100 Dentistry Interview Preparation Questions
Got a dentistry interview coming up and unsure where to start? One thing we always recommend is writing model answers to common questions that have come up in the past.
Table of Contents
ToggleBelow is a list of dentistry interview questions our team have compiled for you to use.
🌟 Motivation for Dentistry Interview Questions
This is a favourite for many dental schools and often they’ll have an interviewer who grills you on the single question of “why dentistry” for 5 minutes! Here are some important questions involving other specialties and the multidisciplinary nature of dentistry.
- Why do you want to do dentistry?
- What are the pros and cons of dentistry?
- What do you want to specialise in?
- Why would you work in a dental practice?
- Do you have any insight into the field of dentistry?
- Why would you want to be a dentist in a hospital?
- What do you wish to achieve in your career in dentistry, aside from clinical practice?
- Describe some health professionals that work alongside dentists, and explain what they do.
- What do nurses do?
- Why do you want to be a dentist rather than a nurse?
- Describe an interesting dental development in recent times.
- What extracurricular activities have you done relating to science and dentistry?
- Discuss an interesting project, talk or article you have come across recently.
- What are the key qualities a good dentist should have?
- What are some of the challenges of being a dentist?
- Do you read any dental publications?
- Who do you consider to be the most important member of the dental team?
- What do you know about the changing technologies in dentistry? Which do you think will have the biggest impact?
- How much do you think dentistry impacts the patient’s wider quality of life?
- Can you tell us about any particular life experiences that you think may help or hinder you in a career in dentistry?
- How would you dissuade someone from going into dentistry?
- When you think about becoming a dentist, what do you look forward to most and least?
- What impact do you hope to make in the field of dentistry?
🤔 Personality Dentistry Interview Questions
Here you will be able to learn how to display your compassion, empathy and organisation skills which will make you a perfect dentist.
- What ways of working and studying have you developed that you think will assist you through dental school? What will you need to improve?
- How do you think you will cope with criticism from colleagues or other health professionals?
- Is there such a thing as positive criticism?
- What are your outside interests and hobbies? How do these compliment you as a person? Which do you think you will continue at university?
- Tell us two personal qualities you have which would make you a good dentist, and two personal shortcomings which you think you would like to overcome as you become dentist?
- Dental training is long and being a dentist can be stressful. Some dentists who qualify never practice. What makes you think you will stick to it?
dental training is long and being a dentist can be stressful. Some dentists who qualify never practice. What makes you think you will stick to it? - What do you think are your priorities in your own personal development?
- What qualities do you lack that would be useful for a dentist, and what do you intend to do about this?
- What qualities do you think other people value in you?
- How do you think other people would describe you?
- Which of your qualities do other people find frustrating? What might you do about this?
- You will probably have got high marks throughout school. On this dental course, most marks are awarded as ‘satisfactory’ or not. How will you feel about seeming ‘average’ in this new situation?
- How will you cope with the death of a patient as a result of your mistakes?
- Think of a time when you had to say ‘sorry’ to someone. How did that change your relationship with that person?
- Some people are always very certain that what they believe is right. Some people are never certain. What kind of person are you in this regard?
- What makes a good working relationship?
- Give us an example of something about which you used to hold strong opinions, but have had to change your mind. What made you change?
- Thinking about your membership of a team (in a work, sport, school or other setting), can you tell us about the most important contributions you made to the team?
- Tell us about a group activity you have organised. What went well and what went badly? What did you learn from it?
- Which quality required for dentistry do you feel that you need to work on most?
- Do you feel that your academic and scientific skills, or your people skills are more important for dentistry?
- What are the key things to remember when talking to someone with a different viewpoint? (e.g. a patient who does not believe that they require treatment)
🏢 Work Experience Dentistry Interview Questions
- In your work experience, what skills have you learnt that you can apply to dentistry?
- What aspect of your work experience did you find the most challenging, and why?
- 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?
- What have you done on work experience/ in employment previously? What would you change about what you saw, if you could, and how would you set about
- Thinking of your work experience, can you tell me about a difficult situation you have dealt with and what you learned from it?
- What impressed you most about the dentists in your work experience?
- What aspect of your work experience would you recommend to a friend thinking about dentistry, and why?
- Reflect on what you have seen of hospitals or a healthcare environment. What would you most like to organise differently, and why?
- Can you give me an example of how you coped with a conflict with a colleague or friend; what strategy did you use and why?
- How did you find the fact that dentists only get 10 minutes per consultation?
- What are the challenges of being a dentist?
- Do you feel that the public’s perception of dentists is misrepresentative
- What did you notice about the skills dentists needed when they were carrying out a patient history?
- What did you notice about the dentists you were shadowing in their approach to patients?
- During the dentist’s conversations with patients, do you think that there was anything that they could improve?
- How did patients tend to react to bad news? How would you manage this?
- Did you witness any procedures that did not go to plan? How did the dental team cope with this?
- What did you learn from your work experience in the dental hospital?
- What is the difference between NHS and Private Dentistry?
- What did you learn from your work experience in the orthodontic clinic?
Kickstart your Dentistry Interview Prep
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⚖️ NHS Dentistry Interview Questions
It is essential as a dental applicant that you know how the NHS fits into dentistry and how it works. There have been many contentious issues recently such as labour’s plan to make Band 1 treatment free and also areas like the sugar tax.
- What do you know about the traffic light system, and what are your opinions on it?
- What are your thoughts on the recent sugar tax?
- What are some alternatives of the sugar tax?
Should fluoridation of water occur? - How should money be invested into dentistry for the NHS?
- Should dental treatment be free on the NHS?
- What changes have there been in dentistry over the past 100 years?
- What are the differences between private and NHS Dentistry?
- What are some of the reasons patients choose private treatment for their teeth over NHS?
- Should dental treatment be free for patients on the NHS?
- Give differences between the NHS systems in different countries in the UK
- What is an NHS trust and how do they work?
- Could you talk me through what would qualify as a Band 3 treatment?
- What are your thoughts on the current NHS Dental Contract and the system of Units of Dental Activity?
- How do price bands work for treatment under the NHS?
- When would a dental appointment be free, even when patients are not exempt?
- Who qualifies for free dental treatment?
🦷 Dental Conditions Interview Questions
It is important to know about some conditions in dentistry as if you have mentioned them on your personal statement, interviewers are within their rights to quiz you about it on interview day.
- Why do some people underestimate the value of their teeth?
- As well as undervaluing their teeth, many can’t access dental care. Why is this?
- What do you know about gum disease?
- What do you know about how diabetes affects the teeth?
- What do you know about oral cancer?
- What do you know about preventative dentistry?
- Could you tell me a little more about root canal treatment?
- What do you know about amalgam?
- One of the biggest problems to to teeth is smoking. What do you know about this?
- Do you think we should ban tobacco in the UK?
- What are the differences between composite and amalgam?
- What is a crown and what are they made of?
- What determines the survival of a tooth?
- Should tobacco be banned?
- What can be done if a tooth has died?
- Do you think the cultural attitude towards dentition has changed?
- How does alcohol affect the oral cavity?
- Give risk factors for oral cancer
- Describe how you would tell a patient that their tooth needs to be extracted.
For last minute dentistry interview preparation, try our dentistry interview crash course.
Frequently Asked Question
✨ When do dental schools give out offers?
This year is very unique as dental schools are interviewing online. It is difficult to tell but from our research most universities will inform you if you have been accepted within 3-4 weeks. If you haven’t heard back from your dental school don’t worry – It doesn’t mean you haven’t gotten in.
🤷 How will dentistry interviews be different in 2023?
It is likely that in 2023, your dentistry interview will be in-person. However, there may be some universities where it may take place asynchronously where you send in a recording and it is later reviewed or it is performed on software like Teams or Zoom. Make sure you read all the information the university gives you in detail so you don’t miss out on anything.
🧩 How should I structure my dentistry interview question answers?
The best place to start with dentistry interview question preparation is this guide. It should give you a great starting point that you can build from. Use this and write model answers to each question to prepare for your dental school interview.
🧰 How do I prepare for a dental school interview?
To prepare for a dental school interview, you should research the school and the program, review common interview questions, practice answering questions out loud, dress professionally, and be prepared to discuss your experiences and qualifications.
💡 What are some common questions asked in a dental school interview?
Some common questions asked in a dental school interview include: Why do you want to be a dentist? What experiences have you had in dentistry? How do you handle stress and pressure? What are your long-term goals in the dental field? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
📝 Can I ask questions during a dental school interview?
Yes, asking questions during a dental school interview is encouraged. It shows that you are engaged and interested in the program. However, be sure to prepare questions in advance and avoid asking questions that can be easily answered by researching the program beforehand.
🔎 What is the purpose of a dental school interview?
The purpose of a dental school interview is to assess a candidate’s qualifications, experiences, and personality. It allows the admissions committee to get a better sense of who the candidate is and whether they would be a good fit for the program.
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