The following suggestions are intended to help examinees who are preparing for the Clinical Examination:

1. The best suggestion is to READ, STUDY AND COMPLY with the instructions on the ABO website and be attentive to all details.

2. While it is understandable that compromise treatment is a reasonable alternative for patients who refuse ideal treatment, these patients' records usually do not demonstrate the examinee's ability to diagnose and treat reasonably difficult malocclusions. Therefore, they are usually not good or acceptable Board cases. As stated, you are expected to bring case reports that are challenging and represent your best work. The Board expects all case exhibits to be well treated. Simply put, poorly finished exhibits, even though they may be difficult and interesting, are not acceptable.

3. Because the Board examiners can only evaluate the records as presented, all treatment, especially occlusal interdigitation should be completely finished. Examiners will not presume that favorable changes will occur with growth or time for patients that are not completely finished. Second molars should be fully seated and in occlusion.

4. In describing the treatment that you have done, your write-up should be detailed enough so that the examiners can understand the appliance and principles that you have used in treatment. For instance, the statement "placement of a maxillary headgear" is not as precise as the statement "placement of a high-pull facebow headgear." Clearly identify your treatment goals, evaluate whether or not you have met them, and comment appropriately in the case report. Do not confuse treatment goals with appliances; i.e., placing a straight wire appliance, a TPA or a segmental arch is not a treatment goal. Treatment goals relate to changes in dental, skeletal and soft tissue structures.

5. Cephalometric tracings must be detailed and accurate. Complete interim records are required for patients who had two-stage treatment. Complete preoperative records are required for patients whose treatment included orthognathic surgery. Interim (A1) records to be complete are the same as pretreatment and posttreatment records.

6. The examinee is expected to understand exactly what happened during the treatment of each patient, including work done by other specialists. It should be clear that a surgical orthodontic case had a presurgical treatment plan. You must know what surgical procedures were performed and the extent to which your presurgical treatment goals were achieved. Simple alignment of the teeth and referral of the patient to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to decide what to do is unacceptable.