SUPPORTING YOUR FUTURE DENTISTRY CAREER.

Welcome! My Name's Nisha and I have put together a few resources to help future dentists achieve their career goals. I am now a qualified dentist and spent 5 years studying at Cardiff University. I am now working full-time,

so will be unable to host online interactive events, however, I have provided all that you need to know below. If you have any questions about what I get up to at work or need any further support, then feel free to email me.

A BDS degree (AKA. Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree) requires certain A-Levels i.e. Biology and Chemistry (typically at grade A)as well as specific GCSE requirements so this is a crucial time to get the information across if you think this is a degree you’d enjoy!

Do note that some universities may be open to applicants with BTEC qualifications (i.e. Sheffield & Bristol) and those that have resat exams (but please check the university website to confirm).

The standard degree is 5 years long whereas university graduates can do 4 year course. There is also the option for 6 year courses if you meet the university's gateway or preliminary year entry requirements.

Image source: Cardiff University

Universities Where I Can Apply

So why pick dentistry?

You build lifelong relationships with your patients
It helps bring out your practical and artistic sides (but you don’t have to be super talented in art!)
Financial independence & job security (while it is an important factor, this shouldn’t be the only reason to go into Dentistry).
It is a challenging but rewarding career
The work you do can improve someone's self-esteem and change their life

But do note that the degree comes with a heavy workload compared to others and is more time-consuming.

Where should I apply?

There are 16 dentistry schools in the UK and you can only apply for 4 in your UCAS application, so it can be hard to little it down. Here's a few things that you should consider:

Location - Do you want to stay at home or explore a new city? Think about the cost of living too

Course structure - Cardiff dental school gives the opportunity to work on cadavers in the first year. Have a look at which dental schools have a problem based learning curriculum

UCAT, BMAT and interviews - Leeds Dental school is currently the only dental school to require the BMAT. All other UK dental schools require the UCAT and typically have multiple mini interview (MMI) style interviews.

A day in the life of a dental student

Long story short, no day is the same in dental school. But here's a brief overview of my time in university.

We would have two or three lectures a few times a week, covering topics such as: anatomy, biomechanics, tooth morphology and physiology. We had anatomy dissections (on real people!) every Wednesday - a great way to learn anatomy hands-on. We also had lab-based sessions every few weeks which consisted of Chemistry-based experiments which we had to write up reports for.

Year 1

We learnt a lot more relevant, dental knowledge this year! More of our lectures consisted for dentally related topics, such as 'Oral Ecosystems' where we learnt about the different parts of the mouth and teeth, dental decay and periodontal disease. We also started seeing patients for the first time during the second term which was scary at first, but we had plenty of sessions practicing with other students in our group beforehand.

Year 2

During Year 3 we start observing and practicing in other departments around the Dental School, such as the x-ray department, local anaesthetic department (taking teeth out), exam and emergency clinic and oral surgery (seeing cases such as oral cancer referrals and TMJ disorders). This year is when you start to gain a broader knowledge of Dentistry, as you are also seeing your own patients every week in the clinic.

Year 3

By now you should feel a bit more confident seeing patients. You see patients on a weekly basis and start learning about more advanced treatments during weekly lab sessions i.e. root canal treatments, crowns and veneers. Dentistry becomes very challenging but also exciting this year! We also started placements this year at another Dental Hospital within Cardiff, enabling us to see a different demographic of patients.

Year 4

This year is all about polishing off your clinical skills. We sat our finals at the beginning of the year, which consisted of all content taught from 2nd year onwards. At the end of 5th year, we have 'vivas' which involve reading an unseen patient case 5-10 minutes before you are expected to discuss it with staff. They question you on everything you should already know, i.e. forming a treatment plan or other information you would need to form a diagnosis - they're not trying to catch you out, just making sure you've got the skills and knowledge to go out into the real world treating patients!

Year 5

Work Experience

I understand that finding work experience is difficult. y best advise is to be persistent. Keep contacting places and do not forget to follow up with a phone call if you sent them an email asking for work experience (people tend not to ignore you if you ask for their name on the phone and address things to them)

Who - There are different sectors of Dentistry so researching them all will help you gain better knowledge of how Dentistry differs to them. Think about: private vs. general dentists, paediatric dentists, orthodontists, cosmetic dentists, oral surgeons, dental emergency hospitals, dental labs.

When - As soon as possible! Give the practice/hospital/lab a call or email highlighting: who you are, your position, your interest in pursuing a dental career and why you think the placement will help you progress.

Writing Your Personal Statement - My Top Tips

If you're applying to university, then you'll need to write a good personal statement. Getting it right will take a while, so expect to write up a few drafts. Here are some tips on how to write a successful personal statement. Please note that the standard personal statement via UCAS will reformed for 2024 (for people planning on studying in 2025)!

This will have questions focusing on themes of:

Preparedness for course: How has your learning so far helped you to be ready to succeed on these courses?
Preparation through other experiences: What else have you done to help you prepare, and why are these experiences useful?
Extenuating circumstances: Is there anything that the universities and colleges need to know about, to help them put your achievements and experiences so far into context?
Preparedness for study: What have you done to prepare yourself for student life?
Preferred learning styles: Which learning and assessment styles best suit you – how do your courses choices match that?

Be unique! - Do you have a hobby/job that has taught you some skills? Are you part of an after-school club or volunteering scheme?
Prepare early to give time to edit and read over
Try and show the effort you have put in to explore Dentistry
Don't use long, unnecessary words to sound smarter
Give examples of your teamwork and leadership skills - and why both are important for Dentistry
Include any extracurricular activities
Include any research into Dentistry e.g. online lectures, virtual workshops, books, work experience, talking to members of the dental team about their day-to-day job.
Make it personal - use first person
Relate your experience with what you learnt and how it relates to Dentistry
Use a personal statement length checker - You are limited to 4,000 characters and 47 lines (You may need to rejig some sentences to meet the line requirement)

Let's analyse some examples ...

Give a timeframe of how long instead e.g. "I have been a member for two years"

"When I was in Year 10 I was a member of the debate club. This was a good way for me to build my confidence."

Great example of an extracurricular activity, but not shown off enough to the reader.

A good skill learnt but nothing about Dentistry mentioned

"I have been a member of my school's debate club for two years which meets weekly to discuss topics. These meetings taught me to listen to both sides of an argument and form an educated opinion on an issue. There are similar debates in the world of Dentistry, such as the argument of the use of amalgam in patients and the addition of fluoride to water supplies. The listening and communication skills I built on as a member of the debate team are also important as a dentist as these skills enable the formation of a good, trusting relationship between patient and dentist."

Much better, but this is a bit wordier so choose a few extracurricular activities/ work experience placements to discuss in-depth. Remember, you only have 4,000 characters and 47 lines to use

Admissions tests

Most dentistry universities require The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) to select candidates. This is a computer-based test that is done at an examination centre. You can find all of the up to date information here. Booking opens in June and testing occurs between July - September (before your UCAS October deadline). The examination costs around £70, but bursaries are available.

This tests the following abilities (things you need to do as a dentist):

Verbal reasoning (21 minutes)
Decision Making (31 minutes)
Quantitative Reasoning (25 minutes)
Abstract Reasoning (12 minutes)
Situational Judgement (26 minutes)

Total time of 2 hours and 5 mins (including reading time)

Useful tips

There is such a thing as revising too much! Don't burn out, give yourself at least 4-5 weeks to revise
Revise for each section - start training yourself to read a text under timed conditions, go over basic maths skills etc.
Use this UCAT preparation plan
I also recommend the book 'Get into medical school' by Olivier Picard
Practice with question banks (below) when you feel ready:

For BMAT exam takers (for the University of Leeds), please find more information here.

The Interview

Usually MMI (multiple mini interview) format - will say on the University website. Advantages to MMI and normal interview formats.

MMI interviews usually consist of eight or nine different stations with a rest station in between for a few minutes.

Could all be online this year! First chance the school will have to meet you in person, so go in with a positive attitude and don 't expect to get every answer right!

Cardiff' s MMI consisted of many unexpected questions e.g. 'If your brain was a colour, what colour would it be?' whereas Liverpool' s MMI asked more expected questions e.g. 'Why do you want to study Dentistry?' and 'Why Liverpool University?'.

We can work together on interview technique once personal statements have been sent out and UCAT/BMAT has been sat.