AHPC Licensure Examination — Dental Health

Sample PA Dental practice questions

Try these 12 questions from different topics. Open "Show answer" to check yourself and read the explanation.

1. Question 1 · Oral Disease Prevention

   Which population advice directly addresses two major modifiable risks for dental caries?

   1. A.Avoid all drinking water
   2. B.Use tobacco instead of sweets
   3. C.Use fluoride toothpaste and reduce frequent free-sugar intake
   4. D.Brush only when pain begins
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Use fluoride toothpaste and reduce frequent free-sugar intake

   Adequate fluoride exposure and lower free-sugar consumption are central to caries prevention.

2. Question 2 · Oral Assessment & Referral

   A patient has a rapidly spreading facial swelling with difficulty swallowing. What is the safest action?

   1. A.Book routine cleaning in six months
   2. B.Advise the patient to wait until the swelling ruptures
   3. C.Perform whitening before assessment
   4. D.Arrange urgent assessment for possible airway-threatening odontogenic infection
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Arrange urgent assessment for possible airway-threatening odontogenic infection

   Spreading infection with swallowing or breathing difficulty can threaten the airway and requires urgent escalation.

3. Question 3 · Dental Infection Prevention

   How should a reusable periodontal scaler be processed between patients?

   1. A.Clean it and heat sterilize it according to validated instructions
   2. B.Wipe it on a dry cloth only
   3. C.Rinse it briefly with tap water
   4. D.Use it on several patients before cleaning
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Clean it and heat sterilize it according to validated instructions

   Instruments that penetrate soft tissue are critical items and should be heat sterilized after cleaning.

4. Question 4 · Dental Emergencies

   A crown fracture exposing the pulp in a young permanent tooth seen within hours is often managed by:

   1. A.Extraction of the tooth in every case, as the pulp will always die
   2. B.Ignoring it until symptoms appear
   3. C.Root canal treatment of the neighbouring teeth
   4. D.Partial pulpotomy or pulp capping to preserve the vital pulp
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Partial pulpotomy or pulp capping to preserve the vital pulp

   Immature teeth benefit from vital pulp therapy so root development continues.

5. Question 5 · Cariology & Caries Prevention

   The bacterium most associated with the initiation of dental caries is:

   1. A.Porphyromonas gingivalis, which lives in deep periodontal pockets
   2. B.Treponema pallidum
   3. C.Streptococcus mutans
   4. D.Candida albicans
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Streptococcus mutans

   S. mutans ferments sugars to acid and adheres to teeth; lactobacilli contribute to progression.

6. Question 6 · Community Oral Health

   The DMFT index records:

   1. A.The number of dental surgeons per million people in the population
   2. B.Decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth per person
   3. C.Dental mobility and fracture of teeth
   4. D.Daily mouthwash frequency
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth per person

   Lower-case dmft is used for primary teeth; DMFT summarises caries experience.

7. Question 7 · Periodontology

   The main aetiological factor in gingivitis is:

   1. A.Vitamin C deficiency in the diet of most adults in West Africa
   2. B.Calculus alone
   3. C.Hormonal changes
   4. D.Dental plaque biofilm
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Dental plaque biofilm

   Plaque causes inflammation; calculus is a retentive factor, and hormones modify the response.

8. Question 8 · Oral Pathology & Oral Medicine

   The most common malignant tumour of the oral cavity is:

   1. A.Squamous cell carcinoma
   2. B.Adenocarcinoma arising from the minor salivary glands of the palate
   3. C.Malignant melanoma
   4. D.Osteosarcoma of the jaw
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Squamous cell carcinoma

   High-risk sites include the lateral border of the tongue and the floor of the mouth.

9. Question 9 · Paediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

   The first primary teeth usually erupt at about:

   1. A.2 years of age, once the child can chew solid foods
   2. B.Birth in most children
   3. C.3 years
   4. D.6 months of age (lower central incisors)
   Show answer

   Answer: D. 6 months of age (lower central incisors)

   The primary dentition is usually complete by about 2½–3 years.

10. Question 10 · Oral & Maxillofacial Anatomy

    The inferior alveolar nerve block anaesthetises the lower teeth on one side and also the:

    1. A.Whole tongue on both sides and the hard palate
    2. B.Upper molars on the same side
    3. C.Lower lip and chin on that side
    4. D.Skin of the cheek over the zygoma
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Lower lip and chin on that side

    The mental branch supplies the lower lip and chin; the lingual nerve is often anaesthetised too (anterior two-thirds of the tongue).

11. Question 11 · Tooth Morphology & Notation

    In the FDI two-digit system, tooth 11 is the:

    1. A.Lower left permanent central incisor, closest to the midline of the mandible
    2. B.Upper left permanent lateral incisor
    3. C.Upper right permanent central incisor
    4. D.Upper right primary central incisor
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Upper right permanent central incisor

    First digit = quadrant (1 upper right, 2 upper left, 3 lower left, 4 lower right); second = tooth from the midline.

12. Question 12 · Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics

    In G.V. Black's classification, a cavity on the proximal surface of a premolar is:

    1. A.Class I, because it involves the biting surface of a back tooth
    2. B.Class II
    3. C.Class III
    4. D.Class V
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Class II

    Class III/IV are proximal anterior (IV includes the incisal edge); Class V is cervical.