Frequently Asked Questions

About the Fellow examination

General QuestionsWritten/Narrative ReportPhotographs Radiographs   About the Oral Examinations  


General Questions

  • Can the patient’s name and other personal information, e.g., telephone number, appear on the health history included in my case report?

Yes, the patient’s name and telephone number can appear on the health history.  However, the city, state and, when applicable, the country should not appear in the report. 

  • Is the "one-year-in-function" requirement calculated from the time that the temporary or permanent prosthesis was placed?

The "one-year-in function" requirement is based on the time that the permanent prosthesis was placed.

  • What is the interpretation of "edentulous posterior maxilla?" 

Free-ended – there is nothing distal to the tooth (teeth) replaced by the implant.

  • Must the Fellow applicant receive actual permission from the 50 patients listed on the roster in the Fellow for the A & C Board to contact them?  If so, what type permission is required and must it be documented?

Applicants should notify all patients about the possibility of their being contacted.  Documentation in the application is not required.  

  • Can an implant-born edentulous case with a locator abutment be used to meet the Fellowship requirements? 

The locator attachment would be fine for full and partial prosthesis that are of the removable classification.  Further, such cases are considered to be implant supported and tissue born and only cases that are fixed, either screw retained or cemented, are implant born. 

  • Three complete arch cases on edentulous arches are required for the Fellow examination.  However, the fully implant-supported case is the only one for which a minimum number of implants is specified.  Is there a minimum number of implants for the other two edentulous arch cases?

Yes.  Each edentulous case must include a minimum of four(4) implants if root-form or plate-form implants are used.  Cases in which implants of less than 3 mm in diameter are used as definitive therapy do not satisfy the requirements of the examination and should not be submitted.

  • What information do I need to pay the application fee by international wire transfer?

The AAID Wire transfer instructions change annually. Contact the AAID office by email for the current routing instructions.

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Written/Narrative Report

  • Are health histories disclosing the patient's name and address to be included in the case reports?

The patient’s health history is to be included in the case reports; however, his or her address should be blocked out.

  •  What information should be included in the report with respect to pre- and post-diagnosis?

The pre-op diagnosis would include either partial edentulism or fully edentulous with a description of the ridge or implant site as to bone width height and density. The post op would be what was achieved with the procedure. The implant site should be presented in the context of the entire arch[s] as this will affect the final outcome, i.e., vertical dimension and inter-occlusal space as well as oral habits.   

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Photographs

  • For cases that include a removable prosthesis, a post-completion photograph of the superstructure is required.  Where should the superstructure be when the photo is made?

 The superstructure should be in the mouth for this photograph.  A photo on the model is not necessary.

  • For cases that include a removable prosthesis, two additional photographs are required: (1) a post-completion photograph of the superstructure and (2) a photograph of the implants without the prosthesis in place.   When should the photograph have been made?

The Board’s preference is a photo that shows the implants before the superstructure was attached.  However, if you did not make a photo of the case at that time and the bar is cemented or screw-retained, make a photo without the prosthesis in place 

  •  If a removable prosthesis is placed on a subperiosteal implant, are two extra photographs required?

 No, one photo showing the superstructure without the denture in place will suffice.

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 Radiographs

  •  Is a photograph of a radiograph acceptable?

 Yes.  Since the Board accepts digital radiographs, a photograph of a radiograph is acceptable.

  • Is a radiograph made within twelve months of the examination date required for each of the seven cases documented with radiographs?

No.  The radiographs submitted must show that the case has been in function for at least one year by the beginning of the examination period.  

  • Can I submit original radiographs in my case reports?  It is not possible for me to get the radiographs duplicated in my area           

Original radiographs should not be submitted in your case reports since they are a part of your patient's permanent record.  As noted in the Guidelines for Case Reports for Associate Fellow Membership, "The submitted reports become the property of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and will not be returned."

An x-ray duplicator could probably be purchased where you buy dental supplies and that a duplicator probably is not expensive.  With a duplicator, you would use duplicating film that would be processed in the same way you regularly process radiographs, either with a processor or by hand.  

Or you could place each radiograph on a view box, shoot a digital picture and then print the pictures on transparency film or photo paper.

  • Can post-surgical periapical radiographs be submitted instead of an immediate post-surgical panograph for cases that include multiple implants?

If the periapical radiographs were made before the abutments were seated, they may be included in lieu of the panograph.  Also include a panograph with the abutments in place.  Note in your report why you did not submit the post-surgical panograph as specified.

  • Should the denture be in place for the post-prosthetic radiograph?

No.  For a removable overdenture, the post-prosthetic radiograph should show the bar, Locator® or superstructure without the denture in place.  As noted in the "Photographs" section of the case report guidelines, for cases that include a removable prosthesis, the following three photographs are required in addition to the eight photographs required for all cases:

  1. An occlusal view of the superstructure without the removable prosthesis in place.

  2. A frontal view of the superstructure without the removable prosthesis in place.

  3. A view of the intaglio (tissue side) surface of the removable prosthesis.

The goal of these photographs is to show the tissue response to the removable prosthesis as well as the occlusion.

  • Can the post-prosthetic and complete case x-ray be the same film as long as it is taken within twelves months of the exam?

Yes, the post-prosthetic and completed case x-ray can be the same film as long as it is taken within twelve months of the exam and the case has been in function for one year.  However, two copies of the film should be provided: one labeled post-prosthetic and the other labeled completed case.

  • For one of my cases I have a CT-scan but do not have a presurgical panograph or a full-mouth radiographic series.  What should I submit?

Submit the 3-D rendering and a cross section of each of the implants.

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About Oral Examinations 

  • Must I be present for the entire examination period?

No.   All candidates are given appointments that are within the examination period.  Candidates are scheduled in groups of five.  Each Associate Fellow candidate must present for no more than 2 ½ hours, and each Fellow candidate must be present for no more than 3 hours.

  • May I request that my examination be scheduled on a specific day? 

Yes, a specific day within the examination period can be requested at the time of application; the reason for the request must be specified.  The Board will endeavor to honor the request but cannot guarantee that the candidate’s examination will be scheduled on the day requested.

  • Will my oral/case examination focus solely on my case reports?

No.   Candidates demonstrate their knowledge of implant dentistry through five standardized cases as well as the reports that they submit to satisfy the case requirements for the examination.  A team of two examiners is assigned to each station.  For each of the five standardized cases, the candidates review a written description, a panograph and a photograph and then respond to questions related to treatment of the case.  After a candidate completes the five stations, a team of two examiners conducts the case examination that is based on the cases submitted by the candidate.  This examination follows a case presentation and discussion format.   Before meeting with the candidate, this team of examiners evaluated the case reports that the candidate submitted to determine the degree to which the case reports met the Guidelines for Case Report Preparation.

  • How are the oral/case examinations evaluated? 

Each candidate receives a total of 92 ratings with input from ten different examiners, each of whom rates the candidate independently.  These ratings are organized in ten areas:  diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical judgment – surgical, clinical judgment – prosthetic; treatment, outcome, radiographs, photographs, medical history and narrative report.   For the Fellow examination, these ten areas of ratings are distributed among the various aspects of the examination as follows:     

 ·         Each of the five standardized cases:  diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical judgment; surgical, and clinical judgment:  prosthetics

·         Three written case reports:  radiographs, photographs, medical history and narrative report 

·         Seven cases documented with radiographs:  radiographs

·         Defense of the three written case reports:  diagnosis, treatment plan, treatment, outcome

·         Defense of the seven cases documented with radiographs:  outcome

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