Developing content for American Board of Pediatric Dentistry certification examinations using practice analysis.

Background: The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) conducted a practice analysis to guide the development of its certification examination outlines for assessing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of pediatric dentists. This article describes the systematic approach used by the ABPD.

Methods: The ABPD conducted its practice analysis in 4 phases: (1) preparation, (2) focus group meetings, (3) survey, and (4) examination blueprint development.