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NBDHE Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the NBDHE exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.

NBDHE exam key facts

  • The NBDHE consists of 350 multiple-choice items (200 discipline-based and 150 case-based). Source
  • The NBDHE allows 7 hours 30 minutes to answer questions within a 9-hour total administration. Source
  • The NBDHE minimum passing score is a scale score of 75 on a 49–99 scale. Source
  • The NBDHE examination fee is $600. Source
  • After the NBDHE application is processed, a candidate is eligible to test for six months. Source
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📋 NBDHE Exam Format at a Glance

350
Questions
540 min
Time Limit
75.00%
Passing Score
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📚 NBDHE Topics to Study (79)

NBDHE Dental Hygiene Care · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Hygiene · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Hygiene · 7 cardsNBDHE Community Oral Health Principles · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Radiography and Interpretation · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Radiography and Interpretation · 7 cardsNBDHE Dental Radiography and Interpretation · 7 cardsNBDHE Head and Neck Anatomy · 7 cardsNBDHE Infection Control and Sterilization · 7 cardsNBDHE Infection Control and Sterilization · 7 cardsNBDHE Infection Control and Sterilization · 7 cardsNBDHE Management of Special Needs Patients · 7 cardsNBDHE Management of Special Needs Patients · 7 cardsNBDHE Management of Special Needs Patients · 7 cardsNBDHE Management of Special Needs Patients · 7 cardsNBDHE Professional Ethics and Law · 7 cardsNBDHE Professional Ethics and Law · 7 cardsNBDHE Professional Ethics and Law · 7 cardsCommunity Oral Health Principles · 6 cardsCommunity Oral Health Principles · 6 cardsNBDHE Community Oral Health Principles · 6 cardsDental Hygiene Care · 6 cardsDental Hygiene Care · 6 cardsDental Hygiene MCQ · 6 cardsDental Hygiene MCQ · 6 cardsDental Hygiene Trivia · 6 cards
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✍️ Sample NBDHE Questions & Answers

1. Which type of cyst is the most common odontogenic cyst of the jaws?
✓ Radicular cyst

Radicular (periapical) cysts are the most common odontogenic cysts, forming from epithelial cell rests at the apex of a non-vital tooth.

2. In the hierarchy of prevention, tertiary prevention in community oral health is best exemplified by:
✓ Providing dentures or implants to restore function after tooth loss

Tertiary prevention addresses disability and loss of function that has already occurred — replacing missing teeth with prostheses or implants rehabilitates function after disease has progressed beyond treatment, distinguishing it from primary (preventing disease onset) and secondary (early detection and treatment) prevention.

3. A radiolucent lesion associated with the crown of an unerupted tooth is most likely a:
✓ Dentigerous cyst

Dentigerous (follicular) cysts form by expansion of the follicular space around the crown of an unerupted tooth.

4. Compared to a round (cylindrical) position-indicating device (PID), the use of a rectangular collimator reduces the patient's radiation exposure by approximately:
✓ 55–70%

A round PID exposes a circular field roughly 2.75 inches in diameter, much larger than the film or sensor. A rectangular collimator restricts the beam to just slightly larger than the receptor, reducing the irradiated tissue area and lowering patient dose by approximately 60% (range 55–70%). This makes rectangular collimation one of the most effective dose-reduction strategies in intraoral radiography.

5. The Bass toothbrushing technique is most effective at removing plaque from:
✓ The gingival sulcus and margin

The Bass technique positions bristles at 45 degrees toward the gingival sulcus, making it highly effective at removing subgingival plaque at the gingival margin.

6. Which communication strategy is most effective when treating a patient with moderate hearing loss who does not use hearing aids?
✓ Facing the patient directly, speaking clearly at a moderate pace, and using visual aids

Direct face-to-face communication with clear speech and supplemental visual aids maximizes comprehension for patients with hearing loss.

🎯 Free NBDHE Practice Tests

NBDHE Community Oral Health Principles · 7 questionsNBDHE Professional Ethics and Law · 7 questionsNBDHE Head and Neck Anatomy · 7 questionsNBDHE Dental Radiography and Interpretation · 7 questionsNBDHE Dental Radiography and Interpretation · 7 questionsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 questionsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 questionsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 questionsNBDHE Dental Materials and Procedures · 7 questionsNBDHE Infection Control and Sterilization · 7 questions

📖 NBDHE Guides & Articles

Your NBDHE Study Path
1. Learn with Flashcards → 2. Drill Practice Tests → 3. Take the Full Exam Simulation
🃏 NBDHE Flashcards (496)🏆 NBDHE Exam Simulation

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for NBDHE

An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:

  • A timed, full-length NBDHE mock exam — 350 questions in 540 minutes with a 75% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
  • A fixed NBDHE question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
  • Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
  • A printable NBDHE cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
  • NBDHE flashcards built from the same question bank.
  • Free NBDHE practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
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How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

  1. jcnde.ada.org — Test delivery, eligibility, fees, exam format, passing score, retake fee, score release, time limit, score validity, exam information · verified Oct 2026