Why dentistry?

This is pretty much a guaranteed question to come up in dental interviews, so it's best to practise this question as much as possible. Interviewers are trying to gauge if you have done your research around dentistry and if you are equipped with the skills to handle 4-5 years of dental school.

You want to make sure that you understand:

• That dentistry is a life-long commitment because it is always evolving
• The roles of a dentist and the duty of candour
• The hardships that come with dentistry and how you believe you will manage this in your future career
• The contribution to society, whether that be private or NHS dentistry

These are great talking points to mention, but to stand out you want to expand on your points. Instead of just saying that you want to contribute to society, say how you want to do that. Many people have dental phobia and avoid the dentist, maybe due to past traumatic experiences. You can say how you:

• Want to make dental visits comforting for people
• Want to debunk preconceived notions that the public has about dentists, making people more likely to attend appointments

Remember, this question is based on your experiences, so make it as unique as you can. Include personal experiences and reflect on them, show the interviewer why you would make a good dentist.

Suggested structure for this question:

• Mention when and how the interest in dentistry started
• Explain how you developed and solidified this interest further- work experience, exploring other career options (medicine, nursing), speaking to dentists
• Talk a little about work experience and how you reflected on what you saw- don't just say 'I saw the dentist explaining the treatment plan and asking for consent', mention what this has taught you about the profession, talk about how the dentist obtained valid consent and how important communication skills are, then link back to a time where you displayed your communication skills effectively
• Recognise the challenges of dentistry, relate to a personal challenging experience and how you overcame this, dentists need to be resilient
• Try to summarise your points and link back to how dentistry aligns with your personality, showing your confidence in your decision of becoming a dentist