Board Exams

Overview

Each of you who participate in the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA) board examination at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry is very important to us. The team members of Patient Services, Auxiliary Services (Dispensing, Central Sterilization) and Dental Stores value you as a customer and strive toward achieving a common goal of providing you with the best possible instrumentation and service.

In addition to being our customer we also look upon you as a team member with a specific role to follow as an exam participant. Your role is an understanding of the guidelines on how we do business at this site. Take a few moments to read the following CDCA facility information and familiarize yourself with its contents. Without your total cooperation and understanding of our operational guidelines we cannot be expected to provide you with the best possible service.

We understand the importance of this exam to you and look forward to serving your instrument and consumable needs during your time with us.

For more information on licensure, visit The Commission on Dental Competency Assessments home page.

CDCA Facility Fees for External Candidates

• All non-U of M dental student candidates participating in the CDCA Examination at this site are assessed a $750.00 facility fee
• External dental hygiene candidates participating in the CDCA Examination at this site are assessed a $350.00 facility fee
• Graduate Resident & Faculty Candidates
• The facility fee must be paid at least 3 days prior to the start of the exam
• External candidates will not be allowed to start the exam until their facility fee has been paid in full
• Payment can be made in person at the Dental Stores, located in the Basement of the Dental Building, or by calling Dental Stores at 734-764-1551
• Mastercard, Visa, Discover Card and American Express are accepted, no personal checks
• Instrument Loan Policy

Instruments and Consumable Materials

• Blood pressure cuffs and additional consumable products and materials needed for the examination are available from the dispensary. A complete list of items available from the dispensary
• Consumable products necessary for the exam including gloves, masks, saliva ejectors, prophy materials and restorative materials are stocked in the cubicle.
• Disposable air water syringe tips are stocked into the cubicle along with saliva ejectors and HVE tips.
• All supplies for the manikin portion of the CDCA exam including the metal helmet and rubber mask are also provided.
• IMPORTANT: It is not necessary for candidates to send instruments or the metal bracket tray from the dental unit with your patient to the grading area; the School of Dentistry will supply these items to the CDCA.

Clinic Equipment

• Each dental chair has an operator stool. Assistant stools are available throughout the clinic. All dental chairs are equipped with an A-dec air/water syringe, a saliva ejector and HVE.
• The dental chair has a touch pad for adjusting the height and position of the chair. The water connection for ultrasonic scaling units is located on the base of the dental chair below the back of the chair.
• The dental light and bracket tray swivels to either the left or right side of the chair to accommodate the provider.
• The dental unit contains one dedicated fiber-optic line for high-speed, and one dedicated single line non-fiber optic for low-speed.
• Damage or loss of University property will result in appropriate deduction of the cost of the item(s) from the candidates security deposit. If the amount owed exceeds the amount of the security deposit the candidate will be responsible for paying the difference.

Returning Examination Items

All instruments and equipment procured from Dental Stores/Dispensing must be returned immediately after conclusion of the exam.

Items used for patient care must be returned to the contaminated check-in area of the dispensary. Providers will be requested to wipe down all totes, curing lights and ultrasonic machines with a disinfectant towelette.

Repairs to Equipment During the Examination

If you experience mechanical problems with your assigned dental unit during the exam, the School of Dentistry provides on-site repair service. Repair technicians typically walk through the clinics during the exam. 

Sterilization Services

Instrument sterilization services are available at the Central Sterilization Unit; take your instruments to the contaminated check-in area of the dispensary and request your instruments to be sterilized. It will take 2 hours to wash, bag and sterilize your instruments.

We highly recommend you have your instruments sterilized prior to leaving this site.

Infection Control

• Each cubicle in the clinic is supplied with a canister of disinfectant towelettes.
• The disinfectant towelettes are used to clean all working surfaces of the cubicle. The towelettes should also be used to wipe down the amalgamator, curing light, cavitron unit and the tote they are stored in.
• Barriers to include blue wrap, papers for the counter top, head rest covers, patient napkins with disposable napkin chains and large plastic sleeves for the bracket tray are located in each clinic. Plastic sleeves for the saliva ejector and air/water syringe are located in the cubicle. The plastic sleeves are secured to the air/water syringe and saliva ejector using an ortho elastic also provided in the cubicle.
• Important: Candidates not cleaning their work area after the exam will be reported to the CDCA, assessed a "clean-up fee" by the School of Dentistry and appropriately billed $50.00 for this service.

Seating Assignments and Clinic Location

• Cubicle assignments for CDCA dentistry candidates are determined by the Office of Patient Services and will be posted in the dispensary area.
• Candidate orientation will take place via ZOOM at 6 pm the night before the exam.
• Signs are posted on the main entrance into the dental building and in the elevator lobbies indicating location of the exam and orientation.
• DO NOT remove the paper nameplate inside the plastic holder in the cubicle.
• DO NOT insert your CDCA candidate card inside the plastic cubicle plate in your assigned cubicle.

Entering the Building

The dental building is open at 6:00 a.m. the day of the exam. A staff person will be monitoring the First Floor entrance (adjacent to the Fletcher Street parking structure) to direct all external CDCA candidates to the appropriate clinic. 

For security purposes the building is not unlocked during the day on weekends.

Lunch

There are many eateries in close proximity to the dental school.

The School of Dentistry has an M-Dining facility (Cafe 32) located on the Ground floor that offers sandwiches, soups, flavored coffee, pastries and other assorted beverages.