaxis is only for the highest-risk cardiac conditions (e.g. prosthetic valve, previous endocarditis, some congenital heart disease, and rheumatic heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) having procedures that manipulate the gingiva or periapical tissue.
- Standard prophylaxis: amoxicillin 2 g orally 60 minutes before the procedure. Penicillin allergy: alternatives depend on the type of allergy (see Therapeutic Guidelines).
Flashcards
Exam tip: Most emergency questions want the first action. Adrenaline comes before antihistamines and steroids, and glucose before anything else in hypoglycaemia.
8. Prevention, Infection Control and Professionalism
Preventive dentistry and behaviour modification (10%), infection prevention and control (5%), and the Cluster 1 domains of social responsibility, professionalism and health promotion (20% of questions). Know the ADA infection control guidelines and the Dental Board of Australia's codes.
Key facts
- Caries prevention: fluoride (water, toothpaste, varnish), diet counselling (frequency of sugar), fissure sealants for at-risk teeth, and motivational interviewing for behaviour change.
- Community water fluoridation in Australia is recommended at 0.6 to 1.1 mg/L (NHMRC 2017).
Flashcards
Exam tip: Cluster 1 questions reward the answer that puts patient safety and honesty first and follows the Dental Board of Australia's codes, even when it's the harder conversation.
How to pass
- 70 questions in 2 hours is about 1 minute 40 seconds each, but each scenario carries 5 questions. Read the vignette once, carefully, then answer all five from it.
- You must pass every cluster, not an overall total. Diagnosis and management planning and clinical information gathering are 30% each, so a weak area in either can fail you on its own.
- Answers follow Australian practice: Therapeutic Guidelines: Oral and Dental for drugs and antibiotics, the ADA infection control guidelines, Dental Board of Australia codes and the 2019 Australian fluoride guidelines.
- Pharmacology (10%) and radiology (10%) are tested across every discipline. Expect drug doses, interactions and radiograph choices inside restorative, surgical and paediatric scenarios.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I study for the ADC Written Exam exam?
Most working candidates need 4 to 8 weeks at 45 to 60 minutes a day. Book your exam once your Readiness Score has stayed at 80 or higher for about a week.
Can I take the ADC Written Exam exam online?
No. The ADC written examination is sat in person at Pearson VUE test centres in Australia and other countries, over two consecutive days at the same venue. There is no remote option. Format: closed book, computer-based, single best answer; no calculators and no scrap paper. Check the ADC handbook for the current rules.
What score do I need to pass the ADC Written Exam exam?
No set pass mark. You must pass each of the four clusters at the standard of a minimally competent recent Australian graduate (modified Angoff with Rasch equating); cluster pass scores aren't published. The exam has 280 scenario-based multiple-choice questions (240 scored, 40 unscored), in 56 clinical scenarios of 5 questions each and a time limit of 8 hours: four 2-hour sections of 70 questions, two on each of two consecutive days.
What are the most tested topics?
The outline covers restorative dentistry and prosthodontics, periodontics and implantology, endodontics and dental emergencies, oral medicine, pathology and radiology, oral surgery and pain and anxiety management, paediatric dentistry and orthodontics, general medicine and pharmacology, prevention, infection control and professionalism. Use the free practice test to see which ones you need most.
The premium ADC Written Exam study path
Premium ADC Written Exam prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.
Your step-by-step study path
- 1Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Notes free with an account
- 2Periodontics and Implantology8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 3Endodontics and Dental Emergencies8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 4Oral Medicine, Pathology and Radiology8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 5Oral Surgery and Pain and Anxiety Management7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 6Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 7General Medicine and Pharmacology7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 8Prevention, Infection Control and Professionalism7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- Final step: 6 full mock exams280 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.Premium
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- The ADC Written Examination: all 13 disciplines and four clusters
- 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
- 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
- Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
- Readiness Score & detailed reports
- Video lessons as they release
- Content updates during your access
- 5 bonuses: doses and guidelines sheet, oral lesion atlas, study planner and more
- Pass Guarantee: complete the prep, pass or 100% back
Renews once a year until you cancel. We email you before each renewal. Cancel any time from your account; you keep access until the end of the year you've paid for.
Summarized from the Australian Dental Council's official candidate information and the rules cited, checked November 2026. Confirm current requirements with Australian Dental Council (ADC).