Queen's Belfast Dentistry Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does Queen's interview for dentistry?

Source: Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry); Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS (A200) course page (2027 entry; modules listed for 2026/27); Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry MMIs: online interview candidate information page (no year stated); Queen's University Belfast, Medicine MMIs page (about medicine, not dentistry) (2027 entry (medicine))

When are Queen's Belfast dentistry interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS (A200) course page (2027 entry; modules listed for 2026/27); Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry); Queen's University Belfast, Centre for Dentistry: About (no year stated); Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry MMIs: online interview candidate information page (no year stated); Queen's University Belfast, Medicine MMIs page (about medicine, not dentistry) (2027 entry (medicine))

How does Queen's decide who to interview?

Source: Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry); Admissions statistics as published on our Queen's Belfast dental profile, from the university's figures (2024 entry (home applicants))

What does Queen's assess at a dentistry interview?

Source: Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry); Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2026 Entry (PDF) (2026 entry); Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS (A200) course page (2027 entry; modules listed for 2026/27); Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS course page (web.archive.org copy, 11 January 2026) (2026 entry); Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry MMIs: online interview candidate information page (no year stated)

Commitment to dentistry and sustained motivation, and why Queen's

What Queen's Belfast says: Queen's says that when selecting candidates at interview it values commitment to dentistry, sustained motivation and strong communication skills. Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS (A200) course page

Queen's asks you to state explicitly in your personal statement that dentistry is your career choice, and it will not consider anyone for both medicine and dentistry, so expect the interview to test how firm that choice is. The word sustained matters: Queen's wants motivation that has lasted and been tested over time. For the Queen's part of an answer, use what it publishes about its course: clinical practice from the first year, the Clinical Techniques Laboratory and haptic simulators, and your own adult and child patients in the dental school and outreach clinics in the final years.

1. 1

   Why do you want to be a dentist, and how did you check the job was right for you?

   What to cover: Give your starting point in a sentence, then spend most of the answer on how you tested it: what you saw, who you asked and what could have put you off but did not. The interviewer is listening for a decision you made with your eyes open.

2. 2

   Why dentistry and not medicine?

   What to cover: Talk about what dentistry offers that medicine would not, such as carrying out treatment with your own hands from early in training and long relationships with patients in general practice. Queen's will not consider you for both, so show the choice is settled, and say something fair about medicine too.

3. 3

   Why Queen's?

   What to cover: Use two or three things Queen's publishes about its course and explain why they suit the way you learn, such as clinical practice from year one or the haptic simulators in the Clinical Techniques Laboratory. League tables tell the interviewer nothing about you, so leave them out.

4. 4

   Queen's looks for sustained motivation. What have you done over a long period that shows your interest in dentistry has lasted?

   What to cover: Choose things you have kept up over months or years, such as volunteering, a long-running conversation with a dentist you know, or reading you have returned to. Show how your understanding grew over that time, because a single week of shadowing cannot show staying power on its own.

5. 5

   Queen's does not require work experience in a dental clinical setting. If you had no placement, how would you show insight into the profession?

   What to cover: Queen's says it expects insight and enthusiasm in place of a placement, so talk about what you did instead: speaking to dental professionals, volunteering with people who need care, and reading the GDC's standards. Then say what you learnt from each one and how it changed your picture of the job.

6. 6

   What does a dentist do in a working day apart from treating teeth?

   What to cover: Think about records and consent, prevention advice, leading the dental nurse and other team members, referrals, keeping up with training and, for many, running a practice as a business. Showing you know the unglamorous parts makes your motivation more believable.

7. 7

   Queen's says most of its graduates complete a year of dental foundation training. Where could your career go after that?

   What to cover: Queen's names general dental practice, specialist training, hospital, community, the armed forces and academic dentistry. Say which appeals to you now and why, and admit it may change once you have seen more of the course.

8. 8

   If you do not get a place in dentistry this year, what will you do?

   What to cover: Give a realistic plan you would carry out, whether reapplying with more experience or another course you would want to study, and explain why. Queen's limits applicants to four attempts at dentistry in all, so show you have thought about how to use the next year well.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why dentistry?"

Awareness of the demands of the course and profession

What Queen's Belfast says: Queen's 2027 admissions policy lists awareness of the demands of the course and profession among the four things its interviews are designed to test. Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF)

This heading asks whether you know what five years of dental training at Queen's involve and what the job asks of you afterwards. Queen's describes biomedical and behavioural sciences in the first two years alongside core clinical skills, your own restorative patients from the third year, and the full range of treatment for adults and children in the fourth and fifth. It publishes no manual dexterity task at interview, but its course trains dexterity in the Clinical Techniques Laboratory, so be ready to talk about how you have built fine motor skill.

9. 9

   What do you know about how the dentistry course at Queen's is structured?

   What to cover: Queen's describes foundations in the biomedical and behavioural sciences and core clinical skills in years one and two, treatment of your own restorative patients in year three, and the full range of treatment for adult and child patients in years four and five, partly in outreach clinics. Show you know the shape and say which stage you are most looking forward to.

10. 10

    Queen's students use the Clinical Techniques Laboratory throughout the course, with extra sessions on haptic dental simulators. Why do dental schools teach on simulators before patients?

    What to cover: Most of what a dentist does to a tooth cannot be undone, so students build control and judgement where a mistake harms nobody. Add that simulation lets tutors check your work closely and lets you repeat a step until it is safe.

11. 11

    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. Queen's publishes no dexterity test at interview, so this is where you show the skill in words.

12. 12

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

    What to cover: Suggest something simple you could try, such as tracing a shape by looking only at its reflection, and say what you would expect to find hard. Then say that dental schools teach this step by step in the laboratory before students treat patients.

13. 13

    Queen's teaches ergonomics, posture and back health in the first year. Why would a dental school teach that so early?

    What to cover: Dentists spend long days leaning over patients in fixed positions, and poor posture can cause back and neck problems that shorten a career. Show you understand that looking after your own body is part of being able to care for patients for forty years.

14. 14

    Dental students carry out exposure prone procedures, and Queen's requires health clearance for blood-borne viruses before you start. Why?

    What to cover: Queen's explains that these are procedures where an injury to the clinician could expose the patient to the clinician's blood, such as working with sharp instruments inside the mouth. Show you see patient safety behind the rule, and note that Queen's says people with a blood-borne virus who are successfully treated and monitored can become eligible.

15. 15

    From the third year you start treating your own patients. What do you expect to find hardest about that step?

    What to cover: Be specific: the first time a patient is nervous of you, a procedure taking longer than planned, or knowing when to stop and ask your supervisor. Then say what you have done that gives you a small start, and why you want the responsibility anyway.

16. 16

    Queen's says it has introduced digital dentistry techniques to its course. What do you understand by digital dentistry?

    What to cover: Talk in general terms about digital X-rays, scanning teeth in place of traditional impressions, and designing and making restorations by computer. Then say why a course would teach it: Queen's links it to current best practice and patient-centred care.

Go deeper: The dentistry degree (BDS) explained

Interpersonal skills and communication

What Queen's Belfast says: Interpersonal skills are one of the four areas Queen's says its dentistry interviews are designed to test, and its course page asks for strong communication skills. Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF)

Queen's does not say whether any part of its dentistry interview uses an actor, so practise both speaking to a person in a scenario and answering an interviewer directly. Its first-year Clinical and Professional Skills module teaches communication with patients, parents, children and the dental team, including history taking and giving oral hygiene instruction, which tells you the range of people a dental student talks to. Listen first, use plain words and check you have been understood.

17. 17

    A patient tells you they have not seen 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 them. Then explain what will happen in small steps, agree a signal they can use to stop you, and let them set the pace.

18. 18

    Queen's teaches first-year students to give oral hygiene instruction. Explain to a 12-year-old how to brush properly.

    What to cover: Keep it short and practical, show them instead of only telling them, and ask them to show you back. Find out what gets in the way at home, such as rushing in the morning, because advice they cannot follow will not change anything.

19. 19

    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. Say that in plain words, show what better cleaning looks like, and tell them to come back if it does not settle.

20. 20

    A patient is angry because the next appointment for their treatment 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 the problem is urgent and explain what they can do in the meantime.

21. 21

    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 pass on clinical information about a parent and she may not say everything in front of him. Use plain words and check understanding by asking her to explain the plan back.

22. 22

    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.

23. 23

    How would you adapt the way you speak for a patient with a learning disability who has come with a carer?

    What to cover: Speak to the patient first, give them more time, use short sentences and pictures, and ask the carer what helps without talking over the patient. Presume they can take part in decisions until there is good reason to think otherwise.

24. 24

    International applicants to Queen's interview online. If your interview were on a screen, how would you make sure you came across well?

    What to cover: Queen's own checklist asks for a quiet, uninterrupted space, a plain background, a working camera and microphone, enough battery and a completed test interview, so start there, then add looking at the camera when you speak. If the connection drops, calmly say where you had got to and carry on; our virtual interview tips cover the rest.

Go deeper: Role-play stations and how to approach them

Professionalism and ethical standards

What Queen's Belfast says: Professionalism is one of the four areas in Queen's 2027 interview list, and its course page says successful applicants show a clear understanding of the professional and ethical standards required of safe dental practitioners. Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF)

Queen's asks every applicant to be familiar with two General Dental Council documents: its guidance on student fitness to practise and its standards for dental professionals, which the GDC publishes as the Standards for the Dental Team. Queen's teaches healthcare ethics and professionalism in the first year, its clinical modules ask students to show the behaviours of the GDC's Safe Practitioner Framework, and its students sign a Student Agreement every year that stresses professional behaviour. Learn the nine GDC principles, and in a scenario say what matters, what you would want to find out, what you would do and why.

25. 25

    Queen's asks applicants to read the GDC's guidance on student fitness to practise. What kind of behaviour by a dental student could raise a concern?

    What to cover: Think about dishonesty, breaches of confidentiality, unsafe practice and behaviour outside the course such as a criminal conviction. Then say why the GDC cares: dental students treat real patients, so the public has to be able to trust them from the start.

26. 26

    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.

27. 27

    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.

28. 28

    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.

29. 29

    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 remember that the GDC's principle on raising concerns applies to everyone in the dental team.

30. 30

    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.

31. 31

    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.

32. 32

    Queen's says dentistry needs a high level of integrity and trust, and that UCAS checks personal statements for similarity. A friend offers to let you copy parts of theirs. What do you do?

    What to cover: Say no, and explain why: Queen's writes to applicants whose statements trigger a similarity warning and asks for an explanation, but the bigger point is that a profession built on trust starts with your own application. Offer to read their statement and swap feedback instead.

Go deeper: Dentistry ethical scenarios

Self-management, resilience and reflection

What Queen's Belfast says: Self-management is one of the four areas Queen's says its interviews are designed to test, and its course page says successful applicants show resilience and the ability to reflect on experiences. Queen's University Belfast, Admission Policy Statement for Dentistry for 2027 Entry (PDF)

Self-management covers how you organise yourself, look after your wellbeing and respond when things go wrong. Queen's says feedback on your practical and clinical work is recorded on an e-portfolio throughout the five years, that personal tutors are among the people who give you feedback, and that the Centre for Dentistry offers pastoral support from academic staff and senior clinicians alongside the University's wellbeing services. Prepare a few real moments where you got something wrong, changed what you did and kept going.

33. 33

    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.

34. 34

    How do you organise yourself when several deadlines land in the same week?

    What to cover: Describe the system you use in practice, such as a plan for the week, starting the hardest task first or asking for help early, and give one real week where it worked. Then mention a time it did not, and what you adjusted.

35. 35

    Queen's records feedback on your practical and clinical work on an e-portfolio throughout the five years. How do you respond to criticism of something you have made?

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

36. 36

    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.

37. 37

    How do you cope with stress, and how do you know when it is getting too much?

    What to cover: Describe what you do and the warning signs you watch for in yourself, such as sleeping badly or snapping at people. A time you missed those signs and what you changed afterwards makes the answer believable.

38. 38

    Queen's repeats the Dental Schools Council's advice to think about how intense dental courses are and how far you will be from your support network. What support will you have in Belfast?

    What to cover: Be specific about who you will rely on and how you will stay in touch, especially if you would be moving from Great Britain or overseas. Mention the pastoral support and wellbeing services Queen's describes, and what you would do in the first term to build friendships.

39. 39

    Tell me about a moment from your work experience or volunteering that changed how you think about dentistry.

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

40. 40

    Tell me about something you kept going with for a long time, even when it was hard.

    What to cover: Choose something with a real low point, such as an exam, an instrument, a sport or a job, and describe how you got through it. Link it to a five-year course where some weeks will be tough.

Go deeper: Dentistry work experience guide

Teamwork, initiative and the dental team

What Queen's Belfast says: Queen's says that at interview it seeks candidates who demonstrate initiative, professional responsibility and teamwork. Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS (A200) course page

A dentist works inside a team every day, and Queen's teaches this from the start: its first-year module asks students to explain the role of the dental team and the different professionals within it. Its admissions policy also asks your referee to comment on your initiative. Know who is in the dental team and what each member does, and have one example of working well in a team and one of starting something without being asked.

41. 41

    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.

42. 42

    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.

43. 43

    Queen's asks your referee to comment on your initiative. Tell me about a time you started something without being asked.

    What to cover: Describe what you noticed, what you did about it and what changed as a result, such as setting up a study group or fixing a problem at work. Be specific about your own part, and say what you would do differently next time.

44. 44

    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.

45. 45

    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 the plan holds together.

46. 46

    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.

47. 47

    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.

48. 48

    Queen's teaches tutorials and case-based learning in small groups of typically 10 to 12 students. What would you bring to a group like that, and what would you find hard?

    What to cover: Name one thing you would add, such as asking questions others are thinking or helping someone who is behind, and give a real example. Then admit one thing you would need to work on, such as letting quieter people speak first.

Go deeper: A career in dentistry

Commitment to patient care: oral health in the community

What Queen's Belfast says: Queen's says that at interview it seeks candidates who demonstrate a commitment to patient care. Queen's University Belfast, Dentistry BDS (A200) course page

Queen's second-year module in Dental Public Health and Behavioural Science looks at how social class, ethnicity, stress and coping affect dental health, at psychological issues such as dental anxiety, and at how dentists can help people change health behaviours. The Centre for Dentistry says it wants to promote oral health awareness and access to care, particularly for underserved populations, and its children's dentistry teaching covers barriers to accessing treatment. Health service dentistry in Northern Ireland is organised separately from England's, so read up on both and give balanced views.

49. 49

    Queen's teaches Dental Public Health and Behavioural Science in the second year. Why would a dental course teach how social class and ethnicity affect dental health?

    What to cover: Because much tooth decay and gum disease comes down to diet, habits, money and access, all of which sit outside the surgery. Link it to something you saw, and say how understanding it changes the advice a dentist gives.

50. 50

    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.

51. 51

    What is a UDA, and does that system apply in Northern Ireland?

    What to cover: A unit of dental activity is how England's 2006 contract measures NHS dental work, with each band of treatment worth a set number of units; read our UDA guide for the detail. Northern Ireland has its own arrangements for health service dentistry, so find out how they differ before the day.

52. 52

    Why do some people find it hard to get health service dental care, and what could help?

    What to cover: Talk about how payment systems affect 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 in England.

53. 53

    Should fluoride be added to public drinking water?

    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. Policy differs across the UK and across the Irish border, so find out what applies where you live, then come to a view.

54. 54

    How would you improve children's oral health in your area?

    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.

55. 55

    The Centre for Dentistry at Queen's wants to improve access to care for underserved populations. Which groups might find it hardest to see a dentist, and why?

    What to cover: Think of people who are homeless, people with disabilities or severe anxiety, older people in care homes, those living far from a practice and families on low incomes. For each one you mention, say what gets in the way and one practical thing that would help.

56. 56

    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.

Go deeper: Current NHS dentistry hot topics