Interview questions Flashcards
Why Do You Want to Study Dentistry?
-work experience
interest in science
-working with people and interacting with patients
If Your Application to Dental School is Unsuccessful What Would You Do?
- emphasising that you will stay committed
- would spend time in environments similar to Dentistry, such as volunteering at a care home. This will give you patient contact and help you to improve your communication skills.
What Are the Negative Aspects of Being a Dentist?
- An example of a negative aspect could be dealing with the tight time demands of being a Dentist. Describe a way in which you could overcome this, for example allocating the correct time required for procedures and not rushing
- dealing with anxious and phobic patients. This could be overcome by building a rapport with patients and working on your communication skills.
Do you believe that dental implants should be offered on the NHS?
◾Start by indicating that dental implants are a relatively new advancement in Dentistry and involve placing a fixed alternative to removable dentures.
◾In some cases, implants are currently being given to patients on the NHS. This is if they have a medical need such as no longer having the support structures in the mouth required for dentures.
◾Indicate that the cost of implants are very expensive due to the cost of the equipment and the high number of appointments needed with dentists.
How do you cope with work when you are being affected by personal problems?
- State the importance of putting your personal life to the side when you are practicing dentistry
- Talk about a situation, how you overcame it and what you learnt from the experience that you can apply to dentistry.
Do you believe that all dentistry performed in the NHS should be free?
◾Start by showing your knowledge of dentistry in the NHS currently, such as the different pay bands and what is included in each of them.
◾The NHS is currently only free to some, such as those on tax benefits, under 18 or pregnant.
◾Indicating that NHS dentistry should be free for everyone would mean that the funding would have to come from another source – so be prepared to discuss that.
◾Come to a balanced conclusion, weighing up the pros and cons of charging for dentistry in the NHS.
How would you go about treating a non-English speaking patient?
◾This question is testing your knowledge of communication and how it applied to dentistry so make sure your answer reflects this.
◾Think about non-verbal communication skills such as body language and eye contact. This will give you a clue as to how much your patient understands.
◾An important issue is informed consent. To tackle this you could hire a translator for the appointment to make sure that the patient understands the treatment, implications and benefits of the treatment.
