MDC Licensing Examination — Physician Assistantship (Dental)

Sample Physician Assistantship (Dental) practice questions

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

1. Question 1 · Dental Assessment & Escalation

   A patient with facial swelling becomes unable to swallow saliva and develops noisy breathing. What is the priority?

   1. A.Continue routine scaling
   2. B.Take dental photographs before helping
   3. C.Ask the patient to return next week
   4. D.Activate emergency airway support and urgent referral
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Activate emergency airway support and urgent referral

   Airway warning signs require immediate stabilization and escalation rather than routine dental treatment.

2. Question 2 · Chairside Infection Prevention

   A reusable mouth mirror contacts oral mucosa. How should it ordinarily be processed?

   1. A.Cleaned and heat sterilized when heat tolerant
   2. B.Wiped on a gown
   3. C.Stored unprocessed overnight
   4. D.Rinsed with water only
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Cleaned and heat sterilized when heat tolerant

   Mouth mirrors are semicritical items; most are heat tolerant and should be heat sterilized.

3. Question 3 · Patient & Medication Safety

   Before giving local anaesthetic, which check is essential?

   1. A.Use the same dose for every patient
   2. B.Confirm the patient, planned procedure, relevant allergies, medicine and dose
   3. C.Ignore the medical history
   4. D.Ask another patient to identify the syringe
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Confirm the patient, planned procedure, relevant allergies, medicine and dose

   Structured verification reduces wrong-patient, wrong-drug, allergy and dosing errors.

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 · 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).

6. Question 6 · 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.

7. Question 7 · 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.

8. Question 8 · 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.

9. Question 9 · 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.

10. Question 10 · 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.

11. Question 11 · 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.

12. Question 12 · Exodontia & Oral Surgery

    Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) typically presents:

    1. A.Within the first hour after extraction with heavy bleeding from the socket
    2. B.After 6 weeks with swelling of the neck
    3. C.2–4 days after extraction with severe pain and an empty socket
    4. D.Immediately as numbness of the lip
    Show answer

    Answer: C. 2–4 days after extraction with severe pain and an empty socket

    Risk factors: smoking, lower molar extraction, traumatic surgery, oral contraceptives.