QCHP Prosthodontics Exam 2026: Blueprint, Fee & Steps
Medical exams / QCHP Qatar / QCHP Prosthodontics exam guide
QCHP Prosthodontics Exam Quick Summary
The QCHP Prosthodontics exam is one of eight dental specialty exams that Qatar's Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) runs through Prometric: 150 MCQs with a 65% cut score and a fee of USD 244 in 2026. It is for dentists whose specialty degree is in DHP's Category 3; Category 1 and 2 holders are exempt. DHP publishes an official blueprint with the weight of every topic.
Specialist dentists who want to work in Qatar are licensed by the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), still widely called QCHP. Since Circular DHP/2024/19, holders of some specialty degrees must pass a specialty qualifying exam. This guide covers who sits the Prosthodontics exam, its official blueprint, how to prepare and what happens after you pass.
On this page
Who sits the QCHP Prosthodontics exam
DHP licenses specialist dentists according to their postgraduate degree, using its approved specialty qualifications list for dentists:
| DHP category | Experience after the degree | Qualifying exam |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | None required | Not required |
| Category 2 | Two years of licensed clinical work | Not required |
| Category 2 with asterisks | Three years of licensed clinical work | Not required |
| Category 3 | As set in DHP's Guidelines for Dentists | Must pass the Prosthodontics exam |
If your degree is on DHP's list but you have not yet completed the experience your category needs, DHP licenses you as a General Dentist, and you can apply for privileges in your specialty. An overseas dentist whose postgraduate degree is not on the list cannot be licensed as a specialist. Check your exact degree title and awarding body in the list before you apply.
Who is exempt from the QCHP Prosthodontics exam
- Holders of Category 1 and 2 specialty qualifications.
- Qatari nationals, children of Qatari mothers, and graduates of public or private universities and higher education institutions in Qatar (Circular DHP/2025/24).
See our guide to DHP Qatar exam exemption criteria for the rules in other professions.
How to apply, step by step
Read DHP's Guidelines for Dentists and confirm your qualification and experience meet the rules for the Prosthodontics specialist title.
Applications go through DHP's Registration and Licensing System at dhpportal.moph.gov.qa, usually together with a Qatar employer or prospective employer.
DataFlow or QuadraBay, the two providers DHP approves, verify your degree, experience, licence and good standing directly with the issuing bodies.
Once DHP approves you to sit the exam, book it on Prometric's Qatar DHP page under exam code SCHQ2, at an international Prometric centre or the Doha centre on C Ring Road.
When you pass and your evaluation is approved, your employing facility completes the licensing step with DHP.
Documents to prepare
Your verification provider and DHP's evaluation team work from the same set of papers. Have clear scans of these ready:
- Dental degree and transcripts
- Specialty degree or board certificate, with residency or training certificates
- Experience certificates with dates and job titles
- Licences covering those years
- Certificate of good standing from your licensing authority
- Passport, a recent photograph and a CV on DHP's template
Most delays come from experience letters without exact dates, or licences that do not cover the whole period, so check these first.
Official QCHP Prosthodontics blueprint
DHP's specialty dentist blueprint gives the share of the 150 questions for each area of prosthodontics:
Every dental specialty exam also includes patient safety and professionalism and ethics, each worth 5%. Pass marks for every profession are in our article on the DHP Qatar exam passing score and duration.
A 10-week study plan for the QCHP Prosthodontics exam
| Weeks | Focus | Daily target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Fixed prosthodontics (20% of the paper) | 30 MCQs |
| 3 to 4 | Implant prosthodontics and occlusion | 30 MCQs |
| 5 to 6 | Removable partial and complete dentures | 30 MCQs |
| 7 | Aesthetics and dental materials | 30 MCQs |
| 8 | Maxillofacial prosthodontics, safety and ethics | 30 MCQs |
| 9 | Two full 150-question timed mocks | Review each mock the next day |
| 10 | Weak areas, then a final mock | Book once you score comfortably above 65% |
DHP reference books for the Prosthodontics exam
These titles come from DHP's own reference list for the exam. Use the latest edition of each:
- Contemporary Fixed Prosthodontics (Rosenstiel, Land and Fujimoto)
- Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics (Shillingburg)
- McCracken's Removable Partial Prosthodontics
- Prosthodontic Treatment for Edentulous Patients (Zarb)
- Contemporary Implant Dentistry and Dental Implant Prosthetics (Misch)
- Functional Occlusion (Dawson) and Applied Occlusion
- Clinical Aspects of Dental Materials (Gladwin and Bagby)
- Professionalism and Ethics Handbook for Residents, and Essentials of Patient Safety
Sample QCHP Prosthodontics exam MCQs
These five questions come from the free trial of our QCHP Prosthodontics QBank, covering different parts of prosthodontics. Tap a question to see the answer and explanation.
During a postgraduate implant seminar, residents discuss the mechanics of the abutment screw joint and why screws loosen. Which statement about preload is correct?A. Preload is greatest when the screw is tightened beyond its yield pointB. Preload increases each time the same screw is reusedC. A higher insertion torque of the implant into bone increases screw preloadD. The joint stays closed as long as external separating forces remain below the preload
Answer: D. The joint stays closed as long as external separating forces remain below the preload
Explanation: When an abutment screw is torqued it stretches elastically, producing a tensile force, the preload, which clamps the abutment to the implant. The joint behaves as one unit and the screw does not loosen as long as the joint-separating forces (bending, lateral and occlusal loads) stay below the preload. If they exceed it, the joint opens, threads micro-slip and the screw backs out.
During CBCT planning for an implant at site 25, a resident uses the software to read grey values at the site and records '450 HU', concluding that the bone is D3 by the Misch classification. Which statement best explains why this conclusion is unreliable?A. CBCT shows only cortical bone, not trabecular boneB. CBCT voxel size is too large to show any trabecular patternC. CBCT grey values are not calibrated Hounsfield units and vary with the machine, field of view and positionD. The Misch classification uses tactile sensation only and has no density values
Answer: C. CBCT grey values are not calibrated Hounsfield units and vary with the machine, field of view and position
Explanation: Misch related bone types D1-D4 to Hounsfield units on medical CT (e.g. D1 >1250 HU, D3 about 350 to 850 HU). Medical CT is calibrated against water and air.
During jaw relation recording for complete dentures in a 66-year-old woman, a central bearing tracer produces an arrow-point tracing with a rounded apex instead of a sharp point. Her record bases are stable and the vertical dimension has been verified. What is the most appropriate next step?A. Record at the centre of the rounded areaB. Record at the most anterior point of the tracingC. Retrain the patient in relaxed retruded and lateral movements and repeat the tracingD. Abandon centric relation and set the teeth in the habitual closing position
Answer: C. Retrain the patient in relaxed retruded and lateral movements and repeat the tracing
Explanation: A valid gothic arch tracing has a sharp apex, which shows that each lateral movement starts from the same retruded border position. A rounded or blunt apex means the patient is not making true border movements: muscle incoordination, guarding, the patient protruding slightly before moving sideways, or less commonly a TMJ problem. Recording at a point inside the rounded area would give an arbitrary, non-reproducible position.
An 80-year-old frail man has a loose mandibular complete denture. The anterior mandibular ridge is 4 mm wide and 18 mm high on CBCT. He refuses bone grafting and wants a simple procedure. One-piece mini implants (diameter under 2.5 mm) with ball heads are planned. How many should be placed to retain the overdenture?A. Two mini implants in the canine regionsB. Four mini implants between the mental foraminaC. One mini implant in the midlineD. Six mini implants including the premolar regions
Answer: B. Four mini implants between the mental foramina
Explanation: The ITI Consensus (2018) grouped narrow implants by diameter. Category 1 implants, under 2.5 mm, are usually one-piece mini implants. Evidence supports them only for retaining a mandibular overdenture, and then as four implants in the interforaminal region.
At try-in of a four-unit metal-ceramic bridge on teeth 23 to 26, the prosthodontist finds the framework rocks, although each retainer seats fully on its own. The porcelain has already been applied and glazed. The bridge is sectioned at a connector and indexed in the mouth. Which joining method is most appropriate at this stage?A. Pre-ceramic soldering with a high-fusing solder in a torch flameB. Re-casting the whole framework as one pieceC. Post-ceramic soldering with a lower-fusing solder in a porcelain furnaceD. Conventional gold solder melted with a gas-air torch over the porcelain
Answer: C. Post-ceramic soldering with a lower-fusing solder in a porcelain furnace
Explanation: Pre-ceramic soldering joins framework parts before porcelain is applied, using a high-fusing solder (about 1100 °C), usually with a torch; the joint must then survive all porcelain firings. Once porcelain is on, joining must be done at a temperature that does not deform or crack it. Post-ceramic soldering uses a lower-fusing solder (fusing below the porcelain firing temperatures, typically about 700 to 900 °C, depending on the system) and is done in a porcelain furnace, which heats the assembly evenly and slowly and avoids thermal shock.
Want to try more QCHP Prosthodontics questions?
Start with 30 free questions from the same QBank, each with a full explanation, then unlock the full bank when you are ready.
Exam fee and rescheduling
Under Circular DHP/2024/10, the Prometric fee for every Qatar qualifying exam is USD 244 per attempt from 1 January 2026 (it was USD 238 in 2024 and 2025). Verification and DHP evaluation fees are paid separately. Changing or cancelling a booking costs:
| When you change or cancel | Charge |
|---|---|
| 30 days or more before the exam | USD 25 |
| 5 to 29 days before the exam | USD 40 |
| Less than 5 days before, not attending, or arriving over 30 minutes late | Full exam fee |
On exam day
- Bring the identity document you used to book; the name must match your Prometric appointment.
- Phones, watches and notes go in a locker. Prometric gives you everything you need at the desk.
- DHP and Prometric list 3 hours for the 150 questions, while DHP's blueprint document says 3.5 hours, so check the time on your booking confirmation and plan on about 70 seconds per question.
- Flag hard questions and come back to them; every question counts towards the 98 correct answers you need.
Results and attempts
Prometric gives you your result at the centre when you finish. DHP applies the 65% cut score exactly as published, without rounding.
DHP's qualifying exam page currently states that applicants may attempt the exam an unlimited number of times. Earlier DHP rules allowed specialist dentists three attempts, so check the page on the day you book in case the rule changes again.
Getting your licence
Passing the exam makes you eligible, but you can practise only after DHP approves your evaluation and a licensed healthcare facility in Qatar employs you and completes your licence. Keep your verification report and good standing certificate current while you look for a job.
Qatar and other Gulf Prosthodontics exams
| Authority | Where you can work | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| DHP (QCHP) | Qatar | 150 MCQs, 65% cut score, Prometric code SCHQ2 |
| DHA | Dubai | Own Prosthodontics exam |
| SCFHS | Saudi Arabia | Own Prosthodontics exam |
Each authority licenses separately, and a pass in one does not replace Qatar's exam. The clinical content overlaps, so your preparation carries over. See our guides to the DHA Prosthodontics exam and the SLE Prosthodontics exam.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the QCHP Prosthodontics exam?
65%, which is 98 of 150 questions. DHP does not round scores, so 97 correct answers is a fail.
Who has to sit the QCHP Prosthodontics exam?
Dentists whose specialty degree is in Category 3 of DHP's approved qualifications list. Category 1 and 2 holders are licensed without it once they meet the experience rule.
Which topics carry the most marks?
Fixed prosthodontics (20%) and implant prosthodontics (15%) together make up over a third of the paper, about 52 questions.
How much does the exam cost?
USD 244 per attempt from 1 January 2026, paid to Prometric. Verification and DHP evaluation fees are extra.
How many attempts are allowed?
DHP's qualifying exam page currently says the exam can be attempted an unlimited number of times. Earlier rules allowed specialist dentists three attempts, so check before you book.
Further reading
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