National Board Dental Examination / Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) Periodontics and Oral Surgery Syllabus

Periodontics and Oral Surgery syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Periodontics and Oral Surgery in National Board Dental Examination / Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Periodontal Anatomy and Disease

   4 topics

   • Healthy periodontium structure and function
   • Etiology and pathogenesis of periodontal disease
     • Microbial and host response factors
     • Systemic and behavioral risk factors
   • Classification of periodontal and peri-implant diseases
   • Gingival diseases and conditions
2. 2

   Periodontal Therapy

   4 topics

   • Nonsurgical therapy and oral hygiene instruction
     • Scaling and root planing
     • Adjunctive antimicrobials
   • Periodontal surgery principles
     • Resective and regenerative procedures
     • Mucogingival and crown lengthening surgery
   • Periodontal maintenance and re-evaluation
   • Periodontal-systemic disease interrelationships
3. 3

   Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

   4 topics

   • Principles of exodontia and surgical extraction
     • Forceps technique and flap design
     • Impacted third molar management
   • Surgical complications and their management
     • Dry socket and hemorrhage
     • Nerve injury and oroantral communication
   • Odontogenic infections and their drainage
   • Biopsy techniques and lesion management
4. 4

   Trauma, Implants, and Reconstruction

   3 topics

   • Dentoalveolar and maxillofacial trauma
     • Tooth fractures and avulsion management
     • Jaw fracture principles
   • Dental implant surgical placement and biology
     • Osseointegration concepts
     • Site assessment and grafting
   • Bone grafting and ridge preservation

Periodontics and Oral Surgery flashcards for National Board Dental Examination / Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE)

19 of 52 cards from the Periodontics and Oral Surgery deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the four principal tissues that make up the periodontium?

   Gingiva, periodontal ligament (PDL), cementum, and alveolar bone.

2. What is the normal biologic (supracrestal) width, and what are its two components?

   Approximately 2.04 mm total: ~0.97 mm junctional epithelium plus ~1.07 mm connective tissue attachment (Gargiulo). Violating it causes inflammation/bone loss.

3. What are the principal fiber groups of the gingival connective tissue?

   Dentogingival, dentoperiosteal, alveologingival, circular, and transseptal fibers.

4. Name the five principal fiber groups of the periodontal ligament.

   Alveolar crest, horizontal, oblique (most numerous, resist masticatory/axial forces), apical, and interradicular fibers.

5. What type of epithelium is junctional epithelium, and how does it attach to the tooth?

   Nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium that attaches via hemidesmosomes and an internal basal lamina.

6. What is the difference between cellular and acellular cementum and their locations?

   Acellular (primary) cementum covers the coronal/cervical root and anchors Sharpey's fibers; cellular (secondary) cementum covers the apical third/furcations and allows continuous deposition/repair.

7. What is the keystone-pathogen hypothesis of periodontal disease, and which organism exemplifies it?

   Low-abundance keystone pathogens disrupt host-microbe homeostasis and remodel the biofilm into a dysbiotic state; Porphyromonas gingivalis is the prototypical keystone pathogen.

8. Which three bacteria make up the 'red complex' associated with periodontitis?

   Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola (Socransky red complex).

9. What is the primary etiologic agent of periodontal disease?

   Dysbiotic dental plaque biofilm; bacterial plaque is necessary, with host immune-inflammatory response mediating tissue destruction.

10. What host-derived enzymes and cytokines drive periodontal tissue destruction?

    Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, especially collagenase/MMP-8), plus pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and PGE2 that promote bone resorption via the RANK/RANKL/OPG axis.

11. Distinguish a periodontal pathogen of aggressive periodontitis in adolescents.

    Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), strongly associated with localized aggressive (molar/incisor) periodontitis; produces leukotoxin.

12. In the 2017 AAP/EFP classification, how is periodontitis staged?

    Stages I-IV based on severity (interdental CAL, radiographic bone loss, tooth loss) and complexity (probing depth, furcation, ridge defects, need for rehabilitation).

13. In the 2017 classification, how is periodontitis graded?

    Grades A, B, C based on rate of progression (bone loss/age ratio), with modifiers: smoking and diabetes (HbA1c).

14. What three categories of periodontitis are recognized in the 2017 classification?

    Necrotizing periodontitis, periodontitis as a manifestation of systemic disease, and periodontitis (the single category replacing chronic and aggressive).

15. What are the two clinical health categories for the periodontium in the 2017 scheme?

    Clinical health on an intact periodontium and clinical health on a reduced periodontium (in a stable periodontitis patient or non-periodontitis patient).

16. What defines peri-implant mucositis versus peri-implantitis?

    Peri-implant mucositis: inflammation (bleeding on probing) without progressive bone loss; peri-implantitis: inflammation PLUS progressive marginal bone loss beyond initial remodeling.

17. What are the classic clinical features of plaque-induced gingivitis?

    Erythema, edema, bleeding on probing, no clinical attachment loss or bone loss; fully reversible with plaque control.

18. What characterizes Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis (NUG)?

    Punched-out, necrotic ('cratered') interdental papillae, pain, spontaneous bleeding, pseudomembrane, and fetor oris; associated with stress, smoking, immunosuppression, and fusospirochetal flora.

19. What systemic condition should be suspected with necrotizing periodontal disease (NUG/NUP)?

    Immunosuppression, notably HIV/AIDS (CD4 count); also severe malnutrition (noma in children).

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