hey guys
i have two questions. 1) what is the minimum score to pass the national board 1 exam? 2) after graduating from the dental school can he/she open a private clinic right away?

thanks

hey guys
i have two questions. 1) what is the minimum score to pass the national board 1 exam? 2) after graduating from the dental school can he/she open a private clinic right away?

thanks

The minimum passing grade for NBDE part I is 75. After graduating and obtaining a state license, and depending on your comfort and competancy level, you can start practicing right away. Would you practice solo? Probably not though.....Most become an associate right out of school.

I would like to open my own practice straight out of school. Why associate? I would be okay going into a buy-out/in situation, but I don't ever plan to be someone else's 90k man who produces (after overhead) 150k to line the owner's pockets. Although I am glad to hear that some want to associate so that I can hire them and make a little extra just for owning the practice (and unfortunately a lot of liability). There are a lot of practicing dentists who I admire and would like to learn from, but I really don't feel the need to boost someone else's take-home pay.

Now, my opinion (which you may ignore since I'm a lowly predent) is that working as an associate right after graduation would be a wise move, because it allows you to observe how a practice is run from a third person point of view. Then you will be more prepared when you open your own practice a few years later.