Aberdeen Dentistry Interview Questions & Tips

Aberdeen provides an overview of recent question types and station themes. These provide us with a good overview through which we can segment many of the typical questions.
 
Research into undergraduate curricula and postgraduate training

• What attracts you to the course at Aberdeen?
• What do you think about the structure of the Aberdeen course?
• Are you prepared for independent study?
• How can you illustrate to us that you are a strong independent learner?
• What further training would you expect to take on after graduating?
• Where would you like your career in Dentistry to go?

 
Research into, then understanding of, the implications of a dental career

• What first led you to become interested in Dentistry?
• How have you researched the career?
• What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that dentists face in their day-to-day work?
• Why are you interested in studying Dentistry over Medicine?
• How did you select your work experience?
• Dentists have to show resilience to deal with their workload. How can you illustrate to us that you will be able to cope?
• Have you considered a career in research, or specialising in another way?

 
Experience of caring or other environments

• Tell us about work experience or volunteering that you have undertaken in a caring environment.
• Why do you think it’s so important for Dentistry applicants to have worked in a caring capacity?
• What would you highlight as the key learning points from your volunteering experience?

 
Consider a new situation and discuss their thoughts

• Imagine that you are a newly-qualified dentist. One of your patients has expressed concerns about their teeth, and stated that they are in constant pain. However, they refuse to let you examine them unless they can be sedated, explaining that they get very anxious ‘at the thought of anyone touching their teeth.’ How would you deal with this situation, and what are the key issues to consider?
• Imagine that you are a newly-qualified dentist, and one of your patients is a child of 10. They have severe decay in multiple teeth, and you believe that they need fillings. However, their mother refuses to provide consent for the procedure. How would you approach this situation?

 
Outline any learning points from previous experiences

• Tell us about your work experience.
• What surprised you most about what you say during your work experience?
• What impressed you the most during your work experience?
• Did your work experience change your perception of Dentistry?
• Tell us about a difficult situation that arose during your work experience and how it was dealt with.

 
Reflect upon their own and others’ skills and abilities

• What characteristics are most important to a dentist?
• What qualities did you note in the dentists that you shadowed during your work experience?
• What qualities do you note in yourself that you believe are essential to practising Dentistry?
• What skills or abilities do you think are your weak points, and how would you work to develop them?

 
Consider their potential contribution to the care of others

• How do you think you could make an impact on people’s lives through Dentistry?
• Are you planning on working in the NHS or privately?
• How could you have an impact on the profession of Dentistry?
• Do you think that a career in research or academia would be attractive to you?