Liverpool Dentistry Interview Questions & Tips

Liverpool provides an overview of what they are looking for in their applicants. This overview allows us to segment past questions and sample questions as follows. Additionally, from previous applicants’ experiences, you should expect an ethical station.

Knowledge of, and insight into, the Profession, with emphasis on work experience and observation

• Tell us about your work experience. What stood out to you?
• How did you organise your work experience?
• Do you feel that your work experience provided you with a sufficient variety of insights into Dentistry?
• Tell us about one interesting procedure that you saw during your work experience.
• Tell us about a challenging situation that you observed during your work experience.
• What would you change about the practice that you shadowed at?
• What skills or qualities did you note in the dentists that you observed during your work experience?
• What other team members were present during your work experience, beyond dentists or student dentists?

 
Evidence of a caring attitude and awareness of the values in the NHS Constitution

• Tell us about a caring role or volunteering position that you took on.
• Tell us about one of the values in the NHS Constitution, its importance and what it means to you.
• Tell us about a time when you showed compassion to someone.
• Tell us about a time when you dealt with an angry friend or colleague.
• Did you have a mentoring role at school? If so, how did you get that role and what did you learn from it?

​​​Evidence of motivation and commitment
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• Tell us why you want to be a dentist.
• Why are you passionate about a career in Dentistry rather than in Medicine or another health profession?
• What experiences have you had that have enhanced your desire to become a Dentist?
• Are you interested in working in the NHS or privately?
• What have you done to prepare for a career in dentistry, beyond your work experience?
• What publications, newspapers, books or other sources of information on the world of health and dentistry do you read?

 
Ethical Station
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• What is the role of the General Dental Council?
• Have you come across any examples of poor professional behaviour from dentists?
• Imagine that you are on placement, in your second year of dentistry here at Liverpool. Your tutor is frequently being curt or insolent to patients, refusing to answer their questions and asking them to be quiet if they talk too much. He tells you in between sessions that, ‘patients do have a tendency to talk at you.’ You note that many of the patients seem upset or frustrated by his attitude, understandably. How would you deal with this situation, and what elements of it are most important to consider?
• Imagine that you are a newly qualified dentist. One of your patients has severe tooth decay, with signs of infection, and needs treatment immediately. However, they say that they don’t believe they need fillings, and that they expect their teeth to heal naturally. Please role play how you would approach this situation. Your interviewer will play the role of the patient.
• Imagine that you are studying Dentistry here. One of your friends is normally hard working, and doing well. However, they have recently begun drinking heavily, not handing in assignments on time, and even showing up to university still drunk. How would you speak to them? Please role play this scenario – your interviewer will play the role of your friend. ​