Indian Orthodontic Society established Indian Board of Orthodontics in 1998, held first examination in 1999

Due to the efforts of the members of the Indian Orthodontic Society (IOS), the organization established the Indian Board of Orthodontics (IBO) in 1998. This examining board is the only one for dentistry in India. The IBO held its first examination in 1999. To date, 55 members have passed the Primary Examination, 25 members have passed the Diplomate Examination, and 26 have been awarded Honorary Fellowships.

The objectives of the IBO are:

1. to foster excellence in the practice of orthodontics by elevating the standards of clinical orthodontics throughout India;
2. to judge members’ standards of clinical excellence in orthodontics over a period of time based on peer evaluation; and
3. to function as a national resource of quality-based professionals with competence in clinical orthodontics.

The members who are eligible to take the Primary Examination are those who have completed one year of postgraduate training in orthodontics from a postgraduate teaching institution in India. The examination focuses on the basic sciences and covers the following subjects: applied anatomy, applied dental materials, applied pathology, applied physiology, applied radiology, biomechanical principles, biostatistics, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cephalometrics, child psychology, epidemiology, genetics, growth and development, histology, nutrition and endocrinology, physical anthropology, principles of occlusion, TMJ disorders, and the heritage of orthodontics.

The three-hour Primary Examination consists of two sections of multiple-choice questions. Each section has 200 questions. The IBO awards two marks for a correct answer and one negative mark for a wrong answer. The orthodontist must achieve 60 percent of the marks to pass. A candidate is permitted three attempts to pass the examination.

The members who are eligible to take the Final Examination are those who have undertaken a three-year period of full-time training as a postgraduate student in an IOS-approved teaching institution in India or abroad, and have obtained their master’s degree in orthodontics. A candidate should complete a minimum of five years of clinical practice after obtaining his or her master’s degree before taking the examination. He or she should present five cases with detailed case records as specified in the IBO syllabus. The examination awards separate marks for the five cases, records and the presentation format. The candidate has to bring an affidavit that he or she has personally treated all five cases. Separate marks are assigned for the candidate’s knowledge in defending the treatment plan and his or her knowledge about the principles involved in the clinical management of the cases. The examination is conducted only in English.

The syllabus for the Final Examination states the following:

1) The candidate should submit five cases of malocclusion, including:

i) one selected skeletal and dental Class I case with crowding;
ii) one selected skeletal Class II case;
iii) one selected transverse/vertical discrepancy case; and
iv&v) two selected cases with any other deformity.

At least one of the above five cases should be a four premolar extraction case.

2) The candidate shall bring a certificate/affidavit that he or she has personally treated all five cases and submit it to the examiners.

3) The following records should be brought to the examination center:

i) pre- and post-treatment plaster models;
ii) intraoral and extraoral postcard or same-size photographs of face and
occlusion;
iii) lateral cephalogram with tracings; and
iv) orthopantomogram/intraoral and extraoral X-rays.

4) The recommended presentation format, which should not exceed two typed pages for the five cases, should include the following:

i) name, age, sex, chief complaint, etc.;
ii) history - family, medical, dental, etc.;
iii) extraoral and intraoral examination;
iv) functional analysis - TMJ, respiration, swallow, etc.;
v) cephalometric analysis - skeletal and dental - AP and vertical;
vi) space assessment from models and cephalogram;
vii) diagnosis;
viii) treatment plan;
ix) treatment progress;
x) self-evaluation of results - occlusion, function, esthetics, etc.; and
xi) prognosis.

Candidates who have incomplete cases are permitted to produce all five cases after one year and are given two additional attempts to pass the examination. The candidates who pass become diplomates of the IBO. Diplomates should exhibit their best case at the next Annual Conference of the IOS. Only diplomates are eligible to be examiners for the IBO.

Honorary Fellowships are awarded on a one-time basis to recognize senior members’ service to orthodontics in India. Fellows need to obtain diplomate status through the IBO examination to become an examiner for the IBO.

The orthodontists who are practicing in India, as well as those who are practicing abroad, have commented that the IBO examination is a challenging clinical experience and has contributed to the improvement of their clinical practice in orthodontics.

The IBO appreciates the efforts of the late Dr. Dale Wade, a past president of The American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Wade gave members of the IOS encouragement and spent five days in India to help the IOS establish the IBO. The IOS had invited Dr. Wade to be on the first Board of Examiners. He accepted, but could not complete the assignment due to ill health.