AAPD QE Practice Test Flashcards
How do the plaques from caries-active subjects and caries-free subjects compare?
a. Caries-free plaques have significantly higher proportions of Mutans streptococci.
b. In the caries-active plaques, pH levels of 5.0 or lower may persist for several hours after
sugar exposure.
c. Non-cariogenic plaques per unit of plaque protein are slightly more acidogenic than
cariogenic plaques.
d. Streptococcus salivarius of only the caries-active plaques readily convert sucrose to lactic acid at pH 5.
B
Which of the following appears to be important primarily in smooth-surface decay?
a. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
b. Lactobacillus species
c. Streptococcus sanguis
d. Streptococcus sobrinus
D
Source: may contribute to smooth surface decay from Emily dental school notes
Critical pH for dissolution of enamel has been shown to be about:
a. 5.0.
b. 5.2.
c. 5.5.
d. 5.7.
C
Epidemiologic evidence suggests which permanent tooth surface is most prone to caries?
a. Buccal
b. Interproximal
c. Lingual
d. Occlusal
D
Which best describes the transmission of Mutans streptococci from primary caregiver to child?
a. Diagonal
b. Horizontal
c. Tangential
d. Vertical
D
Which drug is known to induce gingival hyperplasia?
a. Azathioprine
b. Cyclosporine
c. Diazepam
d. Methotrexate
B
Drugs causing gingival hyperplasia:
- Calcium channel blockers (amlodipine, nefedipine)
- Cyclosporines
- Anticonvulsants (dilantin, phenytoin)
Under the 2017 classification scheme for periodontal and peri-implant diseases and conditions,
stages of periodontal disease are based upon:
a. age at onset and chronicity.
b. anticipated treatment response.
c. risk of rapid progression.
d. severity and complexity.
D
Source: AAPD periodontal policy
The primary parameter to define gingivitis cases is:
a. bleeding on probing.
b. erythema.
c. loss of stippling
d. visible plaque.
A
Early-onset periodontitis patients having high concentrations of which antibody have significantly
less attachment loss than patients who lack this antibody?
a. IgA
b. IgE
c. IgG
d. IgM
C
IgA is most abundant in saliva
IgG is most abundant overall
IgM is largest antibody
IgE involved in hypersensitivity
Source: reference manual page 476 (blue)
Which type of vaccine is the human papilloma virus vaccine?
a. Inactivated
b. Live-attenuated
c. Recombinant
d. Toxoid
C
Inactivated = flu shot, Hep A, polio, rabies Live-attenuated = flu mist, yellow fever, MMR, chicken pox Recombinant = HPV, Hep B, shingles, pneumococcal Toxoid = diphtheria, Tetanus
Source: CDC
Innate immunity differs from other types of immune responses due to:
a. inability to discriminate between a group of related pathogens.
b. increase with repeated exposure to a given pathogen.
c. its presence in all individuals at all times.
d. mediation by clonal selection of antigen-specific lymphocytes.
C
Innate immunity: skin, complement, mucous membranes, saliva, tears
Adaptive immunity: memory cells
Acquired immune responses depend upon:
a. granulocytes.
b. lymphocytes.
c. macrophages.
d. polymorphonuclear leukocytes
B
B and T cells are responsible for memory of antigens
Granulocytes (eosinophils, basophils, etc.), macrophages, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs or neutrophils) are part of innate
Opsonization is a process in which antibodies contribute to immunity through:
a. activating the proteins of the complement system.
b. binding to and neutralizing the pathogen to prevent cell entry.
c. coating the surface of a pathogen to enhance phagocytosis.
d. lysing microorganisms directly by forming pores in their membranes.
C
Opsonization = putting on antibodies
Lysing microorganisms directly by forming pores = complement system
Which of the following is a primary organ of the immune system?
a. Bone marrow
b. Lymph nodes
c. Mucosa
d. Spleen
A
Primary organs: bone marrow and thymus
Secondary organs: spleen, mucosa, lymph nodes, tonsils
Presence of a positive odds ratio indicates:
a. a particular exposure does not affect the odds of the outcome.
b. a particular exposure is associated with higher odds of the outcome.
c. a particular exposure is associated with lower odds of the outcome.
d. an association between exposure and outcome is statistically significant.
B
Which of the following reflects expectations for clinical practice guidelines (CPG)?
a. CPG are based upon a consensus of expert opinions.
b. CPG are designed to produce minimal standards of care.
c. CPG are informed by a systematic review of evidence.
d. Deviations should be fairly rare and often cannot be justified.
C
When biological variables are distributed in a bell shaped curve, approximately what percentage
of the population lies within one standard deviation of the mean?
a. 25
b. 35
c. 50
d. 70
D
A bell shaped curve has:
- 68% within 1 SD of the mean (34% on either side)
- 95% within 2 SD of the mean (48% on either side)
- 99.7% within 3 SD of the mean
What epidemiologic term refers to the extent to which a study is free from bias?
a. Blind allocation of subjects
b. External validity
c. Internal validity
d. Precision
C
External validity: how generalizable the study is to the population
Internal validity: how good the design of the study is (ex: selection bias, methods, etc.)
Precision: how close values are to each other
Accuracy: how close values are to true value
The researcher’s ability to offer each study participant an equal chance of being assigned to any
study group is unique to which study design?
a. Prospective cohort study
b. Prospective case control study
c. Randomized clinical trial
d. Retrospective case control study
C
A test’s ability to accurately determine the presence of caries when it is present is a measure of:
a. false positive rate.
b. sensitivity.
c. specificity.
d. true negative rate.
B
Sensitivity: ability of a test to identify disease when it is present (true positive rate)
Specificity: ability of a test to identify disease-free when it is not present (true negative rate)
The standard set for drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency and the measure
recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for dental unit water used in
nonsurgical procedures is how many colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL)?
a. ≤150
b. ≤500
c. ≤1000
d. ≤1500
B
Source: Dr. Yepes lecture AAPD 2020
Which of the following is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
recommendations for infection control for handpieces used for dental prophylaxis?
a. All non-disposable components of the handpiece should always be heat sterilized between
patients.
b. All non-disposable components of the handpiece should be sterilized between patients, but
using a barrier for the motor is an acceptable alternative.
c. Sterilize all reusable prophylaxis heads and the nose cones and perform high-level
disinfection of the handpiece motor between patients.
d. Use only disposable prophylaxis heads and perform high-level disinfection of the nose cone
and motor of the handpiece between patients.
A
Source: CDC
Which of the following is most resistant to germicidal chemicals?
a. Bacterial spores
b. Fungi
c. Mycobacteria
d. Non-lipid viruses
A
Bacterial spores > mycobacteria > non-lipid viruses > fungi > vegetative bacteria > lipid viruses
Mycobacterium abscessus:
a. can form a biofilm and replicate within waterline tubing.
b. displays high susceptibility to commonly used disinfectants.
c. is a slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium.
d. is commonly associated with acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.
A
Remember the ferric sulfate pulpotomy cases
Mycobacterium is hard to kill
Mycobacterium is a FAST growing organism
Spirochetes associated with ANUG