Dentist Prometric Exam Preparation in the GCC: DHA, SDLE, Qatar and Oman Pass Marks

The General Dentist exam is 60% at DHA and in Qatar, 65% in Oman, and 542 on a 200-800 scale for the Saudi SDLE. Dental specialist exams are 60% at DHA, 65% in Qatar and in Saudi classification exams, and consultant dental exams at DHA are 70%. Abu Dhabi, the Northern Emirates and Sharjah publish no pass mark, and Kuwait and Bahrain publish no dentist specification in the documents we checked.

Take the free General Dentist mock test to see your level against the 60% mark, then work through the General Dentist question bank. Specialists should start from the dental specialty banks listed further down. If you are not sure which exam applies to you, ask for a free eligibility assessment.

For licensing paperwork by country, read our dentist licensing guide for all GCC countries. Regulator pages: DHA exams, DOH exams, SCFHS exams, Qatar exams and Oman exams.

DHA lists 17 active dental exams. The General Dentist paper and the specialist papers have 150 questions in 3 hours and cost USD 280. Consultant papers have 100 questions and a 70% pass mark. Implantology is a privilege exam at 65%. DHA also charges a AED 200 credentialing fee in Sheryan and shows Pass or Fail only.

General dentist and specialists

Consultant dentists

Oral Surgery (ORS5941) and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS5351) are separate DHA exams that share one Neelim bank. The consultant exams share a bank with the specialist exam in the same discipline, because they follow the same syllabus.

The dental team has its own DHA exams, set at the allied health USD 240 fee. Hygienists sit a 55% paper, assistants 60%, laboratory technicians 55%, and laboratory aides 50%.

Read our dental hygienist licence guide and salary guide .

Some dental titles are not in DHA's CBT list, and DHA assesses them orally. In the Unified PQR list these are 8 specialist titles (Conservative Dentistry, Dental Pathology, Dental Radiology, Forensic Odontology, Oral Medicine, Primary Care Dentistry, Public Health Dentistry and Special Care Dentistry) and 9 consultant titles (the same eight plus Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery). Seven other consultant titles (Endodontics, Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry) sit the 100-question CBT.

DHA's oral has a panel of at least two members, at least 5 clinical scenarios, and runs at least 20 to 30 minutes, in English, usually online. Read titles that get a DHA oral for the format and the rules on the day.

Before you pay for any exam, find out where you stand. Take the free General Dentist mock. It has 25 original questions and shows your result by blueprint area. If you score below the pass mark of your regulator, that tells you which weeks of the plan below need the most time.

When you are ready for full papers, the General Dentist bank has 462 questions in 3 papers, each with a written rationale. If you want a person to check your route first, send us your degree and country through the assessment form. We do not sell recalled or leaked questions, and we cannot promise a pass.

Saudi Arabia. The SDLE has 200 MCQs, with a pass score of 542 on a 200-800 scale, according to SCFHS's 2026 applicant guide. For specialists, SCFHS uses classification exams: 200 MCQs in 4 hours at 65% for Endodontics, Implant Dentistry, Oral Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry. You may sit the SDLE up to four times a year.

Qatar. General Dentist is 150 questions in 3 hours at 60%. The 8 dental specialties are 65%. Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist and Dental Lab Technician are 50%. Dentists are exempt with NJCE-II, NDEB Canada, the Irish or New Zealand dental exams, the UK ORE (not older than 5 years), or a postgraduate degree of at least two years that includes accredited clinical training. You get five attempts, and a pass is valid for 3 years.

Oman. OEGD (General Dentistry) is 100 questions in 150 minutes at 65%, USD 220. OEORDNT (Orthodontists) is also 65%, USD 220.

Bahrain and Kuwait. NHRA publishes a reference list per profession but no dentist pass mark we could verify. Kuwait's specification does not cover dentists. Confirm both with the regulator. See our dentist licensing guide for all GCC countries .

Only SCFHS publishes fixed domain weights for dentists. Other regulators do not. Our General Dentist bank follows the SCFHS blueprint, and the weights marked "estimate" are ours. Use them to plan time, not as a promise.

Restorative dentistry and prosthodontics

This is the largest block, so it decides many results. Our blueprint lists 22 subtopics here, including caries risk assessment (CAMBRA), the G.V. Black classes of cavity, amalgam, composite bonding, glass ionomer and the ART technique. Know etch-and-rinse versus self-etch adhesives and the C-factor.

High-yield traps: choosing a material by habit instead of by the case, for example glass ionomer for a high caries-risk patient who needs fluoride release.

Periodontics

There are 19 subtopics. The core is the 2017 AAP/EFP classification of periodontal and peri-implant diseases, with staging (I to IV) and grading (A to C).

High-yield traps: using the old terms "chronic" and "aggressive" when the question uses the current classification, and forgetting that staging describes severity and complexity while grading describes the risk of progression. Smoking and diabetes change the grade, not the stage.

Endodontics

There are 21 subtopics, the largest count after restorative dentistry. Learn pulpal diagnoses (reversible and irreversible pulpitis, necrosis) and periapical diagnoses (acute and chronic apical periodontitis, abscess, condensing osteitis) as separate lists.

High-yield traps: mixing the pulpal and periapical diagnosis in one answer, and reading a cold test result without asking whether the tooth has a restoration or a crown that may change the response.

Oral medicine, surgery, paediatrics and orthodontics

Oral medicine and oral surgery have 16 subtopics each: white and red lesions, ulcers, cysts, extractions, third molars, dry socket, oroantral communication and odontogenic infections such as Ludwig angina. Paediatric dentistry and orthodontics have 15 each: eruption chronology, behaviour management, fluoride, pulp therapy, Angle classification and ANB.

High-yield traps: a white lesion that wipes off is not leukoplakia, and in an infection the airway comes first. Avulsed primary teeth are not replanted, and a skeletal class is not a dental class.

Local anaesthesia, emergencies, infection control and ethics

These two common blocks have 15 subtopics each and appear in every form. Learn maximum dose calculations, nerve block complications, sterilisation steps, sharps injury protocols and consent.

High-yield traps: calculation questions where you must convert a percentage solution to milligrams per cartridge, and ethics questions where the safest answer is to stop treatment, explain, document and refer. For more examples see the free dentist questions.

This plan assumes about 10 hours a week. If you work full time, spread it over 10 to 12 weeks.

A specialist should add two weeks on the specialty syllabus and practise at the specialist pass mark. For example, aim for 70% or more on specialist papers before sitting a 60% DHA exam, and 80% before a consultant exam. These are our study targets, not regulator rules.

Keep a mistake log of topic, why you chose the wrong option, and the fixing rule. In week 8, read only the log.

Time pressure is real on long papers, and it is different for each regulator. The table divides the published exam time by the published question count. It is arithmetic, not a regulator rule.

Most exams give you about 72 seconds a question. Use a simple method:

• First pass: answer what you know in under a minute. Flag a question and move on if you are stuck after 90 seconds.
• Checkpoints: on a 150 question DHA paper, aim to reach question 50 by minute 60 and question 100 by minute 120. That leaves about 40 minutes for flagged questions and a final review.

Train this pace in weeks 3 to 8.

The steps differ by regulator, so follow the rules for your own exam.

For DHA, the passport name must match your Sheryan account. If it does not, contact DHA at least 5 days before the exam. You can reschedule on Prometric up to 5 calendar days before, but exam fees are not refunded for changes or no-shows. A no-show does not count as a failed attempt at DHA, but you lose the fee.

Our Prometric booking guide shows each screen, and the test centres guide lists locations. For the DHA process in full, read how to pass the DHA exam on the first attempt.

These are Neelim practice examples written for this guide. They are not real exam questions. Try each one before you read the answer, and note which domain you missed.

Question 1. A 70 kg adult needs local anaesthesia. Using a maximum of 7 mg/kg and a cartridge of 1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine with epinephrine (36 mg per cartridge), what is the maximum whole number of cartridges, before applying any lower absolute cap?

A. 8 B. 11 C. 13 D. 20

Answer: C. 7 mg/kg x 70 kg = 490 mg. 490 divided by 36 is 13.6, so the maximum is 13 whole cartridges. Always round down. Many references also cap the adult dose at 500 mg, which does not change this answer. Check which dose reference your exam uses.

Question 2. A patient reports lingering pain to cold that lasts several minutes and wakes them at night. The tooth is not tender to percussion and the periapical radiograph is normal. What is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Reversible pulpitis B. Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with normal apical tissues C. Acute apical abscess D. Chronic apical periodontitis

Answer: B. Lingering and spontaneous pain points to irreversible pulpitis. The normal radiograph and the absence of percussion tenderness show the periapical tissues are not yet involved. Reversible pulpitis pain stops quickly when the stimulus is removed.

Question 3. A dental nurse has a needle stick injury from a patient. What should happen first?

A. Squeeze the wound hard and scrub B. Wash with soap and running water, do not scrub, then report and start the post-exposure protocol C. Wait for the end of the clinic day to report D. Apply a tourniquet

Answer: B. Encourage bleeding gently, wash with soap and water, do not scrub or squeeze, and report at once. The clinic then assesses the risk from the source patient and the worker's immunity, including hepatitis B status, and decides on follow-up testing and prophylaxis.

Question 4. A patient with known angina develops chest pain in the chair during a restoration. What is the most appropriate immediate step after stopping treatment?

A. Lay the patient flat and give oral aspirin only B. Sit the patient upright and give sublingual glyceryl trinitrate C. Give local anaesthetic to reduce pain D. Continue and finish the restoration quickly

Answer: B. Stop treatment, sit the patient in a comfortable upright position, and give sublingual glyceryl trinitrate. If the pain is not relieved, treat it as a possible myocardial infarction, call emergency services and give aspirin. Keep oxygen and a clear emergency protocol ready.

Question 5. A healthy 12-year-old has an avulsed permanent maxillary central incisor with a closed apex. The tooth was kept in milk and arrives 30 minutes after the injury. What is the best management?

A. Discard the tooth and plan an implant B. Replant the tooth and place a flexible splint for about 2 weeks, with tetanus status checked and a systemic antibiotic considered C. Replant and use a rigid splint for 8 weeks D. Place the tooth in water for an hour first

Answer: B. A permanent tooth should be replanted as soon as possible. Milk is an acceptable storage medium. A flexible splint for up to 2 weeks is the usual advice, and rigid splinting for long periods raises the risk of ankylosis. Do not replant avulsed primary teeth.

For more free items in the same style, open the free dentist practice questions. Specialists can find matching questions on the specialty bank pages.

DHA, DOH and MOHAP share pass or fail results only, so you cannot see which domain cost you. Candidates and trainers report the same causes again and again. These are our observations, not regulator statistics.

• Studying by speciality interest. Restorative dentistry, periodontics and endodontics together carry about 75% of the SCFHS blueprint.
• No timed practice. Knowing the content but running out of time at question 120 of 150.
• Weak common blocks. Dose calculations, medical emergencies and infection control are easy marks that are often skipped.
• Wrong exam booked. A specialist title booked as General Dentist, or the reverse. Check the code on Sheryan before you pay.

If you fail: attempt rules by regulator

Because UAE attempts are shared, sit only when your mock scores are clearly above the pass mark. Our failed-exam retake guide and comeback guide explain this in more detail.

A pass is one step, not the end of the process. At DHA, a pass lets DHA issue your registration once your primary source verification (PSV) is positive. The registration is valid for one year, and a licensed facility must activate it into a licence through its own Sheryan account. You also need medical malpractice insurance.

1. Check DataFlow. If your PSV is not complete, follow it up. DHA states 15 working days for a new report from the payment date, and DataFlow guidance says 20 to 30 days or more if there are discrepancies. Read our DataFlow guide and the status check guide.
2. Get registered. DHA states 5 working days to process Get Registered once you apply.
3. Find an employer. The facility activates your registration, so the job search and the licence run together. Our guide to what to do after passing the DHA exam covers the job search.
4. Plan renewal. See the CME and CPD requirements.

Pass validity differs: a Qatar pass is valid for 3 years, so submit your evaluation within that time. Oman does not publish a validity period for a pass, so ask OMSB. A DHA exam pass has no published expiry in the CBT guideline, but the licensing manual links a pass in the same title to 5 years from registration with no gap in practice.

Do not forget costs outside the exam, such as DataFlow verification, good standing certificates, attestations and travel to a test centre. Our UAE licensing cost breakdown helps you build a full budget.

• Gap in practice: for dentists the PQR sets 80 CME/CPD credits and 6 months of training for a gap of three to under four years, and 120 credits and 8 months for four to under five years. Over five years, non-UAE nationals generally cannot apply.
• Exemptions: a recognised Tier 1 specialty certificate can exempt a dental specialist or consultant. An exemption covers the exam only. Read the exemptions guide.

Our dentist licence guide and fresh BDS graduate guide explain the paperwork.

We offer original, rationale-based practice, not recalled questions. Start with the free General Dentist mock , then use the General Dentist question bank . Specialists can choose from the Endodontics , Orthodontics , Periodontics , Prosthodontics , Restorative Dentistry , Pediatric Dentistry , Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology banks. Team members can use the Dental Hygienist , Dental Assistant and Dental Lab Technician banks. Our questions are original. We do not sell recalled or leaked questions, and we cannot promise a pass.

For every DHA pass mark, see DHA exam pass marks for every title .

Not sure which exam or route fits you? Use the free eligibility assessment or our Prometric exam checker, or contact us through the assessment form. For regulator facts, see DHA pass marks, Oman exams and Bahrain exams.