The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO)has renamed the examinations that Gateway Diplomates must take tomaintain their Diplomate status in the coming years. Gateway Diplomatesare those practicing orthodontists who accepted the Gateway Offer, apathway to certification that was available from 2005 through 2007.
The ABO Board of Directors renamed the examinations to clarify theboard-certification and recertification process for these individuals.
The first examination is now named the Gateway CertificationExamination. The exam is offered throughout the year during the ABO’sClinical Examination sessions. Gateway Diplomates must take thisexamination within 5 years of accepting the Gateway Offer, or they risklosing their board certificate. An up-to-date list of ClinicalExamination session and registration deadline are listed on the ABO Web site.In addition, information on the patient source, the components of theGateway Certification Examination, and the case criteria for the GatewayCertification Examination are available on the ABO site. The ABO willnot offer this examination after December 31, 2012.
For those orthodontists who are unable to accumulate a sufficient numberof cases to complete the Gateway Certification Examination by theirdeadline, the ABO offers the Beginning Certification Examination.Individuals may register and pay for this examination whenever they areready to restart the board-certification process.
After completing the Gateway Certification Examination, GatewayDiplomates must take recertification examinations every 10 years to keeptheir board certificate current. These examinations are now named theFirst Recertification Examination, the Second RecertificationExamination, the Third Recertification Examination, and the FourthRecertification Examination. The ABO will begin offering theseexaminations starting in 2013.
