Sheffield Dentistry Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does Sheffield interview for dentistry?

Source: University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry (September 2027 entry); University of Sheffield, BDS Dentistry Open Day Presentation, 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry)

When are Sheffield dentistry interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry (September 2027 entry); University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2026 entry (September 2026 entry)

How does Sheffield decide who to interview?

Source: University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry (September 2027 entry); University of Sheffield, BDS Dentistry Open Day Presentation, 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry); University of Sheffield, BDS Admissions Reserve List Policy (PDF) (approved April 2026; next review February 2027; no entry year stated); Admissions statistics as published on our Sheffield dental profile, from the university's figures (2025 entry)

What does Sheffield assess at a dentistry selection day?

Source: University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry (September 2027 entry); University of Sheffield, BDS Dentistry Open Day Presentation, 2027 Entry (PDF) (2027 entry); University of Sheffield, Discover Dentistry free online course (no year stated); Dental Schools Council, Guidance on the core values and attributes needed to study dentistry (PDF) (no entry year stated); General Dental Council, Standards for the Dental Team (effective from 30 September 2013)

Career exploration: why dentistry, and how you decided

What Sheffield says: Career exploration is the first of the three areas Sheffield's panel assesses. Sheffield expects an informed choice: knowledge of the dental profession, what attracted you to it, and how its careers compare with other healthcare professions. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield's open day presentation puts this area as three questions: are you making an informed choice, why have you chosen dentistry, and how have you informed yourself and made the decision. Because the panel works from your personal statement, expect them to pick up your work experience and ask what you learnt from it. Sheffield suggests ways to explore the career beyond a placement, including talking to dental care professionals, its free Discover Dentistry course and the GDC's website, so be ready to say what you used and what it changed in your thinking.

1. 1

   Why do you want to be a dentist, and when did you make the decision?

   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 spoke to and what could have put you off but did not. The panel wants a decision you have examined for yourself.

2. 2

   Sheffield asks applicants to compare dentistry with other healthcare careers, such as medicine and pharmacy. How does dentistry compare?

   What to cover: Pick two or three real differences, such as carrying out treatment with your own hands, long relationships with patients in general practice, and seeing the result straight away. Be fair to the other professions, because running one down is a poor sign in a future colleague.

3. 3

   Your personal statement mentions your work experience. What did you see there that you did not expect?

   What to cover: Choose one moment and describe it well enough that the panel can picture it, then say what you think now that you did not before. They have your statement in front of them, so add something new instead of repeating it.

4. 4

   How have you found out what a dentist's working life is like, beyond your placement?

   What to cover: Sheffield names talking to dental care professionals, its Discover Dentistry course, British Dental Journal Open and the GDC's website. Say which you used, one thing you learnt from it, and how it changed or confirmed your choice.

5. 5

   Sheffield suggests a busy NHS practice is ideal work experience and that hospital or specialist dentistry is useful as a comparison. What would each show you?

   What to cover: Explain that general practice shows the everyday range of patients, prevention and the pressure of an NHS list, while a hospital shows specialist and complex care. If you only saw one setting, say what you think the other would add and how you found out about it.

6. 6

   What does a dental hygienist or dental therapist do, and how is that different from a dentist's role?

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

7. 7

   Where could a dental degree take you in the twenty years after graduating?

   What to cover: Show you know the route: registration with the GDC, then a year of Dental Foundation Training to work in the NHS. Sheffield says its graduates then work in general practice, community dental services or the armed forces, and some train as specialists, consultants or academics; say which appeals to you now and why.

8. 8

   What is the hardest part of a dentist's job, and why do you still want to do it?

   What to cover: Pick something real, such as long days of close concentration, anxious patients or the pressure of a busy NHS list, and explain how you would cope. An answer that finds nothing difficult tells the panel you have not looked closely.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why dentistry?"

Career exploration: knowledge of current issues

What Sheffield says: Sheffield includes knowledge of current issues within career exploration, and says its interviewers expect applicants to have done appropriate research before the interview. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield's open day presentation lists finding out about the current issues in dentistry as one reason to do work experience. You may be asked to apply what you know to a new situation, so learn a few issues well enough to reason about them and give a balanced view. Sheffield also tells applicants about the government's plan for a minimum NHS service period for new dentists, and its course teaches public health, social accountability and sustainable dental care, so those are all fair ground.

9. 9

   Sheffield tells applicants that newly qualified dentists may have to work in the NHS for a minimum period, starting with those entering a dental course from 2027/28. What do you think of 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. Sheffield says more detail is expected from the Department of Health and Social Care, so do not invent the details.

10. 10

    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.

11. 11

    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.

12. 12

    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 dental team can influence. Our health inequalities guide gives you the framework.

13. 13

    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 it.

14. 14

    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. Our sugar tax guide is useful background on the diet side.

15. 15

    Sheffield's course teaches sustainable dental care. How could a dental practice reduce its environmental impact?

    What to cover: Mention practical steps such as cutting single-use items where safe, reducing patient and staff travel, and saving energy, and add that preventing disease avoids treatment altogether. Our greener NHS guide shows how the wider NHS approaches it.

16. 16

    Some people travel abroad for cheaper dental treatment. What are the risks, and what should a UK dentist say to them?

    What to cover: Cover the risks of complications far from the clinician who did the work, the difficulty of follow-up care and the cost of putting problems right. Be respectful of the patient's choice and focus on helping them decide safely; our dental tourism guide has the background.

Go deeper: Current NHS dentistry hot topics

Personal qualities and communication skills

What Sheffield says: Sheffield's second interview area covers relevant experience, communication, personal qualities and values. It looks for applicants who enjoy teamwork, are self-motivated with good time management, communicate effectively, respond positively to feedback and are aware of the importance of leadership. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield says these qualities can come from voluntary or part-time work or any activity, hobby or interest, and asks you to think about your strengths and weaknesses and whether they suit a career spent in a team. Prepare one specific example for each quality it names. Its 2027 open day presentation says clinical training is tracked in a portfolio with feedback on every activity, so a strong example of taking feedback well is worth having ready.

17. 17

    Tell me about a time someone criticised your work. How did you respond?

    What to cover: Choose a real example, say how it felt at the time and what you did with the criticism afterwards. The panel wants to see that you can hear feedback without taking it personally and then act on it.

18. 18

    Sheffield tracks clinical training in a portfolio, with feedback on every activity. How would you make the most of that?

    What to cover: Talk about reading feedback straight away, picking one thing to work on at a time, and checking with your tutor whether it has improved. Link it to a habit you already have, such as going over marked work or asking a coach what to change.

19. 19

    How do you manage your time when several deadlines land at once?

    What to cover: Describe what you actually do, such as listing tasks, deciding what is urgent and starting early on the biggest one, with one example that worked. Sheffield names good time management, and a five-year clinical course will test it every week.

20. 20

    Give me an example of when you led a group, and one when you let someone else lead.

    What to cover: Describe one decision you made as leader and how you brought others with you, then a time you stepped back because someone else was better placed. Knowing when to follow is part of what Sheffield means by being aware of leadership.

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 finding it hard to ask for help or getting stuck on detail, and describe what you already do to manage it. Sheffield asks applicants to think about whether their strengths and weaknesses suit dentistry, so show that you have.

22. 22

    Tell me about a time you explained something difficult to someone who did not understand it at first.

    What to cover: Pick a real example, such as tutoring a younger student or helping a customer at work, and say what you changed when the first explanation did not land. Checking that the other person understood is the skill to show.

23. 23

    A patient in the waiting room is shaking and says they are terrified of the dentist. How would you talk to them?

    What to cover: Sit at their level, ask what frightens them most and listen before you reassure. Then explain what will happen in small steps and agree a signal they can use to stop; Sheffield teaches dental anxiety and how to reduce it in its second year.

24. 24

    How do you keep yourself going on something long when nobody is checking up on you?

    What to cover: Choose something you kept up for months, such as an instrument, a sport or an independent project, and say what kept you going when it got dull. Sheffield asks for self-motivation, so the example should show you driving yourself.

Go deeper: Dentistry work experience guide

Commitment to Sheffield

What Sheffield says: Commitment to Sheffield is the third area its panel assesses: your motivation for this specific programme and university. Sheffield says interviewers expect you to be well informed about your decision to study at Sheffield. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield's open day presentation puts three questions under this heading: are you ready for a five-year clinical programme, is Sheffield the right school for you, and what will you bring to its community. For 2027 entry the course has been redesigned around the GDC's Safe Practitioner framework, with first-year teaching shared with Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy students, practical skills from the second week and outreach placements in the fourth year. Sheffield also says it looks for applicants who have made significant contributions to their school or community, so have an example ready.

25. 25

    Why Sheffield?

    What to cover: Use two or three things Sheffield publishes about its course and say why each suits the way you learn, such as the shared first year with Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy students or the fourth-year outreach placements. Rankings tell the panel nothing about you, so leave them out.

26. 26

    Your first year at Sheffield would be shared with Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy students. What do you think you would gain?

    What to cover: Talk about understanding each other's roles early, learning to refer and share care, and starting your career used to working as a team. Link it to something you saw at a practice, such as a hygienist and dentist sharing the care of one patient.

27. 27

    In your fourth year you would go on outreach placements in general practices or community clinics. What would you hope to learn there?

    What to cover: Sheffield says outreach lets students treat an extended range of patients outside the dental hospital. Talk about seeing the everyday work of primary care, a wider range of patients and how a practice runs, and why that matters before Dental Foundation Training.

28. 28

    Sheffield has redesigned its course around the GDC's Safe Practitioner framework. What do you think makes a dentist a safe practitioner?

    What to cover: Talk about knowing the limits of your training, careful infection control, valid consent, clear records, raising concerns and looking after your own wellbeing. Sheffield's open day slides say the framework puts more emphasis on digital dentistry, sustainability and wellbeing.

29. 29

    Sheffield says your study hours will be the equivalent of a full-time job. Are you ready for a five-year clinical programme?

    What to cover: Be practical: say what you have already sustained over a long period, how you organise your week and what support you will use. Sheffield also passes on the Dental Schools Council's advice to think about the course's intensity and your distance from your support network.

30. 30

    Sheffield looks for applicants who have made a significant contribution to their school or community. What will you bring to the School of Clinical Dentistry?

    What to cover: Give one contribution you have already made and the difference it made, then say how you would carry it on at Sheffield, for example in a society, a volunteering project or peer support. One specific example is more convincing than a list.

31. 31

    In your third year you would carry out a research project. What would you like to look into, and why?

    What to cover: Choose a question that grew from something you saw or read, such as dental anxiety, sugar in children's diets or sustainable dentistry, and explain why it interests you. You are not expected to design the study, only to show curiosity.

32. 32

    A senior dental student sits on your interview panel. If you could ask them one thing about studying dentistry at Sheffield, what would it be?

    What to cover: Ask something that shows you have read about the course, such as how outreach changed their confidence or how they use their portfolio feedback. Avoid questions the website already answers.

Go deeper: The dentistry degree (BDS) explained

Values-based recruitment: scenarios, the GDC standards and the NHS Constitution

What Sheffield says: Sheffield seeks students whose values and behaviours align with the GDC's Standards for the Dental Team and the NHS Constitution, and says its interviewers may ask you to apply existing knowledge to new situations or discuss scenarios to show how you think. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield names the six NHS Constitution values on its admissions page: working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives and everyone counts. Its 2027 open day slides put the same values under the interview's third area, asking whether you demonstrate them. Its course page links the GDC's Standards for the Dental Team, and first-year teaching covers consent, ethical conduct and patients' rights. In a scenario, say what matters, what you would want to find out, what you would do and which principle guides you. Our guide to the nine GDC principles sets them out.

33. 33

    Sheffield asks applicants whether their values align with the NHS Constitution. Which of its six values do you find hardest to live up to, and why?

    What to cover: Pick one value, explain why it is hard in practice, and give an example of trying to meet it. Choosing the value that comes easiest to you misses the point; our NHS values guide explains each one.

34. 34

    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.

35. 35

    A 15-year-old comes in 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.

36. 36

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

    What to cover: Capacity is judged for each decision at the time, 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 input; our capacity guide sets out the steps.

37. 37

    On work experience you see an instrument used on a second patient without going through the practice's cleaning process. What do you do?

    What to cover: Patient safety comes first, so you cannot let it pass. As a visitor, raise it promptly with the dentist or practice manager, and explain that the GDC expects everyone in the dental team to raise concerns; our whistleblowing guide covers the formal routes.

38. 38

    A friend on your course posts a photo from clinic with a patient's details visible on a 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.

39. 39

    A patient with toothache insists on antibiotics, but you think the tooth needs treatment instead. How do you handle it?

    What to cover: Explain kindly that antibiotics do not treat most toothache and that unnecessary use adds to antibiotic resistance, then offer the treatment that will deal with the cause. Listen to why they want antibiotics, because fear of treatment is often behind the request.

40. 40

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

    What to cover: Find out what they want and why, explain 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 can mean advising against what someone has asked for.

Go deeper: Dentistry ethical scenarios

The interpersonal skills test: respect, teamwork and communication

What Sheffield says: Separately from the interview, Sheffield assesses your interpersonal skills in a group task that aims to assess respect, teamwork and communication. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield's 2027 open day presentation says you will tackle a problem or dilemma as part of a group, that no clinical knowledge is needed, and that the test looks for qualities set out in the NHS Constitution. Sheffield does not publish the task, how long it lasts, how many candidates are in a group or how it is scored, so practise the behaviours. Listen, build on what others say, bring quieter people in, disagree politely with a reason and help the group reach a decision in the time. The prompts below are for practising with friends, followed by questions you could be asked about how you work in a group.

41. 41

    Sheffield's group task assesses respect, teamwork and communication. How would you show respect to someone in your group whose idea you think is wrong?

    What to cover: Let them finish, check you have understood, then say what is good about the idea before giving your concern and a reason. Keep the discussion on the idea and be ready to be persuaded.

42. 42

    Practice prompt: your group has ten minutes to agree which of four patients should get the last emergency appointment of the day. How would you help the group decide?

    What to cover: Suggest agreeing the criteria first, such as pain, risk of harm and how long each has waited, then hear everyone's view before choosing. Summarise where the group has got to and keep an eye on the time.

43. 43

    One person in your group keeps talking over everyone else. What do you do?

    What to cover: Acknowledge their point, then bring others in by name, for example by asking someone who has not spoken yet what they think. Stay friendly, because the panel is watching how you treat everyone, including the person who is dominating.

44. 44

    Nobody in the group is speaking. How do you get things moving without taking over?

    What to cover: Offer a simple way to start, such as reading the task back or suggesting the group lists options first, then hand the discussion to others. Once the group is moving, step back and let other people carry it.

45. 45

    Practice prompt: your group must plan an oral health activity for a local primary school with a small budget. Where would you start?

    What to cover: Start with what the children and teachers need and what will last, such as a toothbrushing routine, before picking ideas. Share out the parts of the plan and check that everyone agrees before you finish.

46. 46

    Your group reaches a decision you disagree with. What do you do?

    What to cover: Say your concern once, clearly and with a reason, then accept the group's decision and help make it work unless it would harm someone. Showing you can support a decision you did not choose is part of teamwork.

47. 47

    Tell me about a team you were part of that worked well. Why did it work?

    What to cover: Describe the team, the goal and one specific thing that made it work, such as clear roles or people feeling able to disagree. Then say what you did to help, not only what others did.

48. 48

    How would you know whether you had communicated well in a group discussion?

    What to cover: Talk about signs such as others building on your points, quieter members joining in and the group reaching a decision everyone understood. Add that you would ask for feedback afterwards if you could.

Go deeper: The six NHS values

Manual work, resilience and the demands of dentistry

What Sheffield says: Sheffield says dental students and dentists routinely perform small, intricate tasks for long periods in demanding, high-pressure situations, asks applicants to be confident they will enjoy this type of work, and says they should be aware of the resilience needed to succeed. University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery admissions and selection process, 2027 entry

Sheffield does not list a manual dexterity test for its 2027 selection day, but it does ask whether you understand and will enjoy the manual side of dentistry, and its open day slides list whether you need to demonstrate manual dexterity among the questions applicants ask, without a published answer. Be ready to talk about a hobby or job that has built fine, careful hand skills over time. Sheffield also says healthcare means balancing clinical care with patients' complex emotional responses, and that applicants should understand the resilience this takes.

49. 49

    Sheffield says dentists perform small, intricate tasks for long periods under pressure. How do you know you will enjoy that kind of work?

    What to cover: Give evidence from something you already choose to do that needs patience and fine control, and say what you enjoy about it and what frustrates you. Then link it to something you watched a dentist do on work experience.

50. 50

    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 progress you can see. A sustained hobby is more convincing than a single taster session.

51. 51

    Sheffield trains students on phantom heads and VR haptic simulators before they treat patients. Why do dental schools teach on simulators first?

    What to cover: Procedures such as drilling cannot be undone, so students need to build skill where mistakes harm nobody. Add that simulation lets tutors check your work closely and lets you repeat a step until it is safe, and say what a simulator cannot teach, such as a real patient's reactions.

52. 52

    A patient becomes upset halfway through a long appointment. How do you balance finishing the treatment with caring for them?

    What to cover: Stop at a safe point, ask what is wrong and give them time, then agree with them whether to carry on, take a break or book another appointment. Sheffield's point about balancing clinical care with patients' emotions is exactly this.

53. 53

    Tell me about a time something you made or practised went wrong. What did you do next?

    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 often, so showing that you keep going matters more than the result.

54. 54

    How will you look after your own wellbeing on a demanding course, possibly a long way from home?

    What to cover: Be specific about who you will rely on, how you will spot that you are struggling and what you will do about it. Sheffield's open day slides say every student has an academic tutor for the whole programme, with pastoral support from the School.

55. 55

    Dentistry can be hard on the body over a long career. How would you protect your own health?

    What to cover: Mention posture and how you set up your chair and patient, regular breaks, looking after your back, neck, eyes and hands, and asking for advice early if something hurts. Looking after yourself is part of being able to care for patients for forty years.

56. 56

    What would you do if you found the practical work harder than your classmates seemed to?

    What to cover: Ask your tutor exactly where you are going wrong, practise that step on its own and track whether it improves. Tutors want safe, careful work first, and speed usually comes with practice.

Go deeper: A career in dentistry