NHRA General Dentist

Exam at a glance

Questions

not published

Duration

not published

Pass mark

not published

Sections

1

Exam type

Written

Language

English

Authority

NHRA

Curriculum

Built from the question bank and updated automatically when new questions are added. 20 modules · 2,682 questions · Last updated: 29 October 2026

1. 01Dental anatomy & occlusion100 questions · 3.7 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Tooth notation, eruption and identifying teeth
   • Root canal anatomy and developmental anomalies
   • Occlusion, the TMJ and applied anatomy for local anaesthesia
   • Foundations: tooth types, primary and permanent teeth
   • Foundations: nerve supply of the teeth and the inferior alveolar nerve block
   • Foundations: intraoral radiographs and the panoramic view

   Sample question

   Sample question1 / 1 · 0 correct

   A 34-year-old patient brings a referral letter from a clinic in the United States asking for extraction of tooth #19 (Universal system). Which FDI (ISO 3950) number is this tooth?

   A36B46C26D37

   Keys: 1–5 or A–E to choose, Enter to check and continue, F to mark.

   MarkCheck answer
2. 02Operative dentistry & cariology240 questions · 8.9 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Caries as a disease: biofilm, critical pH and fluoride
   • Detecting, classifying and managing lesions without drilling
   • Instruments, isolation and the amalgam preparation
   • Adhesion and resin composite placement
   • Deep caries, the pulp, tooth wear and failing restorations
   • Foundations: tooth surfaces, cavity classes and minimal intervention
   • Foundations: direct restorative materials
   • Foundations: matrix bands and rubber dam isolation

   Sample question

   Sample question1 / 1 · 0 correct

   Below which approximate plaque-fluid pH (critical pH) does hydroxyapatite of sound enamel begin to dissolve under typical oral conditions?

   AAbout 4.5BAbout 5.5CAbout 6.7DAbout 7.4

   Keys: 1–5 or A–E to choose, Enter to check and continue, F to mark.

   MarkCheck answer
3. 03Dental materials128 questions · 4.8 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Material properties: stress, strain, hardness and biocompatibility
   • Impression materials and gypsum products
   • Dental cements and resin composites
   • Amalgam, casting alloys and investments
   • Dental ceramics and denture base resins

   Sample question

   Sample question1 / 1 · 0 correct

   On the stress–strain curve of a dental alloy, what does the area under the elastic portion of the curve, up to the proportional limit, represent?

   AToughnessBModulus of elasticityCResilienceDUltimate tensile strength

   Keys: 1–5 or A–E to choose, Enter to check and continue, F to mark.

   MarkCheck answer
4. 04Endodontics301 questions · 11.2 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Pulp and periapex: biology, pain and the diagnostic terminology
   • Clinical examination: pulp tests, radiographs and finding the source of pain
   • Root canal treatment step by step: anatomy, access, shaping, cleaning and obturation
   • Vital pulp therapy, immature teeth, resorption and emergencies
   • When treatment fails: retreatment, microsurgery, cracks and endo-perio lesions
   • Dental trauma according to the IADT 2020 guidelines
   • Foundations: caries, pulpitis and apical disease
   • Foundations: root canal anatomy and treatment principles
   • Foundations: access cavities, canal configurations and working length
   • Foundations: obturation, root-end surgery and the cracked tooth

   Sample question

   Sample question1 / 1 · 0 correct

   A patient has spontaneous pain that lingers for minutes after a cold stimulus is removed. What is the most likely pulpal diagnosis?

   AIrreversible pulpitisBReversible pulpitisCNormal pulpDPulp necrosisEDentine hypersensitivity

   Keys: 1–5 or A–E to choose, Enter to check and continue, F to mark.

   MarkCheck answer
5. 05Periodontics262 questions · 9.8 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • The healthy periodontium: anatomy that explains the disease
   • How periodontal disease develops: biofilm, host response and risk factors
   • Periodontal examination and the 2017 AAP/EFP classification
   • Treating periodontitis: the EFP S3 guideline step by step
   • Periodontal surgery, acute conditions and peri-implant diseases
   • Foundations: anatomy of the tooth and periodontium
   • Foundations: periodontal health and periodontitis
   • Foundations: patterns of bone loss around teeth and implants
   • Foundations: subgingival instrumentation and access flap surgery

   Sample question

   Sample question1 / 1 · 0 correct

   What is the primary aetiological factor of gingivitis?

   ADental plaque biofilmBCalculus aloneCVitamin C deficiencyDTooth brushingEFluoride

   Keys: 1–5 or A–E to choose, Enter to check and continue, F to mark.

   MarkCheck answer
6. 06Fixed prosthodontics128 questions · 4.8 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Diagnosis and treatment planning: is this tooth a good abutment?
   • Tooth preparation: retention, resistance, reduction and margins
   • Root-filled teeth, provisional restorations and impressions
   • Occlusion, jaw records and shade selection
   • Materials and cementation: metal-ceramic, glass-ceramic and zirconia
   • Fixed dental prosthesis design, pontics and complications
   • Foundations: bridges and post-retained crowns
   • Foundations: complete and partial dentures and implant components
7. 07Removable prosthodontics & implants178 questions · 6.6 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Partially edentulous arches: Kennedy classification and RPD components
   • RPD design: surveying, clasps and distal-extension biomechanics
   • Complete dentures I: anatomy, impressions and border problems
   • Complete dentures II: jaw relations, tooth arrangement and delivery problems
   • Maintaining dentures: relining, immediate dentures, overdentures and denture stomatitis
   • Dental implants: osseointegration, planning, loading and peri-implant disease
   • Foundations: bridges and post-retained crowns
   • Foundations: complete and partial dentures and implant components
8. 08Basic implantology140 questions · 5.2 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Osseointegration, implant components and patient selection
   • Assessment, CBCT planning and safe distances
   • Timing, prosthetic options, peri-implant disease and complications
   • Foundations: bridges and post-retained crowns
   • Foundations: complete and partial dentures and implant components
9. 09Oral surgery & local anaesthesia213 questions · 7.9 % of the bank

   Chapters

   • Local anaesthetics: how they work, the drugs, vasoconstrictors and dose calculation
   • Injection techniques, failed anaesthesia and complications of local anaesthesia
   • Exodontia: instruments, flaps, sutures and complications during and after extraction
   • Impacted third molars: classification, indications, surgery and nerve injury
   • Odontogenic infections and maxillofacial fractures
   • The medically compromised surgical patient and the biopsy: antithrombotics, MRONJ and suspicious lesions
   • Foundations: extraction forceps and impacted third molars
   • Foundations: spread of odontogenic infection and dry socket
   • Foundations: mandibular fractures, the TMJ and oral mucosal lesions
10. 10Oral medicine68 questions · 2.5 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Oral ulcers and blistering diseases
    • White and red lesions, candidiasis and potentially malignant disorders
    • Dry mouth, salivary disease and oral signs of systemic disease
    • Orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders
    • The medically compromised patient: bleeding, bone-modifying drugs, radiotherapy, pregnancy and emergencies
11. 11Oral pathology48 questions · 1.8 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Odontogenic and non-odontogenic jaw cysts (WHO 2022)
    • Odontogenic tumours: WHO 2022 classification and key entities
    • Fibro-osseous, giant cell and other bone lesions of the jaws
    • Salivary gland pathology
    • Oral squamous cell carcinoma and its variants
    • Developmental and inherited anomalies of the teeth
12. 12Oral & maxillofacial radiology48 questions · 1.8 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • How an X-ray image is made: the tube, the beam and what the exposure settings do
    • Radiation biology, radiation protection and choosing which radiographs to take
    • Intraoral radiography: techniques, receptors, processing and error analysis
    • Panoramic radiography and CBCT: how they work, positioning errors and artefacts
    • Reading radiographs: normal anatomy, a systematic approach and periapical findings
    • Cysts, tumours and warning signs: interpreting jaw lesions
    • Foundations: tooth types, primary and permanent teeth
    • Foundations: nerve supply of the teeth and the inferior alveolar nerve block
    • Foundations: intraoral radiographs and the panoramic view
13. 13Dental pharmacology & therapeutics98 questions · 3.7 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Analgesics for dental pain: NSAIDs, paracetamol and opioids
    • Local anaesthetics and vasoconstrictors
    • Antimicrobials: antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiseptics
    • Endocarditis prophylaxis, prosthetic joints, anticoagulants and antiplatelets
    • Drug interactions, oral adverse effects, MRONJ, pregnancy and breastfeeding
    • Conscious sedation: nitrous oxide and benzodiazepines
14. 14Medical emergencies in the dental office98 questions · 3.7 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Prevention, preparedness and the collapsed patient
    • Anaphylaxis and acute asthma
    • Chest pain, acute coronary syndrome and stroke
    • Cardiac arrest, basic life support, the AED, choking and aspiration
    • Hypoglycaemia, seizures, adrenal crisis, local anaesthetic toxicity and hyperventilation
15. 15Special care & medically compromised patients90 questions · 3.4 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Bleeding risk: anticoagulants, antiplatelets and bleeding disorders
    • Endocarditis, antiresorptive drugs and head and neck radiotherapy
    • Diabetes, pregnancy, steroids and patients who need adapted care
16. 16Paediatric dentistry128 questions · 4.8 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Growth, eruption and the special anatomy of primary teeth
    • Behaviour guidance, sedation and local anaesthesia in children
    • Early childhood caries, risk assessment and prevention with fluoride and sealants
    • Restoring primary teeth and treating the primary pulp
    • Space maintenance and dental trauma in children (IADT 2020)
    • Child protection and children with medical or special needs
    • Foundations: dental trauma and pulp therapy in children
    • Foundations: space maintainers and fissure sealants
17. 17Orthodontics98 questions · 3.7 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Craniofacial growth: where, how and when the face grows
    • Development of the occlusion and the mixed dentition
    • Diagnosis: classification, cephalometrics and treatment need (IOTN)
    • Interceptive orthodontics: habits, crossbites, crowding, canines, clefts and early Class III
    • Tooth movement, appliances, anchorage, risks and retention
    • Foundations: Angle classification and cephalometric analysis
    • Foundations: tooth movement and orthodontic appliances
    • Foundations: facial growth and retention
18. 18Infection control & occupational safety48 questions · 1.8 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • How infections spread in the dental clinic, and standard precautions
    • Instrument reprocessing: the Spaulding classification and sterilisation methods
    • Proving sterility, protecting packs, and cleaning surfaces
    • Water, air and waste: dental unit waterlines, aerosols, mercury and clinical waste
    • Sharps injuries and post-exposure management: hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV
    • Occupational health: gloves and skin, ergonomics, noise and radiation protection
19. 19Biomedical sciences for dentistry100 questions · 3.7 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Head and neck anatomy: nerves, glands, spaces and lymph
    • Oral tissues, physiology and general pathology
    • Microbiology, immunology, pharmacology and evidence-based dentistry
20. 20Ethics, law & community dentistry168 questions · 6.3 % of the bank

    Chapters

    • Ethical principles and professional conduct
    • Consent, capacity, minors and refusal
    • Confidentiality, records, negligence and safeguarding
    • Measuring oral disease: caries, periodontal, hygiene and fluorosis indices
    • Epidemiology and biostatistics for dentists
    • Prevention and public health dentistry: levels of prevention, fluorides and community programmes

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From registration to licence

The usual steps with NHRA. Details can change; check the current rules with NHRA before you register.

1. Check eligibility and collect your documents (degree, experience, good standing).
2. Create an account with NHRA and submit the application.
3. Receive the exam eligibility and book a date with the test centre.
4. Sit the exam. Results usually come within days.
5. After passing: complete licensing (for example primary source verification) and receive your licence.

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