• Completion of 36 months within an approved residency training program
• Successful passing of the Phase 1a examination
• Successful passing of the Phase 1b examination
• Acceptance of a first-author publication
• Completion of Specialist in Training Hours (Anesthesia/Radiology/Surgery)

Portfolios are a collection of artifacts and exhibits that demonstrate candidates’ ability to apply a body of knowledge or execute a skill to a standard under conditions that reflect reality to the degree feasible. Portfolios are proven to effectively assess large and fine motor skills, reflexes, eye-hand coordination, aesthetic ability, and cognitive tasks that require the use of tools.

There is no formal declaration deadline in either manual. The practical constraint is the 2030 sunset of the legacy exams: the last Phase 1 written exam is offered in January 2030, and the last Phase 2 practical exam in June 2030. The later a resident waits to decide, the fewer legacy exam attempts remain available. The first Phase 1A is offered in January of 2028, and residents intending to convert should declare their conversion on July 1^st, 2027.  Residents who have passed Phase 1 and are credentialed under the legacy pathway and wish to convert to the new training pathway must declare credentials under the new pathway by July 1^st 2028. Case-by-case evaluation in consultation with the Credentials Committee is required.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.0; Manual for Resident Standards §10.0

The manuals don’t offer a single recommendation — it’s framed as a genuine tradeoff and residents are encouraged to review their individual timeline with their Residency Director. Staying on the legacy pathway means fewer remaining exam attempts as 2030 approaches. Converting to the new pathway means waiting for its milestones to open up: portfolios not before July 1, 2027; Phase 1A not before January 2028; Phase 1B not before January 2029.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.0–10.2

Yes. A passing result on the legacy Phase 1 exam is accepted as passing Phase 1A — no retake is required. These residents are also grandfathered at the 30-month (rather than 36-month) minimum program length, with a grandfathered expectation of 78 weeks of supervised clinical training instead of 100.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.3; Manual for Resident Standards §10.3

For residents who have failed the legacy Phase 1exam and decide to convert, the legacy exam attempts will not count toward the 3-attempt limit for Phase 1A.

Broadly, yes, on a case-by-case basis. Portfolio submissions will be required for the competency areas not successfully passed on Phase 2, and residents may receive credit toward equivalent portfolio areas for sections they did pass, subject to RPAC and Credentials Committee review. The Phase 1B exam and Foundations course are required regardless of partial Phase 2 pass status, and prior Phase 2 attempts do not count against the Phase 1B 3-attempt limit.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.4; Manual for Resident Standards §10.4

No. AVDC’s position is that there are already sufficient attempts available before the sunset, and that building and vetting a new exam administration twice a year would be a heavy lift while resources are focused on developing the new Phase 1A/1B system.

Yes. Under the new pathway, the publication must be submitted (Forms 870, 875, and 880) as part of Approval of Credentials, which is itself a prerequisite for sitting for Phase 1B. Final acceptance of the publication (Form 890) and completion of 36 months are required for Full Approval of Credentials and final board certification for residents starting after July 1, 2026.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.5; Manual for Residency Directors §5.5

There is no formal declaration deadline in either manual. The practical constraint is the 2030 sunset of the legacy exams: the last Phase 1 written exam is offered in January 2030, and the last Phase 2 practical exam in June 2030. The later a resident waits to decide, the fewer legacy exam attempts remain available. The first Phase 1A is offered in January of 2028, and residents intending to convert should declare their conversion on July 1^st, 2027.  Residents who have passed Phase 1 and are credentialed under the legacy pathway and wish to convert to the new training pathway must declare credentials under the new pathway by July 1^st 2028. Case-by-case evaluation in consultation with the Credentials Committee is required.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.0; Manual for Resident Standards §10.0

The manuals don’t offer a single recommendation — it’s framed as a genuine tradeoff and residents are encouraged to review their individual timeline with their Residency Director. Staying on the legacy pathway means fewer remaining exam attempts as 2030 approaches. Converting to the new pathway means waiting for its milestones to open up: portfolios not before July 1, 2027; Phase 1A not before January 2028; Phase 1B not before January 2029.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.0–10.2

Yes. A passing result on the legacy Phase 1 exam is accepted as passing Phase 1A — no retake is required. These residents are also grandfathered at the 30-month (rather than 36-month) minimum program length, with a grandfathered expectation of 78 weeks of supervised clinical training instead of 100.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.3; Manual for Resident Standards §10.3

For residents who have failed the legacy Phase 1exam and decide to convert, the legacy exam attempts will not count toward the 3-attempt limit for Phase 1A.

Broadly, yes, on a case-by-case basis. Portfolio submissions will be required for the competency areas not successfully passed on Phase 2, and residents may receive credit toward equivalent portfolio areas for sections they did pass, subject to RPAC and Credentials Committee review. The Phase 1B exam and Foundations course are required regardless of partial Phase 2 pass status, and prior Phase 2 attempts do not count against the Phase 1B 3-attempt limit.

Manual for Residency Directors §10.4; Manual for Resident Standards §10.4

No. AVDC’s position is that there are already sufficient attempts available before the sunset, and that building and vetting a new exam administration twice a year would be a heavy lift while resources are focused on developing the new Phase 1A/1B system.

Yes. Under the new pathway, the publication must be submitted (Forms 870, 875, and 880) as part of Approval of Credentials, which is itself a prerequisite for sitting for Phase 1B. Final acceptance of the publication (Form 890) and completion of 36 months are required for Full Approval of Credentials and final board certification for residents starting after July 1, 2026.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.5; Manual for Residency Directors §5.5

Every AVDC residency training program must have a registered start date of either January 1 or July 1, effective July 1, 2026. This is the administrative start date AVDC uses to track deadlines, portfolio eligibility, and exam eligibility — it applies regardless of a resident’s actual employment start date at their site.

Front matter, Manual for Residency Directors and Manual for Resident Standards

Phase 1A cannot be taken before 18 months of residency training have been completed. Phase 1B requires 30 months of residency training, a passing Phase 1A result, and Approval of Credentials. Since Phase 1B is offered twice a year starting January 2029, a resident who clears all three gates could in principle sit for Phase 1B at the very next offering — which could be as little as roughly six months after passing Phase 1A, depending on timing. Note that January-start residents specifically must wait past the January 2029 offering, since it falls before their 30-month mark, and sit at the next available date instead. Release of exam results and appeals processes occur in accordance with AVBS rules. Provided that a passing result is conferred before the cutoff for signups for the next exam, a candidate is allowed to sit for that examination.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.2, §6.1–6.2

Phase 1A tests foundational, static knowledge — materials, anatomy, biology of oral/maxillofacial disease, procedural technique, and basic surgical, radiographic, and anesthetic principles — based on a prescriptive reading list to be published in 2027. Phase 1B tests critical thinking and application — analyzing and synthesizing the veterinary dental literature against clinical scenarios (for example, comparing two papers on a similar topic and explaining differing results), with a less prescriptive reading structure.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.1–5.2

Image-based questions (radiographs, instruments, and similar) will continue as part of the exam format. Candidates are always expected to refer to their current examination information documents for current guidance.

Yes — additional information, while not being content-specific, will be made available to candidates at the Annual Veterinary Dental Forum during the information session held by the Examination Committee.

Three portfolios are required under the new pathway, submitted through DMS and reviewed by multiple graders against a rubric. The first portfolio may be submitted no earlier than 12 months into the residency, and not before July 1, 2027.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.4; Manual for Residency Directors §5.4

No. No more than two portfolios may be under review at any one time — the third cannot be submitted until one of the first two has been reviewed.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.4

There’s no numeric limit in the manual, but each review cycle takes real time — roughly a month, sometimes two — so repeated revisions will slow a resident’s overall progress toward credentialing.

Cadavers.

Yes, completion of the AVDC-sponsored Foundations hands-on laboratory course is required for credentialing and board certification. It is currently offered once per year and is mandatory for all residents in the new training pathway. Current pricing will be announced annually.

Manual for Resident Standards §5.3, §1.2.VIII; Manual for Residency Directors §5.3

Residents are told in advance that SOPs, procedures, and reading lists exist and are distributed before attendance. Instructor rotation and overall management are determined by the Residency Education Committee.

Yes. A full-mouth radiograph set of a dog and cat (or horse, for the Equine diploma) must be submitted before the end of Year 1 and approved before the end of Year 2.

Manual for Resident Standards §1.2.IV; Manual for Residency Directors §4.2

From the Manual for Resident Standards, Clinical Week is defined as 40 hours acquired during a Monday–Sunday time span containing clinical dental didactic rounds, clinical dental/maxillofacial consultations and procedures, dental/maxillofacial cadaver work, and teaching involving the foundations of dentistry. A minimum of four working days constitutes a work week for AVDC® purposes. Under the new July 2026 training pathway, a minimum of 100 clinical weeks of directly supervised training is required over 36 months. Residents will still need dedicated off-clinic time to progress the publication alongside their other requirements.

Manual for Resident Standards §1.2.II, §5.5

To clarify a point left open at the Town Hall: this training is not a hard requirement in the manual. It’s recommended, not mandated — a minimum of 6 hours is recommended as part of a Residency Director’s application, with an additional 10 hours recommended by the time of the 5-year residency site re-evaluation (10 hours is also recommended for Primary Supervisors who aren’t the Residency Director). Specific recommendations are still under development.

Manual for Residency Directors §1.4

Structured reviews with feedback are recommended to occur at least every 6 months. Review forms are recommended to be submitted with the annual reports. Conversion from legacy to the new training pathway will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

There’s no fixed limit — but each return typically adds at least a one-month delay. Most return-without-review issues are formatting-related; moving portfolio submissions directly through DMS is expected to reduce this.

No. AVDC’s response was that this situation is rare and that repeated occurrences would more likely prompt a conversation with the resident’s mentor rather than an automatic suspension trigger. The suggestion was passed along to the Credentials Committee for consideration.

This is difficult to answer. This can be dependent on the number of examination attempts and other associated residency training support costs.

These are under development.

This list of benchmarks is currently being refined and will be posted once they are approved.