- What Is DABOI/ID?
- The Two-Part Certification Structure
- Part I Written Exam Format and Domains
- Fees, Deadlines, and Registration Mechanics
- Who Is Eligible: The General-Dentist Pathway
- Who Pursues DABOI/ID and Why It Matters
- Preparing for the Part I Written Exam
- Maintaining Diplomate Status
- Frequently Asked Questions
- DABOI/ID stands for Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, awarded by ABOI/ID.
- Passing the Part I Written Exam alone does not confer Diplomate status; Part II is mandatory and cannot be taken the same year.
- Part I is 200 single-best-answer questions in five hours at Pearson VUE, with no scheduled break.
- Implementing patient treatment is the largest domain at 44% of the written exam blueprint.
What Is DABOI/ID?
DABOI/ID stands for Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, a certification awarded by the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID). It is not a license to practice implant dentistry - it's a board certification that signals a dentist has demonstrated advanced, verified competency in implant diagnosis, treatment planning, surgical and prosthetic execution, and long-term case management.
Because several credentials in dentistry and other fields share similar-sounding acronyms, it's worth being precise here: this article covers only the ABOI/ID Diplomate pathway, its written and oral examinations, its fee schedule, and its eligibility rules. If you've landed here after researching general credential terminology, our companion pieces on DABOI/ID meaning and what DABOI/ID stands for walk through the naming and background in more depth.
The Two-Part Certification Structure
ABOI/ID certification is deliberately built as a two-stage process, and understanding this structure early saves candidates from a common misconception: that the written exam is the finish line.
- Part I - Written Examination: A 200-question, single-best-answer multiple-choice test delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers.
- Part II - Oral Examination: A case-based assessment combining standardized clinical scenarios with defense of candidate-submitted patient cases.
Critically, passing Part I alone does not make you a Diplomate. Part II is required, and the two parts cannot be taken in the same year - meaning even a strong written-exam performance still requires a separate testing cycle and a substantial case-documentation effort before certification is complete. If you're mapping out your full path to certification rather than just the written exam, the overview at DABOI/ID Certification covers how the two parts fit together end to end.
Part I Written Exam Format and Domains
The Part I Written Examination is 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions administered over five hours. There is no scheduled break built into the testing time - any break a candidate takes is voluntary and simply consumes minutes from the five-hour clock. That format alone makes pacing strategy as important as content knowledge.
The passing standard is criterion-referenced, meaning your score is measured against a fixed competency bar rather than curved against how other candidates in your cohort performed. For a deeper breakdown of what that scoring model actually means for your target number, see DABOI/ID Passing Score 2026.
Content is organized under a five-domain blueprint from the July 1, 2026 handbook. The weighting is heavily skewed toward one area, which should directly shape how you allocate study time:
| Domain | Weight | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Obtaining and assessing diagnostic data | 15% | Imaging, patient history, risk assessment |
| 2. Developing and presenting a patient treatment plan | 18% | Case sequencing, patient communication, plan justification |
| 3. Implementing patient treatment | 44% | Surgical and prosthetic execution |
| 4. Maintaining the effectiveness of the dental implant treatment | 8% | Long-term maintenance protocols |
| 5. Prevention and management of complications | 15% | Complication recognition and remediation |
Domain 3: Implementing Patient Treatment (44%)
This domain alone accounts for nearly half of the written exam and covers the mechanics of actually placing and restoring implants - surgical protocol, prosthetic execution, staging decisions, and technique selection under varying anatomical conditions.
- Surgical sequencing and site preparation across bone types
- Prosthetic loading protocols and restorative decision-making
- Original clinical-case reasoning rather than rote fact recall
Because Domain 3 carries such disproportionate weight, treating all five domains equally is one of the more common - and costly - study mistakes. For a domain-by-domain breakdown of what each content area actually tests, see the DABOI/ID Exam Domains 2026 guide.
Key Takeaway
Nearly half your Part I study time should be allocated to Domain 3 (Implementing Patient Treatment) simply to match its 44% blueprint weight - under-preparing here is the fastest way to miss the criterion-referenced passing standard.
Fees, Deadlines, and Registration Mechanics
ABOI/ID publishes a specific fee schedule for the 2027 cycle, and it's important to use these current figures rather than older tables that may still circulate in outdated handbook printings.
- Application fee: $600, nonrefundable
- Part I Written Examination fee: $800
- Total initial written-pathway cost: $1,400
- Part II Oral Examination fee: $1,500
- Written reexamination fee: $800
- Oral reexamination fee: $1,500
The next published application deadline is December 1, 2026, with the Part I exam scheduled for April 14, 2027. Missing the application window means waiting for the next cycle, so this date should be treated as a hard planning anchor. For a full cost breakdown across both parts and reexamination scenarios, see DABOI/ID Certification Cost 2026, and for the complete scheduling calendar including how deadlines interact with testing windows, check DABOI/ID Exam Dates 2026.
Who Is Eligible: The General-Dentist Pathway
The general-dentist pathway to DABOI/ID requires:
- A qualifying DDS/DMD education from a CODA/CDAC-accredited program
- Current, unrestricted dental licensure
- 670 documented implant-related continuing education hours from AGD/PACE and/or ADA/CERP recognized programs
There are two notable exemptions worth knowing about. AAID Fellows receive a Part I exemption and are credited with 200 CE hours toward the 670-hour requirement, and separate approved specialist pathways also provide written-exam exemptions. Neither exemption removes the Part II oral requirement. For the full eligibility breakdown, including how CE hours are counted and documented, see DABOI/ID Requirements 2026.
Who Pursues DABOI/ID and Why It Matters
General dentists pursuing advanced implant competency, often after years of hands-on placement and restoration experience, are the primary candidates for this pathway. Practices that market implant services heavily, group practices building an internal implant specialist, and dentists differentiating themselves in competitive markets all have reasons to pursue board certification as a credibility marker with referring dentists and patients.
If you're weighing whether the time, CE-hour investment, and combined $1,400+$1,500 cost across both parts is worth it for your practice trajectory, Is the DABOI/ID Certification Worth It? lays out the return-on-investment considerations in detail. For how the credential can translate into practice growth or compensation conversations, see the DABOI/ID Salary Guide 2026.
Preparing for the Part I Written Exam
Effective preparation starts with matching study time to blueprint weight rather than spreading effort evenly. Given the five-domain structure, a reasonable allocation model looks like this:
Domain 1 & 2 Foundations
- Diagnostic data interpretation (imaging, risk factors)
- Treatment-plan sequencing and case presentation logic
Domain 3 Deep Work
- Surgical protocol scenarios across bone/tissue conditions
- Prosthetic execution and loading-decision case sets
- Original clinical-case practice with explained answers, since this is the largest single tested area
Domains 4 & 5, Then Full Timed Runs
- Long-term maintenance protocols
- Complication recognition and management
- Full 200-question, five-hour timed practice to build pacing discipline for a no-break format
One methodology point worth applying specifically here: because there is no scheduled break during the actual five-hour session, your final practice runs should simulate that condition exactly - no pausing, no notes - so you calibrate your own voluntary-break decisions rather than discovering the fatigue curve on exam day. Spaced repetition of Domain 3 case scenarios in particular pays off disproportionately given its 44% weighting.
For a structured week-by-week plan built around these exact domain weights, see the DABOI/ID Study Guide 2026. If you're still calibrating how difficult the exam actually is relative to your current knowledge base, How Hard Is the DABOI/ID Exam? is a useful gut-check before you commit to the December 1 application deadline. And if you want a realistic sense of outcomes, the DABOI/ID Pass Rate 2026 breakdown covers the published historical cohort data rather than speculation.
Practicing under realistic, timed, single-best-answer conditions matters more for this exam than for many other certifications precisely because of the no-break, five-hour format. Running full-length timed sets on our practice test platform before exam day is one of the most direct ways to build that stamina and pacing sense without burning your official attempt.
Part II: What Comes After Passing Part I
Passing Part I only opens the door to Part II, which requires submitting eight distinct patient cases, each finally restored and functional for at least one year at the time of submission. The committee selects four of the eight for defense without advance disclosure of which ones. Note also that oral case templates 2, 7, and 8 change for 2027 and become mandatory for all oral applicants starting in 2028 - a detail that matters for timing your case documentation if you're planning a multi-year certification timeline.
Key Takeaway
Start compiling your eight case candidates well before you pass Part I - a one-year functional-restoration requirement per case means late starters can face real scheduling delays.
Maintaining Diplomate Status
Certification isn't a one-time event. Diplomates certified from 2008 onward follow an eight-year maintenance cycle requiring 160 implant-related CE hours, a take-home multiple-choice maintenance examination, attestation, and a $250 maintenance fee. Separately, active annual Diplomate dues are $450 under the published 2025-2026 schedule. Budgeting for these ongoing costs alongside the initial $1,400 (Part I) and $1,500 (Part II) fees gives a realistic total picture of the credential's lifetime cost.
For related terminology and background questions readers commonly search alongside this topic, see What Is DABOI/ID?, What Is A DABOI/ID?, and What Does DABOI/ID Mean?. If you're exploring the training and career side beyond exam mechanics, DABOI/ID Training and DABOI/ID Jobs cover those angles, and What Is DABOI/ID Certification? offers another summary angle on the credential itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Passing Part I is necessary but not sufficient. Part II, the oral examination, is also required, and the two parts cannot be taken in the same year.
Part I consists of 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions administered at Pearson VUE testing centers over five hours, with no scheduled break.
Implementing patient treatment (Domain 3) carries 44% of the blueprint weight under the July 1, 2026 handbook, making it the single highest-priority content area.
A CODA/CDAC-accredited DDS/DMD education, current dental licensure, and 670 documented implant-related CE hours from AGD/PACE and/or ADA/CERP recognized programs, unless an AAID Fellow or specialist-pathway exemption applies.
The nonrefundable $600 application fee plus the $800 Part I exam fee total $1,400 for the initial written pathway; Part II adds a separate $1,500 fee.
Understanding DABOI/ID starts with separating fact from the many similarly-named credentials that get confused with it online. Once you have the exact structure - a two-part written-then-oral process, a 44%-weighted Domain 3, a nonrefundable fee schedule, and a strict CE-hour eligibility bar - the path forward becomes a matter of disciplined preparation rather than guesswork. Practicing under exam-realistic conditions on our platform before your December 1, 2026 application deadline is one of the most concrete steps you can take today.