Dental Assistant Practice Test

Dental Collection & Recording of Clinical Data Practice Questions

Collection & Recording of Clinical Data makes up 4 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest Dental practice test. Here are 10 of the 16 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the DANB GC, RHS (March 2025) and ICE (March 2025) outlines. Expanded functions vary by state.

1. 1. The dentist calls out caries on the maxillary right first molar while the assistant charts in the Universal system. The assistant records tooth:

   • A.30
   • B.3
   • C.14
   • D.19

   Answer: B. Universal numbering starts with 1 at the maxillary right third molar, so the maxillary right first molar is 3. Tooth 14 is the maxillary left first molar.

2. 2. A referral from an overseas dentist uses the FDI (ISO) two-digit system and lists tooth 36. The assistant identifies it as the:

   • A.Maxillary left first molar
   • B.Maxillary right third molar
   • C.Mandibular right first molar
   • D.Mandibular left first molar

   Answer: D. In FDI the first digit is the quadrant (3 is mandibular left) and the second digit is the tooth (6 is the first molar). The mandibular right first molar would be 46.

3. 3. Which numbering system identifies each tooth with a number from 1 to 8 inside a bracket-shaped symbol showing its quadrant?

   • A.Palmer notation
   • B.Black's classification
   • C.Universal system
   • D.FDI two-digit system

   Answer: A. Palmer notation uses a right-angle bracket for the quadrant with teeth numbered 1 to 8 from the midline. Black's classification describes caries location, not tooth numbers.

4. 4. The dentist reports decay on tooth 30 on the surface facing the tongue and the proximal surface toward the midline. The assistant charts:

   • A.Buccal and mesial
   • B.Palatal and occlusal
   • C.Lingual and mesial
   • D.Lingual and distal

   Answer: C. The surface toward the tongue is lingual and the proximal surface toward the midline is mesial. Palatal is used only for maxillary teeth, and distal faces away from the midline.

5. 5. A patient has caries on the distal surface of tooth 9 that does not involve the incisal angle. Under Black's classification this is:

   • A.Class V
   • B.Class IV
   • C.Class III
   • D.Class II

   Answer: C. Class III is a proximal lesion on an anterior tooth without the incisal angle. It becomes Class IV only when the incisal angle is involved, and Class II applies to posterior teeth.

6. 6. A carious lesion on tooth 4 involves the mesial, occlusal and distal surfaces. Using Black's classification, the assistant records:

   • A.Class II
   • B.Class I
   • C.Class III
   • D.Class VI

   Answer: A. Any proximal surface lesion on a premolar or molar is Class II, even when the occlusal surface is included. Class I covers pits and fissures only.

7. 7. The office uses the two-color charting system. Decay the dentist finds at today's examination is recorded in:

   • A.Blue pencil or ink
   • B.Black pencil or ink
   • C.Green pencil or ink
   • D.Red pencil or ink

   Answer: D. In the two-color system red marks conditions that need treatment, such as caries. Blue or black marks existing restorations and completed work.

8. 8. At an orthodontic consult, the mesiobuccal cusp of the maxillary first molar occludes in the buccal groove of the mandibular first molar, but incisors are crowded. Angle's class is:

   • A.Class III (mesiocclusion)
   • B.Class I (neutrocclusion)
   • C.Class II, division 2
   • D.Class II, division 1

   Answer: B. Normal molar relationship with crowding or other tooth malpositions is Class I neutrocclusion. Class II and III are defined by the molars being distal or mesial, not by crowding.

9. 9. A parent asks when the child's first permanent teeth will appear. The assistant explains the first permanent molars usually erupt at about age:

   • A.9 years
   • B.6 years
   • C.12 years
   • D.2 years

   Answer: B. The first permanent molars erupt behind the primary second molars at about age 6, which is why they are called six-year molars. The second permanent molars erupt at about 12.

10. 10. During periodontal charting the dentist calls out 3-2-6 on the facial of tooth 14, with bleeding at the 6 site. The assistant should record:

    • A.Six millimeters of gingival recession
    • B.Class 2 mobility at that site
    • C.Normal sulcus depths at all three sites
    • D.A 6 mm pocket that bled on probing

    Answer: D. A healthy sulcus probes 1 to 3 mm, so a 6 mm reading is a periodontal pocket, and bleeding on probing is charted at that site. Recession is measured separately from the cementoenamel junction.