Dentistry University Interview Questions
There are many different questions you may be asked at your medicine university interview, so we've provided a comprehensive list of those commonly asked by Dentistry admissions tutors at UK universities.
These questions should help you fully prepare so you can give your best performance on the day, and we have grouped them into categories so you can easily find the questions you're looking for.
Background & motivation
- Tell us about yourself.
- Talk us through your personal statement.
- Why do you want to be a dentist?
- What have you done to prepare yourself for a career in dentistry?
- What qualities do you think a dentist should have?
- What strengths do you have that will help you deal with all the work involved in a dentistry degree?
- Why do you want to be a dentist, rather than another healthcare profession?
- What area of dentistry interests you most and why?
- What are the negative aspects of dentistry?
- What are you looking forward to most about becoming a dentist?
- What contribution do you hope to make to the field of dentistry?
- How do you think dentistry differs from other health professions?
- If you were to become a dentist, how would you like your patients to describe you and why?
- How do you know whether you really do want to become a dentist?
- What do you think makes some students drop out of their Dentistry course?
- Do you have any life experiences that you think may help your career in medicine?
- Tell us an example of how you cope with stress?
Knowledge & teaching methods
- What interests you about our course?
- When you read our prospectus, what interested you most about the course here?
- What do you know about the course?
- How will you contribute to our dentistry school?
- Independent study makes up a large part of this course - tell us how have you managed this approach to learning in the past?
- What previous experiences have you had of learning in small groups?
- What ways of learning work best for you, and how does this fit with our course?
- Tell us about your extracurricular activities?
- Why is research important to science and how is this related to dentistry?
- Do you think your own dentist is good at communicating with patients?
- What can you tell me about preventative dentistry?
- What is Orthodontics?
- What is gingivitis?
- How would you explain to a patient how you are going to extract their tooth?
- Why do dentists recommend the fluoridation of water supplies?
- What are the arguments against fluoridation of water supplies?
- What are amalgam fillings made of, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
- What are white fillings made of, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
- How would you organise a campaign to improve dental health?
- How are NHS dentists funded? Is it the same for GPs?
- Should dental treatment be free on the NHS?
- What articles have you read recently about dentistry?
- What can you bring to this dental School?
- What precautions need to be taken with patients who are HIV positive?
- Who are the members of the dental team?
- How does teamwork apply to the role of a dentistry?
- What is the difference between tooth erosion and tooth decay?
- How would you carry out a root treatment?
- How would you handle a non-English speaking patient?
- What can you tell us about modern advances in dentistry?
- Why do you think so many NHS dentists are going private?
- Why do you want to study dentistry rather than Medicine?
- What are the differences between private and NHS dentistry?
- What is the role of the General Dental Council?
- Why do some people underestimate the value of their teeth?
- If taxpayers pay tax for dental students to become dentists do you think all dentists should have to work in the NHS for a certain number of years?
Interest & enthusiasm
- Do you read any dentistry journals or publications?
- Tell us about a significant recent advance in dentistry, and why do you find it interesting?
- What do you consider to be important advances in dentistry over the last 100 years?
- Tell us about something in the history of dentistry that interests you and why.
- Can you tell us about a book, film or a person that has influenced you?
- What do you think was the greatest public health advance of the 20th century?
- Tell me about a non-academic project you were involved in and how it went?
- If you had to have a gap year, and could go anywhere in the world or do anything, what would you chose to do, and why?
- How do you think the rise in IT will influence the practice of dentistry?
Teamwork
- Give us an example of when you worked as part of a team?
- Can you think of a team situation where your communication skills have been essential? Tell us more about the situation and how you contributed.
- Tell us about a group activity you have organised. What went well and what went badly? What did you learn from it?
- What have you learned about yourself and successful team-working?
- Describe a time when you had to lead a team of people?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of being in a team? Do you believe teams need leaders?
- Do you think humour can help a team? Give an example.
Work experience
- What experiences have given you insight into the world of Dentistry? What have you learnt from these?
- What aspect of your work experience did you find the most challenging, and why?
- In your work experience, what skills have you learnt that you can apply to Dentistry?
- Can you give us an example of how you coped with a conflict with a colleague or friend?
- If you had your own dental practice, what would you most like to organise differently, and why?
- What aspect of your work experience would you recommend to a friend thinking about applying for Dentistry, and why?
- What impressed you most about the dentists during your work experience?
- Can you think of a situation where good communication has been vital and give a reason why?
- During your work experience, can you tell us about a difficult situation you have dealt with and what you learned from it?
- Can you tell me the key things you learned from your work experience, in caring or other settings?
- What have you done on work experience/in employment previously? What would you change about what you saw, and how would you do this?
- What do you think would be the advantages, and difficulties, for a person with a major physical disability (e.g. blindness) wishing to become a dentist?
- Did anything surprise or shock you during your work experience placement?
Further information
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