Developing content for American Board of Pediatric Dentistry certification examinations using practice analysis

Background: The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) conducted a practice analysis to guide the development of its certification examination outlines for assessing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of pediatric dentists. This article describes the systematic approach used by the ABPD.

Methods: The ABPD conducted its practice analysis in 4 phases: (1) preparation, (2) focus group meetings, (3) survey, and (4) examination blueprint development.

Results: Phase 2 resulted in 150 job tasks relevant to entry-level pediatric dental practice, organized into 10 domains. In Phase 3, 8,730 pediatric dentists received an electronic survey, with 10% returning a completed survey. Respondents rated tasks in terms of frequency and risk, which were analyzed to determine the combined relevance of each task. Phase 4 organized a final list of tasks within each domain and the recommended weighting of domains by certifying examination.

Conclusions: The ABPD practice analysis created a comprehensive outline of the job tasks an entry-level pediatric dentist is expected to perform. The ABPD plans to use the results to help develop the examination content for continuing certification and will use a similar process every 5 through 7 years to update the examination content blueprints to ensure their continued relevance to the practice of pediatric dentistry.

Practical implications: The ABPD used a process known as practice analysis to ensure that its examinations and continued competency assessments measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for safe and effective clinical practice.