How dentistry interviews work
Most UK dental schools interview applicants before making offers. Like medicine, universities decide who to invite in different ways, often using some mix of predicted grades, admissions test results and the personal statement.
Many dental schools use multiple mini interviews (MMIs), a circuit of short stations each marked by a different assessor. Others use a panel interview, and some use a mix. Some run interviews online and others in person, and formats can change from year to year. Always check each dental school’s own interview page for its format and anything it asks you to prepare or bring.
If you are new to the format, our guide to what an MMI is explains how a circuit runs. The themes below apply whichever format you meet.
Why dentistry?
You will almost certainly be asked why you want to be a dentist, and the follow-ups go further than in many medicine interviews. Expect “Why not medicine?” and “Why not become a dental therapist or hygienist?”.
A strong answer shows you understand what a dentist actually does day to day. That might be the mix of science and precise practical work, building long-term relationships with patients, the chance to change how someone feels about their smile, or the link between oral health and the health of the rest of the body. Back it with something you saw or did.
Be honest about the harder parts too. Dentistry can be physically demanding, with long periods of close, careful work. Many dentists work in practices that are also small businesses, and patients are often anxious. Interviewers like candidates who have thought about the downsides and still want to do it.
Work experience and reflection
Shadowing in a dental practice is useful, but it can be hard to arrange. Many dental schools accept a range of experience, including other caring roles, volunteering and online programmes, so check each school’s guidance.
Whatever you did, focus on what you noticed. How did the dentist calm a nervous patient? How did the dental nurse and the dentist work together? What surprised you about the pace of the day or the paperwork? One or two moments explained well, with what you learned, are worth far more than a list. Keep patients anonymous.
Manual dexterity
Dentistry needs precise work with your hands in a small space, often while looking in a mirror. Interviewers want to know you have, or can build, that skill.
Some dental schools set a practical task at interview. Others simply ask you to talk about it. Either way, have a real example ready. Playing an instrument, drawing, sewing, model-making, baking and decorating, or crafts all count, as long as you can explain the precision involved, how you practised and how you know you have improved. Be ready for follow-ups such as “What would you do if a practical task went wrong?” and “How would you improve your dexterity before starting the course?”.
If you are asked to do a task, stay calm, talk through what you are doing, and keep going if it isn’t perfect. How you respond to a fiddly task matters as much as the result.
Communication and role play
A lot of dentistry is communication. Patients are often nervous, and many have had a bad experience before. At a role play station an actor might play an anxious adult, a frightened child, or a patient unhappy with treatment or a cancelled appointment.
Introduce yourself, find out what the person already knows and what is worrying them, and listen before you explain. Acknowledge how they feel. Use plain words: “a filling to repair the hole in your tooth”, not technical terms. Check they have understood and agree what happens next.
You might also be asked to explain something simply, such as how to brush properly to a child, why a patient who smokes is at greater risk of gum disease, or what energy drinks do to teeth. Keep it short, kind and free of jargon.
Ethics and professionalism
Dental ethics stations work like medical ones. There is a dilemma, and the interviewer wants your reasoning. Topics include consent, including for young people, confidentiality, honesty when something goes wrong, cosmetic treatment a patient may not need, and what to do if a colleague isn’t following infection control.
The four principles of medical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice) work just as well here. Name the issue, think about everyone involved, weigh the options and give a view you can defend. The General Dental Council, which regulates dental professionals in the UK, publishes Standards for the Dental Team, setting out what patients can expect. It is worth reading before your interview.
Safeguarding can come up too. A child who keeps missing appointments, or who has untreated decay, may need more than a reminder letter. Show you know concerns should be raised through the proper route.
NHS dentistry and public health
You should understand how dentistry fits into the health service. In England, NHS dental treatment is charged in bands depending on what you need, and some groups, such as children, are exempt. Charges work differently in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many dentists do both NHS and private work.
Access to NHS dentistry has been widely reported as a problem in parts of the UK, with some people struggling to find a dentist taking on NHS patients. Be ready to talk about why that matters and what might help, from prevention to how dentists are paid.
Prevention is a big theme. Water fluoridation, fluoride toothpaste, sugar in food and drinks, and the soft drinks levy are all topics you could be asked about. So is the move away from amalgam (silver) fillings for environmental reasons. You don’t need every detail, but you should be able to give both sides of an argument and land on a view.
The dental team
A dentist rarely works alone. Know the roles of the wider team: dental nurses, hygienists, therapists, dental technicians and orthodontic therapists. Teamwork stations might ask you to guide someone through a task, agree a plan, or respond when a dental nurse raises a concern. Respecting every member of the team, and listening to them, is part of the answer.
How to practise
Practise out loud, not just in your head. Saying your answer to someone who asks follow-ups shows you where it falls apart.
Start a few weeks before your interviews. Do a station or two most days across all the themes above, including the dexterity questions, which many applicants leave until last. Keep a short list of your best examples and practise fitting them to different questions.
Clarity has practice for each of these station types, with the brief to read first, a live interviewer who follows up on your answer, and feedback on what the assessor was listening for.