Birmingham Dentistry Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does Birmingham interview for dentistry?

Source: University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews (no year stated; revised after May 2026); University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews (web.archive.org copy, 7 December 2025) (no year stated; archived during the 2026 entry cycle); University of Birmingham, How will the Dental Surgery interviews work? (interviewer briefing) (2026 entry cycle (interviews 16 to 20 February 2026)); University of Birmingham, How will Dental Surgery interviews work? (candidate briefing) (2026 entry)

When are Birmingham dentistry interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews (no year stated; revised after May 2026); University of Birmingham, How to apply to Dentistry (no year stated); University of Birmingham, How will the Dental Surgery interviews work? (interviewer briefing) (2026 entry cycle (interviews 16 to 20 February 2026)); University of Birmingham, How will Dental Surgery interviews work? (candidate briefing) (2026 entry)

How does Birmingham decide who to interview?

Source: University of Birmingham, Selection for interview, Dentistry (no year stated); Admissions statistics as published on our Birmingham dental profile, from the university's figures (2026 entry)

What does Birmingham assess at a dentistry interview?

Source: University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews (no year stated; revised after May 2026); University of Birmingham, Preparing to apply (Dentistry) (refers to applicants for study in 2027); University of Birmingham, Successful Dental Applicants: non-academic offer requirements (no year stated; notice for 2027/28 applicants); University of Birmingham, Dental Surgery BDS course page (September 2027 entry; modules listed from 2027/28); General Dental Council, Standards for the Dental Team (effective from 30 September 2013); University of Birmingham, Applying to Dentistry (notice for 2027/28 applicants)

Motivation for the career, and why Birmingham

What Birmingham says: Birmingham lists motivation for the career first among the skills its MMI lets you demonstrate. University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews

Birmingham asks for an informed choice: you should know the profession, explain what drew you to it, and say how dentistry's careers compare with other healthcare roles. It will not consider an application to both dentistry and another healthcare programme such as medicine, so expect to be asked why you chose dentistry, and its 2026 candidate briefing suggested practising talking about your motivation with people of all ages. For the Birmingham part, use what the university publishes about its course: patients from the first year, your own patients by the end of the second, and training in an integrated dental hospital and school.

1. 1

   Why do you want to be a dentist, and how have you tested that decision?

   What to cover: Give your starting point in a sentence, then spend most of the answer on how you checked it: what you saw in practice, what surprised you and what could have put you off but did not. The assessor wants a decision you have examined for yourself.

2. 2

   Why dentistry and not medicine?

   What to cover: Talk about what dentistry gives you that medicine would not, such as carrying out treatment with your own hands from early in training, long relationships with patients in general practice, and seeing the result of your work straight away. Say something fair about medicine too, because running down another profession is a poor sign in a future colleague.

3. 3

   Why Birmingham?

   What to cover: Use two or three things Birmingham publishes about its course and explain why they suit the way you learn, such as meeting patients from year one or the computerised phantom head lab. Rankings tell the assessor nothing about you, so leave them out.

4. 4

   Birmingham students observe treatment from their first year and are treating their own patients by the end of their second. How do you feel about that responsibility at 19 or 20?

   What to cover: Admit the nerves, then be practical about how you would manage them: supervision, preparation, asking for help and knowing what you are not yet trained to do. Then say why you want that early contact anyway.

5. 5

   Birmingham asks applicants to know the career opportunities a dental degree leads to. Where could you be ten years after graduating?

   What to cover: Show you know the route: the BDS is followed by a year of foundation training before you can work in the NHS, and after that dentists work in general practice, community and salaried services, hospitals, specialties such as orthodontics, and teaching and research. Say which appeals to you now and why, while admitting it may change.

6. 6

   How is a dentist's working life different from a dental hygienist's or a dental therapist's?

   What to cover: Explain that hygienists and therapists are registered professionals with their own scope of practice, focused on prevention, gum health and some treatments, while the dentist carries the wider diagnosis and the more complex care. Then say why the dentist's role is the one you want, without making the others sound lesser.

7. 7

   Birmingham advises applicants not to put its Dental Hygiene and Therapy course as their fifth choice. Why do you think it says that?

   What to cover: Birmingham explains that its Dental Hygiene and Therapy admissions team looks for motivation for that programme specifically. Use that to show you understand it is a separate career with its own training, and talk briefly about what you have chosen as your fifth option and why.

8. 8

   Birmingham asks for work experience in an NHS or mixed NHS and private practice. What did you see there that you might not have seen in a fully private practice?

   What to cover: Talk about what you saw of NHS dentistry: the range of patients, appointment pressure, patients who had waited a long time, and how the team worked within NHS rules. Keep it to what you saw and be fair to private practice, which Birmingham says is a valuable addition to NHS experience.

9. 9

   What part of a dentist's job do you think you would find least rewarding?

   What to cover: Pick something real, such as paperwork, a fully booked day with no slack, or patients who do not follow advice, and say how you would cope with it. An answer that finds nothing difficult tells the assessor you have not looked closely.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why dentistry?"

Communication and empathy

What Birmingham says: Communication and empathy are both on Birmingham's list of MMI skills, and the university asks applicants to be confident communicating with a wide variety of people. University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews

Birmingham does not say which stations, if any, use an actor, so practise both talking to a person in a scenario and answering an assessor directly. Its Preparing to Apply page asks you to show an understanding of the empathy needed with different members of society, which in a dental chair often means fear, embarrassment and pain. Listen first, use plain words and check you have been understood.

10. 10

    A patient tells you they have not been to a dentist for ten years because they are frightened. Talk to them.

    What to cover: Thank them for coming, ask what frightens them most and listen to the answer before you reassure anyone. Then explain what will happen in small steps, agree a signal they can use to stop you, and let them set the pace.

11. 11

    Explain to a seven-year-old and their parent why the child needs a filling.

    What to cover: Speak to the child first in simple words and one picture they can hold on to, then give the parent the fuller explanation and the reason for it. Finish with what they can do at home so it does not happen again, without making the parent feel blamed.

12. 12

    A patient asks why their gums bleed when they brush. Explain it to them.

    What to cover: Bleeding gums are often a sign of gum inflammation caused by plaque along the gum line. Explain that in plain words, show what better cleaning looks like, and tell them it should settle when the cleaning improves, and that they should come back if it does not.

13. 13

    A patient is angry because they have been told the next NHS appointment is weeks away. What do you say?

    What to cover: Let them finish, acknowledge the frustration and apologise for the wait without blaming colleagues. Then be practical: find out whether this is urgent, and explain what they can do in the meantime, such as NHS 111 for urgent dental problems.

14. 14

    A patient who speaks little English has brought her 14-year-old son to interpret. What do you do?

    What to cover: Thank them both, but arrange a professional interpreter, because a child should not be asked to pass on clinical information about a parent and the patient may not say everything in front of him. Use plain words and check understanding by asking her to explain the plan back.

15. 15

    What is the difference between empathy and sympathy, and how would a patient tell which one you were showing?

    What to cover: Empathy is understanding how things look from the patient's side; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. A patient feels empathy when you ask about their worries and change what you do because of the answer. Our empathy and sympathy guide explains why a clinician needs the first.

16. 16

    A patient is embarrassed about the state of their teeth and keeps apologising. How do you respond?

    What to cover: Reassure them without fuss that you are there to help, not to judge, and move the conversation on to what they want from today. How you respond in the first minute decides whether they come back.

17. 17

    Birmingham's dental students look after interview candidates on the day and show them round. If you were that student, how would you help a nervous candidate feel at ease?

    What to cover: Talk about small things that work: introducing yourself by name, asking where they have travelled from, explaining what happens next and admitting what you found hard yourself. The same habits help a nervous patient, which is a good point to finish on.

Go deeper: MMI role-play stations

Self-insight and resilience

What Birmingham says: Self-insight is on Birmingham's list of MMI skills, and resilience is one of the values it says it wants its dentists to embrace. University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews

Birmingham says it expects a sophisticated understanding of how personal qualities relate to effective care, shown partly through your own experiences, and that you may be asked for details of your work experience placements. Prepare a few specific moments, what you noticed and what you now do differently. Birmingham also says activities outside healthcare can build the qualities a dentist needs, so a part-time job or a sport can carry an answer as well as a placement.

18. 18

    Birmingham expects applicants to understand how personal qualities relate to effective care, from their own experience. Which quality did you see matter most on your work experience?

    What to cover: Name one quality, describe the moment you saw it make a difference to a patient, and then say how you measure up to it yourself. The last part is where the self-insight shows.

19. 19

    Talk me through one moment from your work experience that changed how you think about dentistry.

    What to cover: Choose one moment and describe it in enough detail that the assessor can picture it, then say what you believe now that you did not before. Avoid listing every day of every placement.

20. 20

    Tell me about a time you got something wrong. What did you do next?

    What to cover: Choose a mistake that cost something, own your part in it plainly and say what you changed afterwards. Clinicians are expected to admit errors early, so showing that habit matters more than the story ending well.

21. 21

    What is a weakness that could matter for a dental student, and what are you doing about it?

    What to cover: Name a real one, such as perfectionism that slows you down or finding it hard to ask for help, and describe what you already do to manage it. A weakness that is secretly a strength is easy to spot.

22. 22

    The BDS takes five years, followed by a year of foundation training. How will you keep going when it gets hard?

    What to cover: Describe what has kept you going through something long before, such as an instrument, a sport or a long-term job, and the warning signs you watch for when you are struggling. Mention the support Birmingham describes, such as a personal academic tutor and the wellbeing team.

23. 23

    How do you take criticism of your practical work?

    What to cover: Give a real example of feedback on something you made or performed, how it felt and what you did with it. In dental school your clinical and lab work is checked constantly, so being able to hear it without taking it personally is a skill you will use every week.

24. 24

    The Dental Schools Council asks applicants to think about how intense dental courses are and how far they will be from their support network. What support will you have at Birmingham?

    What to cover: Birmingham quotes this advice on its Preparing to Apply page. Be specific about the people you will rely on, how you will stay in touch, and what you will do in the first term to build a group around you at university.

25. 25

    What have you done outside healthcare that taught you something a dentist needs?

    What to cover: Birmingham says it recognises activities outside healthcare, giving the example of making rational decisions and communicating them with compassion. Pick one activity, give a single example of that skill, and link it to a patient you could imagine meeting.

Go deeper: Dentistry work experience guide

Ethical reasoning and professional standards

What Birmingham says: Birmingham names ethical reasoning among its MMI skills, and advises applicants to prepare by familiarising themselves with the professionalism and ethical standards dentists are held to. University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews

The standards Birmingham means are the General Dental Council's Standards for the Dental Team: students are introduced to them in their first week and expected to follow them throughout the course, and Law and Ethics is a first-year module. Learn the nine principles well enough to use them in an answer. Our guide to the nine GDC principles sets them out, and in a scenario say what matters, what you would want to find out, what you would do and why.

26. 26

    Birmingham introduces students to the GDC's Standards for the Dental Team in their first week. Which of the nine principles do you think would be hardest to keep as a student?

    What to cover: Choose one principle, explain why it would be hard in practice, and say what you would do to keep it anyway. Picking a principle that is easy for you misses the point of the question.

27. 27

    A patient with capacity refuses an extraction that you think they need. What do you do?

    What to cover: Make sure they understand what refusing could mean, explore their reasons, offer other options and record the conversation, then respect the decision. Our consent guide covers what makes consent valid.

28. 28

    A 15-year-old comes to the practice alone with toothache and asks you not to tell her parents. What are the issues?

    What to cover: Think about whether she understands the treatment well enough to consent for herself, her right to confidentiality, and whether anything suggests she is at risk. Our Gillick competence guide explains the test clinicians use.

29. 29

    A patient with dementia arrives with their carer for a check-up and seems unsure why they are there. How do you approach consent?

    What to cover: Capacity is judged for each decision at the time it is made, so start by assuming they may be able to decide, explain simply and give them time. If they cannot decide, act in their best interests with the carer's help; our capacity guide sets out the steps.

30. 30

    On work experience you notice a dentist does not change gloves between two patients. What do you do?

    What to cover: Patient safety comes first, so you cannot ignore it. As a visitor, raise it quietly with the dentist or the practice manager afterwards, and if nothing changes, the GDC's principle on raising concerns applies to everyone in the dental team.

31. 31

    A friend on your course posts a photo from clinic with a patient's X-ray visible on the screen. What do you do?

    What to cover: Treat it as a breach of confidentiality whatever they intended. Ask them to take it down at once and report it if they refuse; our confidentiality guide explains where the line sits.

32. 32

    A patient asks for veneers on healthy teeth after seeing them on social media. How do you handle it?

    What to cover: Find out what they want and why, explain clearly what veneers involve, which often means removing some healthy tooth surface and maintaining them for life, and offer less invasive options. Putting patients' interests first is the GDC's first principle, and it can mean advising against what someone has asked for.

33. 33

    Birmingham requires every dental student to be screened for blood-borne viruses before starting the course. Why do you think a dental school checks this?

    What to cover: Dental treatment involves sharp instruments inside a patient's mouth, and a clinician's injury could expose a patient to infection. Show you understand that patient safety sits behind the rule, and that national guidance on clinicians with blood-borne viruses has been revised over time as treatment has improved.

34. 34

    A student in your year tells you they copied part of a lab report. What do you do?

    What to cover: Encourage them to own up and be clear you cannot pretend you do not know. Birmingham dental students sign a Fitness to Practise Code of Conduct when they start and are expected to follow the GDC's Standards for the Dental Team from their first week, so integrity in your own work matters from day one.

Go deeper: Dentistry ethical scenarios

Manual dexterity

What Birmingham says: Birmingham says its interview judges suitability for dentistry alongside manual dexterity, and lists manual dexterity among the skills its MMI lets you demonstrate. University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews

Birmingham names manual dexterity in its interview description but does not say what that part involves, whether a hands-on task, a discussion or both, so prepare for either. Be ready to describe how you have built fine motor skill over time and how you know it has improved. If you are asked to do something with your hands, work steadily, keep talking if you are invited to, and choose accuracy over speed.

35. 35

    How have you developed your manual dexterity, and how do you know it has improved?

    What to cover: Name one or two activities you have kept up for a long time, describe the fine, careful part of each, and give evidence of progress you can see. A sustained hobby is more convincing than a single taster session.

36. 36

    Why does a dentist need good manual dexterity, beyond being good with their hands?

    What to cover: Talk about working accurately in a small, wet space, using a mirror, controlling pressure through instruments, keeping steady when a patient moves and protecting your own posture over a long career.

37. 37

    Dentists often work using a mirror, where the image is reversed. How would you start practising that?

    What to cover: Suggest something simple you could try, such as drawing or tracing using only a reflection, and say what you would expect to find hard. Then mention that dental schools teach this systematically on simulators before students treat patients.

38. 38

    Birmingham trains students in a computerised phantom head lab before they treat patients. Why do dental schools teach on simulators first?

    What to cover: Because procedures such as drilling cannot be undone, students need to build skill and confidence where mistakes harm nobody. Add that simulation lets tutors check your work closely and lets you repeat a procedure until it is safe.

39. 39

    Suppose a station asked you to do a fiddly task with your hands while talking to the assessor. How would you approach it?

    What to cover: Read or listen to the instructions twice, plan before you start, and say what you are doing if talking is allowed. If it goes wrong, stay calm and correct it, because the way you recover tells the assessor more than a perfect result.

40. 40

    Can manual dexterity be taught, or are some people born with it?

    What to cover: Give a balanced view: people start from different places, but fine motor skill improves a great deal with deliberate practice and feedback, which is why dental schools spend so long on it. Use your own improvement as evidence.

41. 41

    Tell me about a time a practical task went wrong. What did you do?

    What to cover: Choose a real example from a hobby, a lab or a job, describe the moment it went wrong and what you changed the next time. Dental students redo practical work regularly, so showing you can keep going matters.

42. 42

    In the second year your practical work is slower than other students'. What do you do?

    What to cover: Ask your tutor exactly where the time is going, practise the specific step that slows you down and track whether it improves. Tutors will want safe, careful work first, and speed usually follows with practice.

Go deeper: The dentistry degree (BDS) explained

Leadership and the dental team

What Birmingham says: Leadership is on Birmingham's list of the skills its MMI lets you demonstrate. University of Birmingham, Dentistry Interviews

A dentist leads a team, and Birmingham teaches it formally: the third year includes a module called Professionalism and Teamwork. Birmingham also asks applicants to show they can acquire the NHS value of working together for patients. Know who is in the dental team and what each person does, and have one example of leading and one of being led.

43. 43

    Who is in the dental team, and what does each member do?

    What to cover: Name the registered dental professionals, such as dental nurses, hygienists, therapists, technicians, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists, and say in a sentence what each does. All of them are registered with the GDC and follow the same Standards for the Dental Team.

44. 44

    A dental nurse tells you she thinks the wrong tooth is marked for extraction. What do you do?

    What to cover: Stop, thank her and check the records and the patient together before anything else happens. Removing the wrong tooth cannot be undone, and a team where the nurse feels able to speak up is a safer team.

45. 45

    Tell me about a time you led a group. What would the group say about you?

    What to cover: Describe what you did as leader, such as setting a plan, sharing the work and dealing with a problem, and be specific about one decision. Then be fair about what the group would say, including one thing you would do differently.

46. 46

    If dental therapists can carry out some fillings, what does the dentist lead?

    What to cover: Explain that each professional works within the scope of practice the GDC sets, and that the dentist is responsible for diagnosis, treatment planning and the more complex care. Leading means making sure each task goes to the right person and that the plan holds together.

47. 47

    You are leading a group project and one member is not doing their share. What do you do?

    What to cover: Talk to them privately first to find out why, because there may be a reason you do not know. Agree something specific, and only take it further if nothing changes.

48. 48

    When is it right for a junior member of a team to challenge a senior one?

    What to cover: When a patient could come to harm, always; otherwise, by asking a question and giving a reason, then accepting a good answer. Our whistleblowing guide covers the formal routes.

49. 49

    How would you make sure a dental nurse felt valued in a practice you ran?

    What to cover: Talk about small, regular things: using their name, explaining your plan before a procedure, thanking them, asking for their view and supporting their training. Then say why it matters for patients when the nurse feels part of the team.

50. 50

    Birmingham's third year includes a module called Professionalism and Teamwork. Why would a dental school teach teamwork formally?

    What to cover: Because by then students are treating patients with nurses and other colleagues, and poor teamwork leads to mistakes, stress and worse care. Link it to something you saw on work experience, such as how a nurse and dentist worked together without needing to speak.

Go deeper: A career in dentistry

Commitment to quality of care: NHS dentistry and oral health

What Birmingham says: Birmingham asks applicants to show commitment to and understanding of the need to work for the benefit of others in the wider community, and that they can acquire NHS values including commitment to quality of care. University of Birmingham, Preparing to apply (Dentistry)

Birmingham describes its region as one of the UK's largest healthcare regions and its patients as diverse, and the course teaches public health in the second year and children's dentistry in the fourth. Its dentistry pages also carry a notice for 2027/28 applicants about the government's plan to require new dentists to work in the NHS for a minimum period. Know how NHS dentistry is paid for, why access is difficult in many areas, and why oral health differs between communities, and give balanced views.

51. 51

    Birmingham tells 2027/28 applicants that the government plans to require newly qualified dentists to work in the NHS for a minimum period. How do you feel about that?

    What to cover: Give a balanced view: the case for it in terms of access and public investment in training, and the questions it raises about choice and how it would work. Birmingham says the details are still to come from the Department of Health and Social Care, so do not invent them.

52. 52

    What is a UDA, and why has the NHS dental contract in England been criticised?

    What to cover: A unit of dental activity is how the 2006 contract measures NHS work, with each band of treatment worth a set number of units. Explain the main criticism, that payment does not always reflect the work a patient needs, and read our UDA guide before the day.

53. 53

    Why do some people find it hard to see an NHS dentist, and what could improve access?

    What to cover: Talk about how the contract affects which patients practices can take on, workforce pressures and gaps in some areas, then give one or two realistic improvements. Our NHS dental contract reform guide covers the latest changes.

54. 54

    Why is tooth decay more common in some communities than others?

    What to cover: Link it to the wider causes of poor health, such as diet, income, access to care, health literacy and fluoride exposure, and say which a dentist can influence. Our health inequalities guide gives the framework.

55. 55

    Should fluoride be added to drinking water across the UK?

    What to cover: Set out the evidence that fluoride helps prevent decay and the argument that a community scheme reaches people who never see a dentist, then the objections about choice and consent. Some parts of England already have fluoridated water and most do not, so come to a view and explain why.

56. 56

    How would you improve children's oral health in a large city?

    What to cover: Think about prevention that reaches children where they are: supervised toothbrushing in nurseries and schools, fluoride varnish, advice on sugary drinks and making it easy for families to register with a dentist. Tooth decay in young children is largely preventable, which makes it a good place to start.

57. 57

    Should the sugar tax be extended to other products?

    What to cover: Explain what the soft drinks levy was designed to do and weigh the case for extending it against the arguments about cost to families and personal choice. Our sugar tax guide has the background.

58. 58

    Is it fair for a dentist trained with public money to work mostly in private practice?

    What to cover: Give both sides: training is publicly funded and access to NHS care is limited in many areas, but dentists, like other professionals, can choose where they work, and private care also meets patients' needs. Then link it to the government's plan that Birmingham describes for new dentists from 2027/28.

Go deeper: Current NHS dentistry hot topics