Virtual OSCE® Study Companion · 2026
The exam is visual,
so are these notes.
A complete cheat-sheet system for the Canadian NDEB Virtual OSCE — diagnoses, decision trees, prescriptions, traps and memory hooks, all organised to match the exam blueprint and three question formats.
Anatomy of the exam
Three question formats —
each scored differently.
Knowing how each question is graded changes how you study. Multi-MCQ punishes guessing. Short-answer Rx demands precision. Single-MCQ rewards process of elimination.
Source: NDEB 2026 Virtual OSCE Protocol
Single-Answer MCQ
"Most likely diagnosis" / "Most appropriate management". Pick exactly one option.
Multiple-Answer MCQ
"Select ONE OR MORE." All-or-nothing scoring with negative marks for wrong picks.
Short-Answer Rx
Write a complete prescription. Drug + Disp + Sig + Repeats. Each component graded.
By subject
Patient Management
Medical conditions, in-office emergencies, dental trauma, TMD & headaches. The largest combined block on the exam.
→Periodontics
Diagnosis · Staging & Grading · Recession · Treatment phases · Flap designs · Contributing factors.
→Oral Pathology
White, red, and immune-mediated lesions. Premalignant clues, malignancy red flags, biopsy triggers.
→Pharmacology
Antibiotic ladders, analgesic decision trees, prescriptions for adults, children, and pregnancy. Worth 4 marks each.
→Endodontics
Pulpal & periapical diagnosis, pulp therapy, open-apex routes (apexogenesis vs. apexification vs. regenerative), posts.
→Prosthodontics
The fourteen impression errors you'll be asked to recognise — with the cues that distinguish each one.
→Oral Surgery
Procedures, extraction difficulty, post-op complications (OAC, tuberosity #), implant compromising factors, bone density.
→Orthodontics
Space maintenance decisions per tooth, cephalometric norms, skeletal classification (SNA, SNB, ANB).
→Anatomy & Radiology
The five panoramic structure sets, plus radiographic findings, developmental variations, cysts & tumours.
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