Criteria card
The 2026–27 season publishes a zirconia molar sheet (#3), not a gold crown sheet for #30. M1 uses that sheet's molar bands, which match the 2025 cast-metal sheet for occlusal reduction and taper. Your program's own gold-crown rubric decides.
| Checkpoint | Acceptable | Marginally substandard | Critically deficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occlusal reduction | The occlusal reduction is ≥ 1.0 mm but ≤ 2.0 mm. | The occlusal reduction is > 2.0 mm but ≤ 2.5 mm. | The occlusal reduction is > 2.5 mm, or < 1.0 mm. |
| Axial taper | Taper is present, from nearly parallel to ≤ 12° per wall. | There is excessive taper that is > 12° and ≤ 16° per wall. | The taper is grossly over-reduced > 16° per wall. |
| Margin and line angles | The cervical margin is > 0.5 mm but ≤ 1.5 mm in width. | The cervical margin is > 1.5 mm but ≤ 2.0 mm in width. | The cervical margin is > 2.0 mm, or < 0.5 mm in width. |
| Adjacent tooth | The neighbors #29 and #31 are untouched. | — | Damage to a neighbor that needs more than polishing. The sheets publish no millimetre band for it. |
| Putty clearance | The sectioned putty index shows a gap of at least the occlusal minimum over the prep. | — | The index touches the prep, or the gap is under the occlusal minimum. |
| Axial reduction | The axial tissue removal is ≥ 1.0 mm but ≤ 2.0 mm. | The axial tissue removal is > 2.0 mm but ≤ 2.5 mm. | The axial tissue removal is > 2.5 mm, or < 1.0 mm. |
Three confirmed marginally substandard over-preparation ratings on one procedure count as critically deficient, and two or more examiners rating any criterion critically deficient fail the procedure.
The 2026–27 season publishes a zirconia molar sheet (#3), not a gold crown sheet for #30. M1 uses that sheet's molar bands, which match the 2025 cast-metal sheet for occlusal reduction and taper. Your program's own gold-crown rubric decides.
| Checkpoint | Acceptable | Marginally substandard | Critically deficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occlusal reduction | The occlusal reduction is ≥ 1.0 mm but ≤ 2.0 mm. | The occlusal reduction is > 2.0 mm but ≤ 2.5 mm. | The occlusal reduction is > 2.5 mm, or < 1.0 mm. |
| Axial taper | Taper is present, from nearly parallel to ≤ 12° per wall. | There is excessive taper that is > 12° and ≤ 16° per wall. | The taper is grossly over-reduced > 16° per wall. |
| Margin and line angles | The cervical margin is > 0.5 mm but ≤ 1.5 mm in width. | The cervical margin is > 1.5 mm but ≤ 2.0 mm in width. | The cervical margin is > 2.0 mm, or < 0.5 mm in width. |
| Adjacent tooth | The neighbors #29 and #31 are untouched. | — | Damage to a neighbor that needs more than polishing. The sheets publish no millimetre band for it. |
| Putty clearance | The sectioned putty index shows a gap of at least the occlusal minimum over the prep. | — | The index touches the prep, or the gap is under the occlusal minimum. |
| Axial reduction | The axial tissue removal is ≥ 1.0 mm but ≤ 2.0 mm. | The axial tissue removal is > 2.0 mm but ≤ 2.5 mm. | The axial tissue removal is > 2.5 mm, or < 1.0 mm. |
Three confirmed marginally substandard over-preparation ratings on one procedure count as critically deficient, and two or more examiners rating any criterion critically deficient fail the procedure.
Outline · 8 parts
1Criteria card2Anatomy in 3D3Steps1Depth-orient occlusal grooves2Reduce occlusal table following anatomy3Add functional cusp bevel4Axially reduce walls5Open proximal surfaces with guarded bur6Finish continuous chamfer and verify clearance with putty index4Within vs outside5Check6Guided cut7Cut and score8Recall: day 3 and day 10Practice feedback against the 2026–27 published crown-prep criteria (molar). Not an exam or admissions result; your program and examiners decide.