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10 Dental School Personal Statement Examples

Including key tips for a strong dental school personal statement.

Before you start crafting your own stellar dental school personal statement, you must review some dental school personal statement examples. Why? These sample essays can help you brainstorm and reflect on what you would like to include in your essay. This blog dives into some dental school personal statement examples from our own past successful students, and then our  dental school advisors  will go over our proven strategies to help you create your own from scratch! As you review these examples keep in mind that these are final works and the result of multiple rounds of reviews by our admissions experts as part of our  application review  programs. Writing fantastic statements for dental school requires patience and multiple rounds of revisions before a perfect statement can be written.

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Article Contents 15 min read

Dental school personal statement example #1.

In the final moments of a key game in a hockey tournament, I jumped over the boards and onto the ice without putting my mouth guard back in place. It was attached to my helmet, but I had a chance for the puck, and I took it. Moments later, an opponent’s stick caught me in the face, knocking out my front tooth. Play stopped, and my team found my tooth on the ice. I looked to the bleachers. My mom was already on the phone getting initial instructions from our dentist for saving the tooth. Within 15 minutes, we were outside the clinic as my dentist unlocked the door, despite it being a Saturday night. As I was treated within half an hour, my tooth could be saved by stabilizing it as it healed. Until that moment, I thought of my dentist as someone I only saw every six months; I hadn’t seen her as a critical part of my healthcare team.

I realized from this experience that time is a factor in dental care, and thus a career in dentistry. My tooth was saved because I lived in an urban centre and had immediate access to care, not to mention the continuity of care I’ve had since I was a child. My mother is employed and has good dental coverage, but this is not the case for many. Without timely check-ups, both oral and medical issues that could be detected and prevented can become more serious conditions.

With this awareness, I have for the last 6 years volunteered in two ways. In the time since my hockey accident, I’ve worked with my dentist on a safety awareness campaign for young hockey players and their families, teaching about the necessity of mouth guards, as well as how a quick response to such injuries may help in recovery. I’ve also worked alongside dentists for the Smiling Children Foundation in vulnerable neighborhoods, where dental neglect is not uncommon, and continuity of care is rare. Recently, we set up a mobile clinic in a school, where I record personal information and take a medical history for each child. A young boy, 10 years old, complained of constant headaches and pain in his body. Upon examination, the dentist noticed his gums were dark purple in places and bled easily. Our team alerted a community doctor of a potential immune disorder, and the young boy was diagnosed and treated, returning to good health within months. That day, I learned that oral healthcare is holistic healthcare, and that it is a privilege to support those who may not have time, resources, or access to oral healthcare.

I have had this privilege in what began as dental shadowing and is now part-time employment, where I liaise between patients and insurance companies, manage team schedules, and comfort anxious patients. This might be as simple as holding a hand while the dentist performs the procedure. Or, I might hold a baby while the father sees the hygienist. I’ve learned to read an X-ray accurately, prepare the instruments needed for a procedure, and balance the books. I have been mentored by both a medical and business professional, and I have borne witness to our patients’ high and low points. I have worked hard to understand what goes into growing and maintaining a successful dental practice and feel capable to meet the challenge of the multiple roles required in this dynamic vocation.

It bears mentioning why my first-year grades are not what I’d hoped they would be. I joined a good number of co-curricular clubs with the intention of participating in our campus community and developing my professional skills. By midterm, I realized I had oversubscribed myself. Unfortunately, willpower and desire were not enough. My grades suffered as I tried to manage my responsibilities. By attending time management seminars and learning to manage time rather than be managed by time, I was able retrieve my grades. From 2nd year forward, I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA while moving up the ranks of student organizations and taking an active role in a research project. Resilience is like a muscle that needs time, exercise, and perseverance to build.

From a sports accident, to volunteer work in an underserved community, to employment in a dental office and an academic career that shows both mistakes and recovery, I have thought carefully about what dentistry is. A dentist is part of a larger healthcare team, and a dentist can often treat not only a single patient over decades, but provide intergenerational care to a family. I aspire to dentistry to accompany my patients through life, 6 months at a time, offering compassionate, whole-person healthcare. (4,497 characters, including spaces)

• Inciting incident: the moment that influenced the student’s outlook on dentistry as a career is highlighted in spades. Seeing the structure here as almost like a story, you’re taking the reader on a journey from point A to point B. For the personal statement, your opening should hook in the reader. This writer does this well.
• Addresses weaknesses: the student mentions how their first-year grades weren’t what they’d hoped for. They acknowledge their faults and briefly outline the circumstances without making excuses before getting into the most important part: what they did to improve or learn from their mistakes. If you’re in a position to use your personal statement as a way to address gaps or inconsistencies, then you can follow the same rule.
• Major experiences are detailed: you need to show the admissions committee that dentistry is the right career for you. The best way to do this is to describe clinical experiences, ideally in a dental setting. The student who wrote this sample described their experiences shadowing, being a part-time employee, and volunteering at a foundation. If you have many experiences like these, don’t simply list them off, but select a few to describe in more depth.

Want some tips for writing a dental school personal statement? Check out this video:

"Ready, Set, Bake,” shouted the host of Bake-Off. I was 16 and a contestant of a televised baking show. Our 6th challenge gave us 3 hours to perfectly bake the most decadent and timing consuming dessert: the mille-feuille – layers of puff pastry, filled with whipped cream and custard, and glazed on top. Despite being the only teenager in a field of contestants ranging from 20-70 years of age, I’d made it through several days of cuts for one of the spots on the show. I wish I could say that my dessert was a masterpiece, but as the timer counted down and I plated it, the filling oozed, and the pastry crumbled. I’d made to the Top Six, but the mille-feuille defeated me and I was asked to hang up my apron. As I reflect on this experience, the solo and team challenges, the practice to get on the show, the mastery needed to gain a top spot, I realize that I’m grateful even for the defeat, because I learned valuable lessons that helped me develop key qualities and skills that are in-line with the core competencies necessary for dentistry, my chosen profession. Both dentistry and competitive baking require innovation and excellence, communication and accountability, and the necessity of precision, focus, and a steady hand.

Both of my parents are dentists. While the influence of their careers on my own access to knowledge cannot be underestimated, I have been deeply cognizant of making an autonomous career decision. That decision is my own, but my parents have admittedly opened unique conversations around ethics, technology, and patient care to me. My earliest memories include attending dental conferences with them and being encouraged to explore the Exhibits Floor, where I learned about the newest dental products and treatments and “test drove” the latest innovations in dentistry. I developed an aptitude for predicting which products and technologies were gimmicks and which would effectively support excellence in patient care. This knack has made me something of an informal consultant for my parents and their colleagues, who value my insights on innovation and efficacy of new treatments.

While technology is at the forefront of change, what remains consistent over time is the importance of communication and accountability to provide excellent patient care. I’ve had the privilege to shadow Dr. Ann Lee, an oral surgeon, over the past 3 years. Among many things, she showed me that inherent in communication is accountability. Many of her patients are children and teens having teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons. The son of a family who had been Dr. Lee’s patients for over a decade arrived for a complicated wisdom tooth extraction. Despite familiarity with the family, the doctor painstakingly reviewed the extraction process to prepare them effectively. The procedure went well in the office; however, on the way home, the boy began haemorrhaging. An artery had been compromised during the surgery. I watched as Dr. Lee packed bone wax around the artery to stem the bleeding. What struck me about this experience was the standard of accountability to which the surgeon held herself, as she communicated with the family by phone, made a house call later that evening on her way home, and remained on-call over the weekend to ensure the safety and healing of the child. The family maintained their trust in Dr. Lee because of her open communication and sense of accountability. I also learned just how fragile and technical dental work is, requiring both dexterity and precision.

Volunteering in a dental brigade in Haiti, Mirlande, 6, taught me about vulnerability and trust. Mirlande was scared and reluctant to open her mouth for her first dental exam. I took her aside and, as she watched, I carved a perfect tooth from soap using dental instruments. I carved slowly and precisely, and then presented her with the gift. She put the tooth in her pocket and then allowed me to clean her teeth. I was immediately struck by the vulnerability of not only soft tissue, but of hearts, as she leaned back and opened her mouth in trust. This moment solidified my decision to become a dentist.

Though the earlier comparison between baking and dentistry is merely an analogy, it is one that suggests I have developed key skills and am aware of the core competencies a dentist must hold to best serve their patients professionally and ethically. Dentistry is my vocation, baking a hobby, but both speak to my investment in excellence, precision, and doing for others.  (4,500 characters, including spaces)

A dental school personal statement is your opportunity to show admissions committees who you are as a person and aspiring dental professional, aside from your CV, GPA, Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) score, and other quantitative data. As any personal statement essay, the dental school personal essay should be a narrative account that gives the admissions committee the opportunity to learn more about you than what can be conveyed in a dry document like a CV or transcript. 

For dental school  ADEA AADSAS  applications, the American Dental Education Association requires an essay of no more than 4,500 characters (including spaces), which must demonstrate your key personal qualities, aspirations, and reasons for pursuing a career in dentistry to the schools to which you are applying. This process isn’t as standardized in Canadian programs, so you’ll need to check the application requirements for the programs and schools to which you are applying to see if a personal statement is required. In doing so, you can also learn whether there are any specific requirements regarding the length of the essay, whether there is a specific prompt to which you must respond in your dental school personal statement, and whether there are any other application requirements.

Want some more personal statement examples? Watch this video:

Writing a Strong Dental School Personal Statement

If you're applying to  dental schools in Canada  or the US, a personal statement, or similar essay, is often required as part of your application package, regardless of whether you're applying through AADSAS or  TMDSAS . It’s important to craft a statement that draws from your experiences, such as your dental school extracurriculars. You can also refer to your dental school application experience examples , or even your dental school letter of recommendation for help. This blog will help you understand the key things you must do (and that you must avoid) in composing your essay, with dental school personal statement examples that demonstrate these strategies, so that you can draft the strongest, most compelling dental school personal statement possible.

1. Tell a story

Ideally, you will craft a story or detail a defining moment that helped you realize why this is the profession you want to pursue. Providing an anecdote or vignette – perhaps an experience you’ve had as a dental patient, an interaction you’ve witnessed as a volunteer or while shadowing a dental care professional, a story about someone you know, etc., – is often a useful way of giving the evaluators a window into your life and motivations.

2. Demonstrate why you’re a “good fit”

Your dental school personal statement should also express why you are a strong candidate and a "good fit" for the school and program, while stirring the interest of your reader. Review our blog,  dental school acceptance rates  to find out which schools are best suited for you. Admissions committees will review hundreds of these personal statements, so draw on the values of the profession and the mission of the institution to highlight your alignment with the vision and goals of this vocation, and do so in a way that is engaging and enjoyable to read. Again, narrative is a great way of doing this – people love stories and are often naturally drawn in by them. Bear this in mind as you begin drafting your essay.

Here are some more tips for writing a dental school personal statement:

3. Be authentic and readable

In your personal statement, you want to present your very best self, emphasizing your genuine passion for the field and your enthusiasm for working in a healthcare profession like dentistry. Don’t try to cram in complicated terminology or jargon, thinking it will make you sound smarter (it won’t – true experts know how to explain their ideas effectively to an audience of non-specialists), and don’t rely on clichés (e.g., “I want to help people” – this is a lovely desire, but it’s over-used and too generic). Use polished prose that represents your genuine voice and reasons for pursuing the profession, and write in a way that will be comprehensible even to those outside this particular specialization. This can take practice. You might go through multiple drafts of your essay before you’re confident in submitting it. If you’re having trouble getting to this point, consider dental school admissions consulting . 

4. Express your desired contributions to the field

Quite simply, you need to explain why you will be a good dentist, in both practical terms and in terms of devoting yourself to patient care. You need to show that you know how to become a dentist in terms of skills and experience; there will be other opportunities to address other aspects of your candidacy through things like the dental school manual dexterity question or the multiple mini interview (MMI) collaboration station . For now, answer the following questions: what does it mean to you to dedicate yourself to the profession and to patients? What experiences have you had with the dental profession so far, and how have these impacted you? What are your priorities as an aspiring dentist? Thinking through these questions, while also pointing to concrete experiences or accomplishments that support your responses, will help the committee see not just who you are now, but who you are working to become as you pursue the goal of becoming a dental professional.

Need help with your dental school application? Learn what our students say about our services:

Things to Avoid in a Dental School Personal Statement

Here are some key “don’ts” in composing your dental school personal statement:

1. Don’t summarize your CV

Your personal statement shouldn’t simply repeat information available elsewhere in your application materials. Referring to experiences discussed in those materials, for the purpose of expanding on them or contextualizing them, is fine. Just ensure that you’re actually doing that work and demonstrating the significance of the experience(s) you describe. For example, if your CV indicates that you’ve done volunteer work at a dental clinic or with an organization, it’s totally fine to discuss this volunteer work in your personal statement; however, that discussion must go beyond what is offered in your other application materials. Your dental school personal statement shouldn't be a dry recitation of events in your CV. It should be a persuasive and engaging work that draws on just a few select experiences that epitomize your interests, priorities, and the work you've done so far in working toward becoming a dentist. For example, instead of giving names, dates, and general facts about your experience as a volunteer, you can tell a story of a particularly meaningful accomplishment or interaction, reflecting on how it helped solidify your desire to pursue this career.

2. Don’t dwell on negative experiences

If you’ve overcome challenges or if there are less-than-ideal aspects of your educational experience so far (such as a term where your GPA took a dip), it’s fine to address these in a personal statement essay. However, it is crucial that you reflect on this from a perspective of growth, resiliency, and capacity for improvement, rather than focusing on the negatives. If your grades took a hit one term because of extenuating circumstances, by all means, take some time to explain this, if you think it will be helpful (and it often is). However, the discussion around the circumstances should be minimal – just a set-up for a more substantial discussion of what you learned, how you grew, etc. – and you shouldn’t use this as an opportunity to make excuses. Rather, briefly describe the event, own up to your mistake or misstep (if applicable), and then spend the most time explaining how you addressed the issue, how you moved past it, and why you will be a better future professional for having gone through it.

Probably the biggest mistake students make is to not take the personal statement seriously enough, waiting until just a few days before it’s due to even begin. You must begin early – a strong personal statement essay can take months and numerous revisions to be the best it can possibly be. You need to put a lot of thought into this document, as it is a very important component of your application. This is your chance – and often your only chance – to address the evaluators on a human level, prior to answering  dental school interview questions , including   MMI questions . So, rather than thinking of this as a chore, think of it as an opportunity to demonstrate your best self to the admissions committee. 

4. Don’t submit your dental school personal statement without getting expert feedback

The personal statement isn’t just about what you’ve done, it’s about who you are – what your values are, what your priorities are, what your reasons for pursuing this profession are, and how all of these things align with the discipline and school you are approaching with your application package. Getting expert feedback from those on the “other side” of such applications, those who have gone through the process successfully or those who have been part of admissions committees, will give you incredibly valuable insights into how to make your own personal experiences stand out and work for you most effectively. At this stage of your professional development, you face a wealth of “unknown-unknowns”; i.e., things that you don’t even know to look for or consider, because it's likely that you simply haven’t been exposed to the field or the process long enough or in an official capacity. This can be a considerable hindrance, so don’t try to take on this task alone. Seek out expert feedback, and do so early enough that you can review, revise, and implement any necessary changes to make your dental school personal statement the best it can possibly be.

8 Dental School Personal Statement Examples

Dental school personal statement example #3, dental school personal statement example #4, dental school personal statement example #5, dental school personal statement example #6, dental school personal statement example #7, dental school personal statement example #8, dental school personal statement example #9, dental school personal statement example #10.

• Starting too late. Getting your personal statement right requires multiple edits and revisions. If you start working on your statement too late, you risk running out of time for proper revisions and edits, leaving a rushed, sub-par statement. Remember, your personal statement is a direct reflection of who you are as a person, and who you'll become as a dentist. It's not something that can be, nor should be rushed.
• Showing instead of telling, for example, saying “I'm a great listener” instead of demonstrating that you're a great listener through real examples in your essay.
• Focusing on too many experiences. In general, it's best to discuss 2-3 experiences in your personal statement. You should be able to discuss each experience in-depth, and reflect on what you learned from a particular experience. Too many experiences crammed in doesn't allow you to really expand on each experience and doesn't provide an in-depth analysis of how this experience was transformative on your path to becoming a dentist.
• Listing information that's already found in your application materials. Your personal statement is not a list, instead, it should be a story of your journey to dentistry.
• Jumping around in time. Your personal statement should be in chronological order, beginning with your initial interest in dentistry and evolving to your absolution that dentistry is the right career path for you. Jumping around in time makes for a disjointed essay that will come across as confusing to admissions committee members. In addition, you want to ensure that you utilize strong transitional sentences, as these tie together paragraphs and aid in the overall flow of your essay.
• Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Mistakes and errors in your personal statement are harmful because they tell admissions committees that you're not detail-oriented, you rushed your statement and because of that, you don't really care about it, or their program. Ensure your statement is reviewed multiple times, ideally with a professional's help, to ensure your essay puts your best foot forward and is free from any spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
• Boasting. While you can certainly highlight a few key accomplishments in your statement, such as finishing at the top of your class or raising money for a good cause, it's important that you are tactful in how you phrase your accomplishments. You always want to be humble, and think about what an achievement means to you and why. Lastly, it's a good idea to reflect on what you learned from your achievements and how that can translate in your career as a dentist.

While the majority of your personal statement should be about you - your experiences and how they relate to your decision to pursue dentistry, you can certainly include information relating to another person. For example, you could mention a family member's struggle with a disease, a patient's story, or a conversation with a dentist. As long as you circle back to why this story is significant in your pursuit of dentistry, what you learned from the experience or even how an experience changed your point of view.

Your personal statement must adhere to the ADEA's character count of 4500 characters, including spaces. However, this doesn't mean that you must include this many characters. As long as your essay is below the count, it's most important that you focus on creating a powerful, in-depth essay that proves to the admissions committee why you want to be a dentist and why you would be suitable for a career in this field, then it's perfectly acceptable.

Your personal statement is one of the most important aspects of your entire dental school application. It will serve as your introduction to admissions committees – letting them know who you are a person, who you are as a candidate, and essentially, that you're suitable for a career in dentistry. A poorly crafted personal statement can result in rejection from dental school, so it's essential that your statement is both engaging and memorable to secure you an invitation to interview.

No, remember, this information will be included elsewhere in your application, so it's not suitable to include this in your personal statement.

• Brainstorm ideas.
• Create an outline.
• Focus on body paragraphs first using a maximum of 3 experiences.
• Ensure you SHOW what you learned (don’t tell) by using examples.
• Write your conclusion.
• Write your introduction last.
• Attention-grabbing introduction: Not just a thesis statement, but something interesting to draw the reader in, like a quote or a story.
• Transitions: These should lead from one paragraph to the next, creating flow. Use linking words such as however, additionally, also, next, etc.
• Strong examples: This way you are showing, not telling.
• Clear and direct language: Your language does not have to be fancy, what's most important is that it's easy to read and follow. For example, “utilize” is one of the most over-used words in academic essays and “use” works just as well.
• Conclusion: This should summarize your main points, but also leave the reader with a compelling closing sentence that makes them want to find out more about you. For example, include a call back to your opening anecdote and highlight how far you have come.

Dental school personal statement editing, just like medical school personal statement editing , is very important. Begin by writing the BEST first draft you can and then begin your edit. Don’t write something of average quality, half-done, or way over the character limit. Trying to work from these copies will only create confusion and delays. Next, you should read your essay out loud to yourself sentence by sentence to ensure it flows well and to catch any grammatical errors. Each sentence should be contributing to the overall point. If you find yourself repeating your thoughts in multiple forms, think about paring your sentences down. Quality is more important than quantity.

Next, repeat this process 2-3 times. Resist the urge to keep tinkering over and over again. There are multiple strong ways to word sentences and express your thoughts. There are probably even multiple experiences you could highlight and have an equally strong personal statement. However, obsessing over each sentence and word once you have written a strong statement will just lead to changing too many things, delays, you feeling nervous, and sometimes even a weaker essay than you started with!

Yes, you can definitely mention experiences in your personal statement that are non-academic or not related to dentistry. A strong experience to mention should be one that taught you important skills and that influenced your decision to pursue dentistry. Personal experiences can also have a strong influence on which profession you pursue, so you can definitely mention non-academic experiences.

It’s certainly normal to want input from others when we are crafting personal statements. A strong reviewer is one who has experience and expertise with professional school applications and has helped other students before. For example, someone with an advanced degree like a practicing dentist or other professional. Even though you may feel tempted to ask friends and family, you may want to refrain from this, as they are often invested in your success and may find it hard to be objective.

Try to find someone who does not know you so well so they can give objective guidance. The other thing you want to avoid is having “too many chefs in the kitchen.” Too many different people reviewing your statement is only going to pull it in too many different directions, ultimately leading to confusion and even more delays. And again, some students might feel more comfortable using a dental school admissions consulting service for this aspect of their application.

Just like you would address this during an interview, your statement can address areas of concern by following these steps:

• Take responsibility.
• Explain mitigating factors.
• Don't make excuses.
• Share strategies for what you learned and how you would avoid a situation like this in the future. 
• Make sure you end on a positive or proactive note.

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Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Yutika Maharaj

Hi there Do you have any sample personal statements for a foreign trained dentist applying to ADEA PASS and ADEA CAAPID. Thanks

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hi Yutika! Thanks for your comment. As an international applicant, your personal statement should follow the same structure and contain pertinent info about yourself and your application. Use these samples to construct your own, unique narrative!

It is remarkable, very good information

Thanks, Code!

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In response to popular demand, we are including a sample dental school essay. Note how the author reveals a lot about herself without overtly saying "I am this and I am that." She is obviously hard working and disciplined, probably compassionate and kind. Interested in dentistry for a long time, she has clearly considered other options. And she tells a good story . Our experts can help you tell your story just as effectively -- check out our AASDAS application packages here .

I could hardly keep myself from staring at the girl: the right side of her face was misshapen and bigger than the left. Only later did I notice that Cheryl, about nine at the time, had light brown hair, lively brown eyes, and a captivating smile. When she walked into the candy shop where I worked six years ago, Cheryl told me she was a student of my former fourth grade teacher with whom I had kept in contact. We talked then and spent time talking each time she visited. She became a very special friend of mine, one whom I admire greatly. At the time we met, I was taking honors and AP classes, working about twenty hours a week, and feeling sorry for myself. Cheryl's outgoing confidence and good cheer put my situation in perspective. Cheryl was strong, kind, and surprisingly hopeful. She never focused on her facial deformities, but always on the anticipated improvement in her appearance. Her ability to find strength within herself inspired me to become a stronger person. It motivated me to pursue a career where I could help those like Cheryl attain the strength that she possesses.

At the time, my initial interest turned toward psychology. Impressed with Cheryl's outlook, I overlooked the source of her strength: she knew that treatment will improve her appearance. Focusing on the emotional aspects of her illness, I volunteered at the Neuropsychiatric Institute. There, I supervised the daily activities of pre-adolescents, played with them, and assisted them in getting dressed. I worked with crack babies, autistic children, and children who had severe behavioral problems. I enjoyed interacting with the children, but I often became frustrated that I was not able to help them. For instance, a young autistic boy frequently hit himself. No one was permitted to stop this child. We had to turn away and allow him to continually strike and hurt himself until he tired.

I was increasingly disappointed with the lack of progress I saw in my volunteer work at NPI, but my job again pushed me in the right direction. During the fall quarter of my junior year in college, I left the candy shop where I had worked for nearly five and a half years, and I began working as a senior clerk in the Anesthesiology Residency Program. Ironically work, which frequently made study difficult, helped me find the right path. There I learned about the oral and maxillo-facial specialty, which will allow me to help people like Cheryl.

To explore my interest in dentistry, I volunteered as a dental assistant in Dr. Miller's dental office. Dr. Miller introduced me to various dental techniques. Although I was mainly an observer, I had the opportunity to interact with the patients. I came in contact with a diverse patient population with different problems and dental needs. I observed as Dr. Miller dealt with each patient individually and treated each one to the best of his ability. He familiarized me with strategies for oral health promotion and disease prevention. I learned a great deal from him, and as a result, my interest in dentistry grew.

I choose to pursue a career in dentistry after following a circuitous path. My friendship with Cheryl motivated me to enter a field where I can help the severely disfigured cope with their condition. Although I initially turned to psychology, I found my work at the Neuropsychiatric Institute to be frustrating and was searching for a different way to achieve my goal. Ironically, Cheryl had told me all along the source of her strength: the knowledge that her condition was treatable and improving. Through maxillo-facial dentistry I will help others with serious facial deformities have the same knowledge and source of strength.

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Your personal statement is a one-page essay (not to exceed 4,500 characters, including spaces, carriages, numbers, letters, etc.) that gives dental schools a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in dentistry.

Although there is no set of rules mandating what a strong personal statement should include, here are a few tips to help you successfully craft a winning personal statement:

• Explain a defining moment that helped steer you toward a career in dentistry. Consider using that moment as the focal point of your essay.
• Be colorful, positive, imaginative and personal when discussing why you’re a good candidate for dental school. Ask yourself—in a pile of 100 applications, would I enjoy reading my statement? Be sure to convey your passion for dentistry in your statement.
• Be yourself.  Don’t use jargon, clichés or big phrases that you would not use in daily conversation. Remember, dental schools want to know about the real you.
• Be original and thoughtful: Discuss how you would contribute to the profession and patient care, all of which will help you stand out from other applicants.
• Tell your story—make sure the essay is your story, not someone else’s. 
• Recruit a friend. Ask a friend, relative or faculty advisor to read your essay and provide constructive criticism. Ask them to think about whether the essay is a good representation of your character, and what they know of your ideals and aspirations.
• Give yourself time to organize your thoughts, write well and edit as necessary. And don’t forget to proofread, proofread, proofread!

Here are a few things to avoid when writing your personal statement:

• Writing what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.
• Using a gimmicky style or format.
• Summarizing your resume or repeating information directly from your transcripts or recommendation letters.
• Emphasizing the negative.
• Waiting until the last minute to get started on your statement.

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Writing a Winning Dental School Personal Statement

Learn the art of crafting an irresistible personal statement, a key element in the dental school application process. Discover the essential steps and techniques to create a captivating narrative that impresses admissions committees and showcases your unique qualities and aspirations.

Posted September 14, 2023

Featuring Ellen W.

Dental School Application Office Hours with a Former Admissions Director

Tuesday, april 9.

11:15 PM UTC · 45 minutes

If you're planning on applying to dental school, then you'll need to have a strong and compelling personal statement. Not only is this statement your chance to highlight your unique qualities and experiences as they relate to dentistry, but it's also a way to demonstrate your passion for the field and your dedication to pursuing a career in dentistry. In this article, we'll be discussing what it takes to write a winning dental school personal statement and how to make your application stand out.

An Introduction to Crafting a Compelling Dental School Personal Statement

First things first, let's start with the basics. Your personal statement is a one-page essay in which you have the chance to tell the admissions committee who you are and why you want to pursue a career in dentistry. This essay is a critical part of your dental school application and will be evaluated alongside your academic record, letters of recommendation, and any other supplemental materials.

When crafting your personal statement, it's important to keep in mind that the admissions committee is looking for more than just a list of your accomplishments and experiences. They want to see your personality shine through and get a sense of your passion for dentistry. This is your opportunity to showcase your unique perspective and explain how your experiences have led you to pursue a career in dentistry.

It's also important to remember that your personal statement should be well-written and free of errors. Take the time to proofread and edit your essay, and consider having someone else read it over as well. A polished and professional personal statement can make a big difference in the eyes of the admissions committee.

Understanding Your Purpose

The purpose of your personal statement is to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have the qualities and experiences necessary to succeed in dental school and in a career as a dentist. You should use this essay to showcase your personal attributes, your relevant experiences, and your passion for the field of dentistry.

It is important to note that your personal statement should not simply be a list of your achievements and experiences. Admissions committees are looking for applicants who can reflect on their experiences and demonstrate how they have grown and developed as a result. Your personal statement should tell a story about who you are and why you are passionate about pursuing a career in dentistry. It should also highlight any unique perspectives or experiences that you bring to the table, such as a background in a related field or a commitment to serving underserved communities.

Identifying Your Unique Qualities and Experiences to Highlight

To stand out in your application, you'll need to highlight your unique qualities and experiences. Think about what sets you apart from other applicants and consider how those qualities or experiences demonstrate your potential as a dental student and future dentist. Brainstorming these qualities can help you craft a more impactful and memorable essay.

One way to identify your unique qualities and experiences is to reflect on your personal and professional background. Consider your upbringing, cultural heritage, and life experiences that have shaped your values and perspectives. These can provide insight into your character and motivations for pursuing a career in dentistry.

Another approach is to think about your academic and extracurricular achievements. What have you accomplished that demonstrates your leadership, teamwork, or problem-solving skills? How have you contributed to your community or made a positive impact on others? These experiences can showcase your potential as a well-rounded and compassionate dental professional.

Tips for Crafting an Engaging Introduction to Your Personal Statement

Your introduction should be engaging and compelling enough to grab the attention of the admissions committee. You can begin with a story that shows your passion for dentistry, or you can start with a quote that resonates with you. A good introduction should make the reader feel interested in your story, and want to keep reading.

Another effective way to start your personal statement is by posing a thought-provoking question that relates to your field of study. This can help to immediately engage the reader and make them curious about your perspective on the topic. Additionally, you can use statistics or data to highlight the importance of your chosen field and why it matters to you.

It's important to remember that your introduction sets the tone for the rest of your personal statement. Therefore, it's crucial to avoid cliches and generic statements that don't add any value to your story. Instead, focus on showcasing your unique experiences and qualities that make you a strong candidate for the program. By doing so, you'll be able to capture the attention of the admissions committee and leave a lasting impression.

Key Elements to Include in the Body of Your Dental School Personal Statement

Your body should include information about your relevant experiences and how they helped you develop the skills that are essential for success in dentistry. You should also discuss your academic background, specifically any science courses that you have taken, as these are highly relevant to your dental education. It is also important to discuss any extracurricular activities that demonstrate your various skills and qualities.

In addition to discussing your experiences, academic background, and extracurricular activities, it is important to highlight your motivation for pursuing a career in dentistry. This can include personal experiences that sparked your interest in the field, as well as your long-term career goals and how dentistry fits into those goals.

Another important element to include in your personal statement is your understanding of the challenges and responsibilities that come with being a dentist. This can include discussing the importance of patient care, the need for strong communication skills, and the ability to work well under pressure. By demonstrating your understanding of these challenges, you can show admissions committees that you are prepared for the rigors of dental school and a career in dentistry.

The Importance of Authenticity

It is important to be authentic and honest in your personal statement. Do not try to create a persona or present any inaccurate information. Admissions committees are experts at gauging authenticity, and any deception can be highly detrimental to your application. Write from your heart and keep in mind that the purpose of your personal statement is to allow the committee to know you better.

One way to ensure authenticity in your personal statement is to reflect on your personal experiences and how they have shaped your desire to pursue dentistry. Share your unique story and highlight the qualities that make you a strong candidate for dental school. This can include your passion for helping others, your attention to detail, or your ability to work well under pressure.

Additionally, it is important to tailor your personal statement to the specific dental schools you are applying to. Research each school's mission statement and values, and incorporate them into your writing. This shows that you have done your homework and are genuinely interested in attending that particular school.

Examples of Effective Ways to Convey Your Passion for Dentistry

The admissions committee needs to see your passion for dentistry in your personal statement. You can begin by telling a story about a dental experience that inspired you, or you can describe your interest in a specific aspect of dentistry, such as orthodontics or oral surgery. You can also discuss how your past experiences or academic background has prepared you for your future in dentistry.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Writing Your Dental School Personal Statement

There are some common mistakes that can significantly decrease the quality of your personal statement. One of these mistakes is writing in a generic way without discussing your unique experiences. Another is writing a statement that focuses solely on your academic background without demonstrating your qualities and experiences of relevance to dentistry. You should also avoid writing personal statements that are too long or too short, making sure to follow the specified guidelines.

How to Edit and Revise Your Dental School Personal Statement for Maximum Impact

After you have finished your first draft, it is highly recommended to take the time to edit and revise your personal statement. One essential tip is to take a break before starting to revise so that you can look at your personal statement with fresh eyes. As you revise, ensure that your statement is clear, concise, and effectively conveys your message. You may also want to get feedback from friends, family, or professors as well as use online resources such as grammar checking tools.

Tips for Tailoring Your Dental School Personal Statement to Specific Programs or Schools

An effective way to make your personal statement stand out is to tailor it to the specific dental school programs you are applying to. Research and find information about each school's curriculum, facilities, and mission statements, for example, and choose to include information that shows your interest and compatibility with the program specifically. This approach will show the committee that you are serious about attending their specific program and that you've done your homework.

Strategies for Standing Out Among a Pool of Competitive Applicants

Standing out in a pool of competitive applicants can be challenging, but it is vital to remember that if you stay authentic and communicate your passion for dentistry effectively, you have a good chance of making a lasting impression. Additionally, take the time to review what you wrote before making the final submission, use the appropriate formatting guidelines, and be certain you have represented yourself and your aspirations as holistically and accurately as possible.

Making the Most of Supplemental Essays and Interviews as Part of the Application Process

In addition to your personal statement, there may be supplemental essays or interviews that are included as part of the dental school application process. It is essential to take these components seriously as they can play a significant role in the final decision. Be sure to prepare for these essays and interviews carefully, using tips and tools online and even seeking advice from current dental students or former colleagues. Remember, by taking advantage of all aspects of the application process, you can make your candidacy stand out.

Navigating the Admissions Process and What Comes Next After Submitting Your Personal Statement

The admissions process can be stressful, but always remember why you're applying and what your end goal is. It is important to stay organized throughout the application process, keeping track of deadlines and all required documents. After submitting, you can breathe easy, awaiting a decision. However, if you're putting all your eggs in one basket, you may want to consider applying to multiple dental schools. Knowing what to expect and what you'll need to do can help put your mind at ease and prepare you for whatever may come next.

Writing a winning dental school personal statement takes time, effort, and commitment. By keeping the tips mentioned in this article in mind and staying true to yourself and your motivations, you will have an excellent chance of getting admitted to the dental school of your choice, and ultimately following the path you envisioned for your professional life. Good luck!

Want to learn more about the process for applying to dental school? Take a look at these resources to take your application to the next level:

• How to Prepare for Your Dental School Interviews
• Navigating Dental School Acceptance Rates: Strategies for Success
• How to Get Into Dental School: Essential Tips and Guidelines
• Letters of Evaluation for Dental School: Everything You Need to Know
• How to Get Volunteer Hours for Dental School Applications
• University of the Pacific Dental School: Application Requirements and How to Get In (2023-2024)

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Dentistry Personal Statement Examples

Last updated: 05/10/2022

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Writing a dentistry personal statement that you’re proud of is hard.

Many students struggle to boil down their skills and experiences to just 4,000 characters and it is tricky to know where to focus. 

Example statements are a great way to gain this insight.

In this article, we cover the following:

• Strong and weak dentistry personal statements 
• A breakdown of other peoples’ successes and mistakes
• Ideas for what to include in your own personal statement 

Once you've read this, check out dental interview questions to build on what you've learnt.

For an overview of personal statement writing, read our Personal Statement Guide for Medical and Dental Schools . This is essential reading and goes further than just examples!

Strong personal statement example

“I first became interested in studying dentistry between the ages of 12 and 15, when I visited my local dentist frequently to get my braces checked and tightened. 

I talked with her at length about the nature of her job and was struck by the huge impact she could have on the people she met daily. 

She actively improved the quality of life of every patient she encountered, and had to astutely apply scientific principles in a social setting in order to make patients feel at ease and achieve the best results. I was truly inspired by this experience and decided to investigate dentistry as a career.

In order to deepen my insight into the profession I carried out a week’s work experience in a local dental hospital. I saw how dentists of every stage were keen to learn, constantly assessing their performance and striving to improve. 

This drove home the importance of self-awareness and constant reflection, but also introduced me to the idea of lifelong learning which is something I find particularly attractive. 

During this placement I also took my first look inside a patient’s mouth and observed dentists constructing bridges, veneers and crowns. This exposed me to the aesthetic side of dentistry - a dentist not only aims to alleviate pain but can engage with the more cosmetic aspect of healthcare, something that most medical specialties cannot match. 

I organised a number of work experience placements in local dental surgeries, and throughout my shadowing was struck by the bonds dentists formed with their patients. They often had to utilise great communication skills and empathy to calm down or reassure anxious patients, and they worked hard to build up a rapport with everyone who entered the surgery. This encouraged patients to attend checkups more frequently and be more open about their worries, thereby improving the quality of care they received. 

As a result of my reflection on these experiences, I took up weekly volunteering in a local care home and reading to children in the dental hospital. These opportunities helped me become a far better communicator, as many of the residents of the care home were elderly or suffered from dementia meaning I had to adopt different visual or verbal strategies to get my message across. Many of the young patients in the dental hospital felt lonely and nervous, and by empathising with them I was able to help them relax and focus on the positives.

Outside academia, I play water polo and run in my school’s athletic team. Both of these sports have helped me become a better team player and I’ve learned that you can always achieve the best results by working efficiently in a team rather than going it alone. 

I am a particularly ambitious sportsperson and I’ve received the Most Valuable Player award in my waterpolo league for three years running, and have been a captain for four. 

As a captain, I am a decisive leader; In the heat of a match it’s important for me to make snap decisions and for my teammates to trust me. However, out of the pool I take every view into account and try to make sure that everyone has been heard and feels involved. 

I also try to identify the strengths and weaknesses of everyone in the team - myself included - so that we can play to our strengths in matches and work on our weaknesses in training.  

I think that the ambition, teamwork and leadership I’ve demonstrated through my sports will serve me well as a dentist, allowing me to work efficiently with others while constantly striving to improve personally. My participation in these sports has also allowed me to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Becoming a dentist would allow me to have a truly positive effect on the people I work with, while also challenging me and ensuring I’m always learning and improving. I believe that my work experience, volunteering and extracurricular activities have provided me with the skills and insight necessary to become an empathetic and effective dentist.”

Strong personal statement analysis

This example displays many characteristics of a good personal statement. 

• Well structured.
• The candidate comes across as well-rounded and motivated, without appearing arrogant.
• There are some minor areas that could be improved, but overall we think that this personal statement would impress university assessors.

Introduction

• The introduction uses an anecdote to illustrate the candidate’s interest in dentistry. This is a good way to show how your interest in dentistry might have started, but it wouldn’t be suitable to write that you decided to apply to dentistry simply because you liked seeing your dentist as a child. The candidate doesn’t fall into this trap, and makes sure to highlight that this experience only inspired them to do further investigation into the career.
• The candidate goes on to describe how they deepened their insight in the main body paragraph, adding cohesiveness.
• The candidate also demonstrates some good insight into dentistry by discussing the unique blend of social skills and scientific knowhow required by dentists.

Main body paragraphs 

• Variety - the candidate’s three main body paragraphs discuss some of their work experience placements, volunteering roles and extracurricular interests. 
• Quality over quantity - they focus far more on individual experiences while going into more detail, and avoiding lists (although they witnessed a huge number of things during a week of work experience, they choose to focus on a couple of key experiences).
• Insight - the statement demonstrates insight into the profession on multiple occasions. They talk about the prominence of lifelong learning, the aesthetic/cosmetic side of dentistry, and how building a rapport with patients can lead to better outcomes.

Re-read the example, consider how the candidate: 

• Reflects on their experiences 
• Built on their experience
• Demonstrates relevant skills
• Demonstrates that they are ready for the challenges inherent in dentistry

Conclusion 

• Short, brief, and succinct. It doesn’t introduce any new information.
• The candidate doesn’t really speak enough about why they chose to study dentistry over medicine. They mention the dual focus on health and cosmetics, but could mention some other factors as well - for example, the fact that dentistry is more specialised from the start of the degree than medicine.
• They could show some more awareness of current news in the dental world.
• The candidate could also speak a little more about the challenges dentists face in the workplace and how they would cope.
• Discussion of paid employment would also have been beneficial.

Find more in-depth advice, tips and examples in our Personal Statement Course .

Weak personal statement example

“Dentistry has fascinated me from a very early age, as to me it seems like the perfect combination of practical and mental challenges. This has become even stronger since my brother found work as a dentist, having recently graduated from manchester University.

For the past 4 years, I’ve been looking after a local elderly lady who sometimes struggles to go shopping or carry out her daily tasks. This has helped me appreciate the satisfaction one can gain from helping others, and inspired me to pursue a career which will allow me to improve the lives of those around me - like dentistry!

As a result of my interest in medicine, I studied biology, physics and maths at A-Level. 

I’ve also carried out a variety of work experience placements over the years. During my GCSEs, I spent a week volunteering in a local NHS surgery, which exposed me to some of the challenges dentists face; they were often overworked, and had to deal with frustrated and anxious patients on a daily basis. 

I really enjoyed this experience, so I decided to take on another two week block at a dental hospital . While I was there, I shadowed receptionists, helping them to book appointments and organise the dentists’ timetables. I also managed to see dentists make diagnoses and watch a huge range of different dental procedures, from regular checkups to fillings and root canals. I spent time in the in-house dental laboratory, and was taken through the construction of veneers, crowns and bridges. I was also able to shadow dentists over a whole day in their life, seeing the admin and meetings they had to trudge through on top of the more exciting clinical work.

In my free time I enjoy playing the violin and listening to music. I am also a dedicated member of a number of sports teams, including basketball, tennis and hockey. I am proficient at both individual and team sports, showing that I can work well with others, but also self-motivate and set my own targets. 

I also enjoy watching films and socialising with my friends. More recently, I’ve really enjoyed keeping up with current dental news by reading the Journal of Dental Research and my brother’s old copies of the British Dental Journal.

Looking to the future, my great ambition is to work within the dentistry profession, where I believe I could have a really positive impact on the lives of the patients I work with. 

My work experience has set me up well to succeed, and I feel I have the desire and commitment to stick the course and become a successful yet empathetic dentist”

Weak personal statement example analysis

• Likely not to score well
• It isn’t nearly long enough (2520 characters) 
• It hasn’t been proofread and contains errors
• Did the candidate genuinely want to study dentistry from a young age? If it is true, it implies that they made this important decision based on an emotional impulse as a child.
• Being inspired to go into dentistry just because your sibling did is also not recommended. Just because it was right for them doesn’t make it right for you. 
• The mention of helping an elderly neighbour is good, but too brief. This is a great experience to reflect on and use to demonstrate both your motivations to study dentistry and your suitability for a caring role.
• At no point in the statement does the candidate explain why another caring profession wouldn’t be just as suitable for them. 
• There’s no mention of anything particularly specific to dentistry.

Main body paragraphs

• The first paragraph follows a list, with the candidate demonstrating that they have a real range of work experience placements (which is good) but without going into sufficient detail.
• There is very little reflection throughout these paragraphs. The candidate clearly has a good breadth of experience but can’t really explain anything they learned from it.
• They demonstrate very few relevant skills throughout the statement. They should talk more about how each experience they’ve had has improved them, either by helping them develop or demonstrate key skills that dentists need. Then, they should explain why dentists need these skills in the first place. 
• Describing the dentist’s admin and meetings as a ‘trudge’ and clinics as ‘exciting’ isn’t wise. This may be the case, but the reality is that dentists do spend a lot of their time writing notes, filling out paperwork and liaising with other healthcare professionals. If you find this particularly boring you either won’t be able to handle the job in the first place, or you’ll cut corners and thereby put patients at risk.
• There’s no mention of the importance of a work-life balance when talking about how they relax.
• It is crucial not to lie in your personal statement. It is possible that they do 'really enjoy' reading dental journals, but it is likely that your interviewers will latch onto this and quiz you repeatedly on it. 

However, it is worth mentioning the things these main body paragraphs do well:

• There is some reflection on the challenges faced by dentists, which will reassure the assessors that the candidate does have some insight and can reflect on their experiences.
• The candidate discusses the skills they demonstrated through their sports which is exactly the right thing to do. The only thing they’re missing is a linking of this to dentistry.

The Ultimate Guide to Studying Dentistry in the UK

• Remains brief and concise while summarising the rest of the statement and finishing with a strong, confident claim. 
• It is better to show “desire and commitment” to the profession earlier in the statement before introducing it in the conclusion. 
• Saying that work experience will set you up well for a career in dentistry is simply not true. Watching a couple of weeks’ worth of dental procedures will not make you a better dentist later in life. It is the reflection on those experiences that assessors are looking for.

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How do I structure my dentistry personal statement?

Having a well-structured dentistry personal statement is really important when applying to university. It needs to be clear and easy to read, so that the admissions team have no excuse but to award you a good mark. You want to make your dentistry personal statement come across as professional, and ensure it stands out above the rest. Keep reading to hear our tips on how best to structure your dentistry personal statement. 

Break it down:

When deciding what to include in your dentistry personal statement, it is a good idea to break it down into several sections. Start with an introduction, have several paragraphs in the main body of text, and end with a conclusion. We recommend trying to include a section on each of the following in the main body of text:

• Motivation for dentistry
• Work experience
• Voluntary work 
• Extra-curricular activities 
• Dentistry specialties/wider reading
• Academic interests and achievements 

Check out the rest of this article series for detailed explanations on how to talk about each of the above in your dentistry personal statement. You don’t necessarily need a separate paragraph for each of the above sections, as some may fit well together (e.g. your motivation for dentistry could have been driven by what you saw on work experience), however try to make sure you expand on each of these headings when you mention them. 

Possible sections:

As described above, there are several sections you could break your dentistry personal statement down into. Within each of these sections you could also break it down further (as listed below), and this can help you to clearly structure what you want to include. Obviously you won’t have space to include everything, so just select the sections you think you can talk about and expand on the best, and those which you think you can link clearly back to why you would make a good dentist. 

• Introduction
• Why dentistry?
• Why do you like science/want to study this subject specifically?
• What attracts you to dentistry as a career?
• Volunteering: care home
• Volunteering: fundraising/charity
• Work experience: general dental practitioner
• Work experience: dental hospital
• Work experience: specialist dental practices 
• Extra-curricular: sports, hobbies, skills
• Extra-curricular: societies at school
• Extra-curricular: awards (e.g. Duke of Edinburgh)
• Academic: passion for school subjects
• Academic: wider reading
• Academic: research projects (e.g. EPQ)
• Academic: talks attended 
• Wider reading: dentistry specialities
• Wider reading: dentistry journals or news articles
• Key skills (explain and give examples of where you’ve demonstrated them – e.g. communication, leadership)
• Conclusion 

Don’t worry about the order:

When writing your dentistry personal statement you don’t necessarily have to write it in order. In fact, it is often easier to write the main body of text before the introduction, and then you have a better idea of what will sound good to introduce the rest of your dentistry personal statement. 

You could just give yourself a list of headings for what you want to include, write each section separately, and then piece it back together like a jigsaw, editing some areas to ensure it flows well. This way you won’t get overwhelmed by having a large piece of writing to do in one go, and instead can focus on making each individual section perfect on its own first, before putting them all together. 

Make sure it flows:

If you do decide to construct your dentistry personal statement as several individual sections, make sure that when you put it all together it flows well, and there isn’t a sudden jump from one topic to another. Simply adding some connecting words or phrases to show you’ve moved on to the next topic can make your dentistry personal statement so much easier to read. 

Language and tone:

You want to make sure your dentistry personal statement sounds professional, and avoid any colloquial language. You want to sound formal, not chatty, but be careful not to come across too ‘robotic’. 

The admissions team want to see your personality show through your dentistry personal statement, as it is the person behind the words that they are looking for. Whatever you do, avoid clichés at all costs. 

If the admissions team see a cliché they will immediately mark you down, as they sound idealistic and don’t show any genuine understanding of dentistry. So avoid phrases like “ever since I was little I’ve wanted to be a dentist”, or “I dream of being a dentist”. 

Succinct and relevant:

Keep your dentistry personal statement relevant and to the point. You have a very limited character count so if what you’ve written doesn’t add to your statement in any way, take it out! Every sentence needs to count.  

Reflect, don’t list:

One of the most important things for a dentistry personal statement is to show reflection and understanding of the experiences you’ve had, rather than just listing what you’ve done. The admissions team want to see that you have the ability to develop yourself based on reflections following challenges or positive experiences, so whenever you talk about something you have done in your life, reflect on what you have learned from this and how you think it will make you a better dentist. 

Spelling and grammar:

Before you submit your dentistry personal statement, get as many people to check through it as possible! Even if they aren’t experts in dentistry, they can check that your statement reads clearly and that there aren’t any obvious spelling or grammar mistakes. You can also use your word processor’s spell check tool. This is such an easy thing to slip up on, but if your statement is polished and professional it will make a much better first impression on the admissions team assessing it. 

Hopefully this guide has helped you to work out how to structure your dentistry personal statement and given you some ideas of what to include, and you are now ready to get started on constructing an amazing dentistry personal statement! 

Frequently Asked Question

→what is a dentistry personal statement.

A dentistry personal statement is an essay that you write as part of your application for admission to a dental school or program. It provides a snapshot of who you are, your experiences, achievements, and goals related to the field of dentistry.

→What is the best structure for a dentistry personal statement?

The best structure for a dentistry personal statement generally follows a chronological or thematic order. A chronological structure presents your experiences in the order in which they occurred, while a thematic structure groups your experiences according to themes or topics related to dentistry.

→How should I begin my dentistry personal statement?

You should begin your dentistry personal statement with a strong opening sentence that grabs the reader’s attention. You can start with a quote, a question, or a personal anecdote that relates to the field of dentistry.

→What should I include in the body of my dentistry personal statement?

In the body of your dentistry personal statement, you should provide details about your experiences, achievements, and goals related to dentistry. You should also explain how these experiences have shaped you and why they are relevant to your desire to become a dentist.

→How can I make my dentistry personal statement stand out?

To make your dentistry personal statement stand out, you should focus on your unique experiences and qualities related to dentistry. Avoid generic statements and cliches, and be specific about your achievements and goals in the field. Also, make sure to proofread your essay carefully and get feedback from others.

→What should I avoid in my dentistry personal statement?

You should avoid making negative statements about yourself or others, and avoid exaggerating your achievements or experiences. Also, do not copy someone else’s personal statement or use inappropriate language or humor.

→Why is it important to structure a dentistry personal statement?

Structuring your dentistry personal statement is important because it helps you to present your information in a logical and cohesive way. A well-structured personal statement can make a positive impression on the reader and increase your chances of being accepted into a dental program.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Dentistry — Personal: My Dream To Be A Dentist

Personal: My Dream to Be a Dentist

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Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 696 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, 1. the origin of my dream, 2. the challenges of pursuing dentistry, 3. impacting lives through oral health, 4. the importance of empathy and communication, 5. the future of dentistry.

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“Why I Want To Be a Dentist” Essay Sample and Critique

EssayEdge > Blog > “Why I Want To Be a Dentist” Essay Sample and Critique

Table of Contents:

Final Essay

“Open your mouth, let’s see!” I would exclaim to my family before pretending to examine them when I was a child. I have been interested in health care since I was quite young. I love meeting, conversing with, and examining patients, and then figuring out their needs and diagnosis. Moreover, creating a treatment plan for a particular patient and then caring for him or her fills me with satisfaction.

Being a caring and creative person who also loved to draw, I was consequently drawn to dentistry. Pursuing a profession with many facets meant a lot to me.

In order to achieve my goals, I studied dentistry at King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; I graduated in 2007 after earning my Bachelor of Dental Science degree. During my undergraduate college work and before starting my college’s clinical work, I volunteered my spare time as an observer in a dental office near my house. Through that experience, I learned many remarkable facts about the dental profession.

In one instance, I vividly recall a patient who was provided with a fixed prosthodontic bridge for his missing anterior teeth and how pleased he was after treatment. The patient appeared much younger after his missing anterior teeth were replaced. The patient’s comment following this procedure was, “Now I can smile and talk more without being ashamed of my appearance.”

After that experience, I realized that dentistry, prosthodontic dentistry in particular, is an art combining cosmetics, medicine, and architecture that has the capacity to improve both appearances and lives. I strongly feel that there is no greater pleasure in life than that of alleviating suffering. As a dentist, I will strive to alleviate my patients’ distress and give them back their smiles.

During my internship period at university, I have received substantial training in prosthetic dentistry and done laboratory work in some cases as well. In addition, I have worked with distinguished professors who are authorities in this field. I carried out a small research project on the efficacy of home bleaching systems, which was ultimately published in the Saudi Dental Journal. Moreover, I wrote many bibliographies on different prosthetic topics.

I am ideally prepared to enroll in your post-graduate program because I am an enormously hardworking person with high esteem who is devoted to her career.

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Dear Valued Customer,

You have an excellent start on a very strong essay here, and I enjoyed reading and editing your piece. Below is a critique in which I will explain some of my changes and provide constructive suggestions regarding how you can continue improving the essay on your own.

To begin, I would like to compliment you on the individuality and clarity of the essay you have crafted. These are two of the strongest aspects of your piece; they reflect the time, thought, and effort you have obviously put into the essay already. I see many essays that are built around clichés and generalizations, and your essay is a refreshing collection of original thoughts, personal experiences, and a convincing explanation of your motivation to enroll in this program.

While thoroughly proofreading your essay, I noticed a few instances in which you made a mistake with a phrase or grammatical/writing issue. I would like to go through a couple of those with you now (P1 denotes paragraph one, P2 paragraph 2 and so on).

P1: “I have always been interested in health care since the time of my childhood.”

Here, your wording is a bit contradictory. Saying that you have “always” been interested in health care implies that there has never been a point at which you were not interested in that field. You then amend that statement by clarifying that your interest has existed “since the time of [your] childhood.” To clarify your meaning here, I eliminated “always” and smoothed out the remaining language. The reader will understand that your interest has existed since your childhood, and that it has led you to a career in this field.

P2: “I was consequently drawn into Dentistry…”

In this instance, it is not necessary to capitalize the word “dentistry.” Although it is the name of a specific profession, it is not a proper noun and thus does not need to be capitalized.

By correcting these issues and others like them, I have refined your prose and boosted the professionalism of your piece.

There are several ways in which I think you can make this essay even stronger. I would now like to provide some suggestions that will help you do just that.

• You’ve done a great job at starting your piece with a unique, detailed story about your past. The reader can easily imagine you as a small child, running to your family members and eagerly “examining” them as you imagined yourself to be a doctor or dentist. To make the introduction even stronger, you could add a bit more detail to that story. Try adding some description to the scene you set. Did you use any pretend tools? How did your family members react? What would you say upon completing an examination? Just a sentence or two with some more detail could take your introduction to the next level.
• Paragraph 2 is, in my opinion, the weakest of the essay as it currently stands. It just seems a bit out of place and doesn’t connect to the rest of your story as well as it could. In that paragraph, I believe you are trying to emphasize that you were drawn to dentistry because it allowed you to combine your interest in medicine/healthcare with your more creative tendencies (your love of drawing). Because you spend the first paragraph talking about your interest in health care, I would start the second paragraph off by saying something like, “My interest in medicine was not the only thing that led me to pursue dentistry.” You could then tell the reader about your creative side. Then, you could explain that because many aspects of dentistry require a creative or artistic approach, the field perfectly fits your own diverse interests. That would help make the paragraph a bit more substantial and improve its connection to the rest of the essay.
• In paragraph 4, you tell another vivid story about an event that cemented your desire to pursue this graduate program. I assume that event took place while you were an observer in the dental office (which you mention in the preceding paragraph). I’m not sure, though, so you may want to clarify that so that your reader completely understands when and where that experience occurred.
• In paragraph 6, I recommend that you elaborate on two aspects. Firstly, you mention that you completed some laboratory work. Could you briefly explain what your laboratory work involved so the reader can better understand what you gained through that experience? Secondly, I recommend that you add an introduction to the third sentence (which discusses your research project) that tells the reader a bit more about that project. Why did you decide to research home bleaching systems? What interested you in that topic? Adding this introduction will provide valuable clarifying information and improve the flow of the paragraph.
• Lastly, I recommend adding a sentence to your conclusion. To make the essay even more compelling, I would say something about what you aspire to do as a prosthodontist immediately following your current conclusion. This will help your essay end on a note that looks to the future, which will emphasize that you are committed to career progress.

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Essay Samples on Dentist

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My Life and Career Path as a Dentist

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My Aspirations to Become a Professional Dental Hygienist

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Best topics on Dentist

1. Dental Hygiene: Personal Experience and Career Goals

2. What I Have Learned During My Dentist Practice

3. Advantages Of Dental Radiography And Concerns Surrounding It

4. Analysis Of Organizational Culture Of Allison Family Dental

5. My Life and Career Path as a Dentist

6. My Aspirations to Become a Professional Dental Hygienist

7. Benefits of the Regular Dentist Visits

8. My Dream Career as a Pediatric Dentist

9. Teeth Whitening Techniques That Work Perfectly

10. Activated Charcoal: An Effective Teeth Whitener

11. Three Simple Steps for Teeth Whitening

12. Easy Ways in Which to Naturally White Your Teeth

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The motivation and confidence in choosing dentistry as a career amongst dental students: A mixed‐methods study

Mai e. khalaf.

1 Department of General Dental Practice, Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Jabriya Kuwait

Neamat H. Abubakr

2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada, USA

Hanadi Alenezi

Hassan ziada.

3 Department of Clinical Dental Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada, USA

Associated Data

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in preprint server Research Square Pre‐print Platform. The link to it is as follows https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs‐22532/v1

An insight into students’ motivation and confidence in the choice of entering and remaining in dental education is essential. The understanding of how choices are made can help universities in the planning of admission policies. This study aimed to evaluate the career choice influences, motivation and confidence in the choices made into dental education.

A mixed‐method design was employed, using both quantitative and qualitative data. One hundred seventy‐three questionnaires were distributed to all registered dental students, with a response rate of 85%. The questionnaire explored students’ demographics and factors that influenced their career choice. Seven focus groups were facilitated with related data recorded and transcribed verbatim.

The quantitative data revealed the desire to help others, and socioeconomic factors were influential, whilst for parents’ influence, the mother's influence was statistically significant. Qualitatively, results converged and complemented quantitative data; there was a balance between helping others and socioeconomic and familial influences. There was an increase in confidence in the choice made as students advanced in their dental education. The results indicate that informed awareness of the dental programme structure is essential before embarking on a dental career.

Conclusions

The factors that impacted on choice were helping others, socioeconomic factors and the influence on choice from family. They were generally satisfied with their choice and were confident in the choice they made. This confidence, however, was not reflected until the more advanced clinical stages of their dental education.

1. INTRODUCTION

Diverse factors motivate dental students into a career in dentistry. These may be driven by socioeconomic backgrounds, gender, professional prestige and the desire to help others. 1 , 2 Previous studies found students attend dental schools because of the desire for independence (with a higher possibility of self‐employment), serve others, as well as the attraction of the psychomotor skill of the profession, the acquired social status and/or financial security; being upwardly socially mobile and having a flexible work schedule. 3 , 4 Dental students reported monetary incentives, such as income and financial security as the main factors in students’ decisions to study dentistry. 4

In the last two decades, data from various countries show an unprecedented change in gender ratios in the workforce, with the rise in the number of female workers in several fields of the labour market; this is particularly evident in the field of dentistry. 5 Females were found to choose dentistry because they believe they will balance their personal and professional lives effectively as dentists. 5 They were also less concerned with the business component of a career and more concerned with the caring and people factors. 6 , 7 , 8

In the Middle East, females in a Yemeni study indicated that they would choose dentistry because, in this sector, jobs were readily available, and the desire to improve the health of individuals and the community were also factors. 9 Jordanian female students had similar desires namely, “helping people,” placing as the highest rated reason. 10 A study conducted in Iran revealed that “matrimonial considerations” amongst females had an influence on study motivation in addition to “social status,” “income” and “work independence.” 11

The evaluation and understanding of the influences on students’ choices and factors that affect these choices can be beneficial, since it may help in planning health care policies and design appropriate and effective recruitment, as well as setting entrance structures and requirements for dental schools. 12 Moreover, an insight into students’ motivation could assist in designing and evaluating dental curricula, as well as enabling productive communication between students and educators. 1

Dental education in Kuwait spans seven years, where four years are in predental years in conjuncture with medicine, enrolled in a BSC in Biomedical Sciences. The choice to do dentistry is made at the beginning of this BSc. After completing the BSc, students start their preclinical and clinical dental years. This education is provided free of charge by the government of the country. Insight into the motivators for this choice and confidence in the choice made as students’ progress in their dental education can help in evaluating methods to ensure the productivity and satisfaction of the national dental work force as graduates of the programme are recruited to work there.

This study aimed to evaluate the influences and motivators of career choice into dental education by dental students and to explore and analyse factors involved in choice and motivation. It also aimed to evaluate students’ confidence in the choices made to allow for insight, which could help in planning university admission policies, as well as providing an understanding into what students need to know about the career choice in dentistry before embarking on it.

2.1. Study setting

The present study was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry (FOD), Health Science Center, XXX University. The Faculty of Dentistry was established in 1996 and follows a seven‐year programme. The programme of study is publically funded and is the only dental programme in the country. The programme has students integrated with the medical students in the first four years of study. The total number of dental students registered from years 1–7 at the Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University at the time the study was 173.

2.2. Participant recruitment

Participants were invited by email to participate in the study. They were recruited from all the dental education stages, which included all students enrolled in the dental programme from years 1–7 (n = 173). Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The purpose of the study was elucidated to all participants, who signed consent forms before participation.

2.3. Data collection

A mixed‐method design was employed in this study (method triangulation) to increase confidence in the findings and avoid potential bias arising from using a single methodology. Creswell (1999) describes mixed‐method research as “research that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. This type of research assists investigators to comprehend complex phenomena qualitatively as well as to explain the phenomena through numbers and basic statistical analyses.” 13

2.4. Quantitative data

A 23‐item questionnaire was developed to explore gender, demographics and the factors and influences on students’ career choices. The questions were measured on a 4‐point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree). A pretest of ten questionnaires was conducted to identify any necessary modifications and eliminate unclear points for validity. These were used to conduct face validity by the researchers through a subjective judgement of experts to ensure correct and clear writing and transparency. 14 Furthermore, 15% of the sample, which represents 27 respondents were used to calculate the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. In this regard, the acceptable value of alpha is >0.6 and once the value of alpha Cronbach increases the reliability of the measure increases. In this study, the alpha Cronbach value was 0.696 and the validity was 0.834.

2.4.1. Quantitative data analysis

The dependent variables were factors relating to decision to select dentistry (personal choice, influence of mother, father, dentist, teacher or friend), factors motivating a choice of dentistry (desire to help, reputation of the profession, independence, financial aspects, academic interests, job prestige, working hours and job security). The independent variables were the students’ demographic data including age, gender, marital status and mothers and fathers’ academic qualifications.

The analysis was conducted using SPSS software (SPSS version 20.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, Il, USA). Descriptive statistical analysis was made, and Pearson chi‐square tests were conducted to evaluate significant factors influencing the decision to study dentistry.

2.4.2. Qualitative data

The students from each year level were invited by email to volunteer into the focus groups. The plan was to have at least seven students to form seven focus groups, each representing a year of study level. These facilitated focus groups were conducted in a room in the Faculty of Dentistry; facilitated by a member of the research team, asking a series of open‐ended questions. These were questions developed by the research team with all groups asked the same open‐ended questions (Table  1 ). The focus groups were conducted in an open conversational style, and the conversations were digitally and professionally transcribed verbatim and notes were made after each focus group session.

Focus groups questions

Each participant in the focus group was assigned a number to protect their anonymity. The facilitator (HZ) was not involved in any activities relating to the participants’ teaching and assessment.

2.4.3. Qualitative data analysis

The qualitative data analysis used the principles of the constant comparative method of grounded theory (GT). 15 , 16 The transcripts were checked by the research team to approve the accuracy of transcriptions and that adequate participant involvement had taken place. This was also to ensure limited input from the facilitator, allowing the capture of rich, authentic data.

The transcripts were entered into a qualitative software package (NVivo 12 plus; QSR International, Melbourne, Australia) and coded continuously whilst reading through the transcripts. The NVivo software permits qualitative data to be managed and organised into various categories and themes. A coding framework was then made around the topic, and key themes were identified as the data were analysed.

The analysis was conducted by authors independently reading through the transcripts several times, to familiarise themselves with the data/transcripts, without coding at this stage. Following that, independent coding (investigator triangulation) was made by two authors, trained in qualitative methodology (HZ and NH). For validation, codes were compared for commonalities and parallels, with revisions made during the process. Further refinements were made to codes and categories of the transcripts during grouping. 16 This was followed by evaluating the text under each code to check whether the codes were acceptable and justifiable. More understanding of the data and its credibility was assured at frequent meetings between the two coders and that the interpretations were acceptable and coherent with adequate connections and commonalities.

Thematic analysis was then completed iteratively and inductively, to identify, analyse and report patterns within the data, again independently by two researchers trained in qualitative methodology. Thematic analysis is a descriptive and interpretive process of selecting codes and constructing themes. 16 Braun and Clark (2006) described this as an independent six‐stage qualitative descriptive approach to thematic analysis, which was used in this study. The Thematic Analysis, described by Braun and Clark 2006, has been used widely and has demonstrated effectiveness and rigour in healthcare education investigations. 17 The software of the NVivo version 12 plus (NVivo 12 plus; QSR International, Melbourne, Australia) facilitated coding of the data into meaningful units and grouped units into patterns and themes. This allowed the revisions, interpretation and addition of new codes when required.

Reliability was assured by triangulation, which is one of the strategies used to enhance the trustworthiness in qualitative research. Through inductive and deductive processes, involving several repeats and refinements a code book was developed. The final version that was believed to be efficient for the analysis was agreed upon by the researchers. 18 , 19 To demonstrated rigour, validity and inter‐rater/coder reliability, we used the formula suggested by Miles and Huberman 1994, 18 , 19 , 20 and for the present study, the inter‐rater/coder reliability was 80%.

2.5. Ethics

A study protocol was submitted for ethical approval to the Joint Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research of the Health Science Center, Kuwait University, and approval granted (VDR/EC/33). Information sheets about the study objectives were distributed to the participants; to ensure that they were well informed and that their participation was voluntary in nature.

The total number of dental students registered from years 1–7 at the Faculty of Dentistry, XXXX University, at the time of the study was 173. A total of 147 completed the questionnaire, a response rate of 85%. The age range was 18–24 years old, with an average age of 21 years. Ninety‐three per cent of respondents were females (Table  2 ).

Students socioeconomic characteristics

We used the contingency coefficient analysis for the association between gender and the decision to choose dentistry, and no statistical significance was observed. The option "do not know" was excluded from the calculation and treated as missing, since it does not show any agreement and may inflate the average.

When asked about their perception of what influenced their decision to select dentistry as a career, personal decision predominated (96.5%). We dichotomised the response to agree and disagree and used the Fisher exact test. There were no statically significant differences (p‐value 0.461) (Table  3 ). The contingency coefficient analysis for the association between personal decision and motivation also showed no statistical significance ( p ‐value <0.001) (Table  4 ).

Fisher exact test of the association between gender and personal decision‐making

The association between personal decision and motivation

Parents’ influence was split between mothers and fathers, and the contingency coefficient on the fathers and mothers’ influences and gender effects; the mothers’ influences were found to be statistically significant (p‐value 0.02) in decision‐making (Table  5 ).

The association between parent's influence and choice

The factors that impacted on the choice to pursue a career in dentistry where dichotomised into agree and disagree. The desire to help was the main factor, whilst job security was the least factor (Figure  1 ). When asked why medicine was not chosen as a career path, only 37% agreed that medicine would have been a longer, more challenging career path. Seventy‐four per cent felt that a career in medicine would involve long working hours, and 71% felt that medicine would be stressful. Seven per cent of respondents felt that they wanted medicine but did not enrol in medicine because they did not have the grades for it, and 2% regretted their choice of dentistry.

The factors impacting on career choice in dentistry

3.1. Qualitative analysis

Three main themes emerged from the qualitative data, which seemed to interrelate (Table ​ (Table6). 6 ). The customary practice in qualitative research is to present direct quotations from the participants to illustrate themes. Given the extensive number quotations, we include a summarised version of the thematic analysis. More details of the thematic analysis are available in Appendix  1 .

The frequency distribution of codes deduced from the text within each theme

3.2. Theme 1: Factors and influences on choice

The combination of helping others and financial factors were voiced in this investigation.

“I always knew I wanted to help people, so that was a big aspect and you know also if I get to help people and make money at the same time that’s awesome”.

Whilst there were students who made their own personal choice however, the immediate family expectations influence on career choice were prominent. There was also the perception that some students were keeping their parents happy by making the choice of dentistry. Parents’ personal experiences through the generations also had some influence on choice.

“My parents wanted me to be a dentist, so I went for it.” “My dad was very supportive of the choice because he always wanted to be a dentist”.

Influences from siblings, cousins or distant family were also voiced. Given the close culturally netted extended family ties in this region, distant family involvement was expected, particularly amongst those who had a parent or relatives within the profession.

“I think they were many factors from parents, from a family that worked as dentists.”

Family expectations can be formed by cultural and acceptable norms, particularly for females, who formed the overwhelming number of students. Marriage and starting a family at a certain age are also very important culturally, particularly for females.

“I want to start a family; the work hours are a lot easier than being a physician, so that made up my mind.”

Choices were also dominated by logically thought processes. The potential of flexible, shorter working hours and guaranteed employment also made dentistry an attractive choice.

“I think 90% of my decision‐making process is the logical aspect, merely for guaranteed employment and good financial status especially”

The students’ experience with a dentist and how that influenced shaping the choice was also voiced by several participants.

“I would go to my orthodontist every two months so I told them I was considering dentistry and he was very enthusiastic about it, and he just kept telling me.” And every time I would go to the clinic after that he was like, “Hey my future colleague.” So, yeah, that was really nice.”

A mixture of influences and factors was also visible in some of the comments’ students made.

“So, definitely family, economic aspect of course, is important and can’t be denied for sure and I guess personally as well because I also wanted to help people somehow”.

3.3. Theme 2: Confidence in the choice made

There was some doubt in confidence in the choice made, particularly, those still at the basic sciences and preclinical years.

“I still don’t know, I’m still in the academic year, so I don’t know if I made a good choice.”

Conceivably not starting the dental curriculum earlier may have increased the lack of confidence in dentistry as a choice. After studying medicine for four years, some felt maybe they should have continued with medicine and completed medicine instead.

“Even now after four years I think it will be hard for us to let go of all this information, all this knowledge that we have acquired, it will all be somewhat useless.”

The confidence in choice made increased as students moved past the preclinical years.

“Yeah I love it. I like drilling apparently, and even more today because we’re also shadowing 7 th year.”

This might be a testament for support of early dental related patient contact, even if it is at the level of shadowing more senior students. Nevertheless, there were students who were happy with having to learn their preclinical years similar to medicine and felt that this strengthened their learning.

Several students experienced some difficulty in negotiating the thought process, regarding their confidence in the choice they made.

“I think dental students have biased judgments because you know that you’re already accepted into dentistry.”

The sixth year, in particular, had a significant number amongst them who were not confident about their choice. For this particular cohort, at entry, the regulations changed; as a result, many students who wanted to do medicine ended up in dentistry. The dental school entry traditionally required the highest GPA, particularly compared to medicine; this was reversed for this cohort. Whilst they enjoyed the preclinical years, they felt resentful being in this position. The expression of resentment and regret was to the extent that they will not choose dentistry if given the choice again and would shift to medicine if permitted.

“No, I don’t think that it’s the correct decision; I feel if I were in medicine, I would have been doing better than now.” “I would go to medicine if I was allowed to shift after the 4th year.”

When weighing potential career options considering culture, family circumstances and career aspiration, an interesting picture emerged. Students feel that compared to career choices globally, the choices for them were limited.

“I don’t think we have that many options to begin with of what we are going to do”

3.4. Theme 3: Awareness of the program of study and choice

The students reflected on two issues; the dental curriculum and duration of study; not starting till the end of the 4th year, after completing the Bachelor in Medical Science with medical students, and having the same curriculum in Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, etc.” Some felt that they should have been allowed to choose at the stage when they completed the fourth years with medicine rather than earlier or at entry to the school.

“I think that it would be better if students were able to choose dentistry or medicine after year four.”

There were also some expressions of unfairness that they have to study seven years to become dentists, whilst their counterparts who study abroad would complete it in less time with the potential of having more time and hands‐on preclinical and clinical dental training.

“I think seven years are too long for dentistry. Like we see our colleagues graduate from other universities before us, and they get more experience in dentistry because we have four years of medicine. So, we only get three years of dentistry while other students get approximately five years. So, they gain more experience than us, and this upsets me.”

The role of precollege orientation or career advice seems to be lacking in the students’ experiences, and they did not feel that they were given enough career advice. Many students relied on social media for their search to help choose their career choice.

“I just searched on the internet and asked a few of my friends, and so they helped me choose this faculty.”

Some of the schools’ career advice approach seems to orient their students with a view of specifically going abroad to study and in particular medicine rather than studying locally and with an opening for several choices.

“Yeah, they were like, Study abroad, and if you are going to be a doctor even if you are going into a medical field, be a doctor and not a dentist.”

The length of curriculum was a deciding factor in choice; if they were aware of what was involved in studying dentistry in comparison with other universities; their choice might have been different.

“If I knew that I was going to study in such great detail in medicine, such as renal or reproduction, I maybe wouldn’t have entered dentistry.”

4. DISCUSSION

The study aimed to explore the factors and influences that affect a career in dentistry, and the confidence in choice, to provide insight and a deeper understanding. This may ensure that students who enrol in dental programmes will eventually be content with their choice and play a significant role in a satisfied, productive workforce. This information may also help in the strategic planning of educational programmes, which would ultimately impact the national workforce.

Dental education is a costly burden on the individuals and their communities, particularly in countries where the educational expenses are government‐supported or subsidised, as in this cohort. The loss of any dental student after a long and expensive training is a considerable loss of resources and also a potentially lost opportunity for another candidate who may become a more productive member of the dental workforce.

In the present study, the majority of students enrolled in the dental programme were females. This may be attributed to local, cultural influences that place preference for females to study in their home countries instead of choosing to study dentistry abroad since this option is available. However, this may not be regarded as the only reason for the gender distribution reported since research and official government data show a rise in the number of female workers in several fields of the labour market in the last two decades. This seems to be related to the expansion of schooling and female access to universities. 21 The trend is also visibly reflected in dentistry. 22

A commonly reported factor from the questionnaires and the focus groups is the financial and prestigious expectations associated with dentistry career choice. This element is not a contemporary one. Since the early 1960 s, More and Kohn found that the prestige of the profession and financial earnings were commonly reported occupational motivations for studying dentistry. 23

Continued research on the topic of motivations behind a career in dentistry found that factors such as financial stability remained dominant themes amongst both males and females. 24 In Malaysia, the emerging dental workforce also seem to indicate the desire for financial stability. 24 An Australia study also reported on students’ motivation to study dentistry, where males were found to indicate that income and status of the profession as motivators. 25 It seems that, similar to medical students, career choice intentions are complex with multiple modifiable and non‐modifiable factors, where financial reward and prestige rank high. 26 Finances and prestige seem to resonate worldwide in association with the dental profession. This information is important as it highlights the fact that younger candidates, as in this cohort, should be given insight into average incomes associated with various disciplines of related choices.

The reasons for choosing dentistry as an occupation differ from one country to another. In 2009, it was reported that the most frequent reason amongst Swedish dental students was “helping other people,” 27 which comes into agreement with the present findings; whilst the most frequent one for the Japanese dental students was “family expectations,” 27 which also seem to be evident influence in the qualitative data.

There was a convergence between the questionnaire and qualitative data in that factors and influences on career choice are helping others, family expectations and the socioeconomic aspects of a career in dentistry. The interaction between socioeconomic aspects, cultural and lifestyle issues, studies conducted worldwide have reported that lifestyle issues have also been highlighted as prominent in medical students’ choice of a career. 25 , 26 , 28 Of course, cultural issues vary and exert their influences in different ways, perhaps a subject of future research, to investigate the cultural influences on career choice in different parts of the world. Dental school admissions within this region should perhaps consider and provide such related information to applicants and their parents that could help make a more informed decision.

Emerging from the focus groups’ narrative, one crucial issue that needs to be addressed relates to the structure of the programme of study. Dental programmes worldwide vary in length from five to eight years. Within this cohort, the programme's content and integration with the medical curricula were associated with some degree of frustration. Many students reported not to have realised the breakdown of the didactic programme, along with the timeline of the introduction to dental subjects, may have influenced how they feel about the choice they made; in fact, it made some of them unhappy with their choice.

The element of confidence in the choice made is essential, acting as a motivator, which sees students through difficult times during their study years and enables them to accept their chosen career with greater satisfaction. The implication is reduced number of losses of dental graduates who may not join the workforce after graduation due to uninformed choices. The financial impact of this loss in addition to the lost opportunities to others who did not get the opportunity is significant. The focus groups revealed that students in the preclinical years had more doubt in their choice. This doubt reduced once students entered their clinical years. This highlights the impact of early patient contact, which first can help ensure students’ choices are met and second identify those who are unhappy, and if realistically, they will be able to continue in this field. This is quite relevant as our study reports that some females – who are increasing in percentage, felt as though their overall choices of study are limited compared to their counterparts globally. Within these limited options, they need to be given a chance to understand the nature of the career that they have accepted and make an informed decision early on whether they choose to continue with it.

This study has limitations; it is cross‐sectional, evaluating the opinions of students locally. Generalisability cannot be claimed, since it does not consider the students who study dentistry abroad, and who make a large part of the local workforce. However, it would apply to a similar setting or cohort.

Furthermore, reproducibility in qualitative and mixed‐method analysis is through the concept of triangulation, in combining different data sources, methods (quantitative and qualitative), researchers or perspectives (students’) in the study of the same complex phenomenon (career choice), that then ensures validity, which was the case in this study. Therefore, analysis of such qualitative transcripts would not be compatible with statistical probabilities. Additionally, the results of the qualitative part should not be valid for population groups in general, but should be descriptions or theories relevant to a specified setting. 29

We combined quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate Kuwait University dental students’ choice in the dentistry and the factors and influences on their choices. There was convergence in the data between the qualitative and quantitative, and both data were also complementary to each other. This we believe have increased validity since it promoted a more comprehensive understanding of the factors and the influences on choice. 30

5. CONCLUSIONS

The study found that the factors and influences on career choices amongst dental students are broad and included the desire to help, socioeconomic factors, as well as job prestige and security. Parent's influences have an effect with mothers’ being more significant. Overall, students were confident in their career choice; however, this confidence was not clear until the more advanced clinical stages of their dental education.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no interest that may pose conflict with any party.

Supporting information

Supplementary Material

This study was supported by Grant DG01/19 by the Office of Vice President of Research, Kuwait University.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Introduction to Dental Research

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• Lobat Tayebi 3  

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Research in dentistry includes a wide range of laboratory or clinical studies, animal studies, clinical trials, materials manufacturing, prevention, and more. To select a research topic, you should be aware of the meaning of key concepts in the research literature, be familiar with the different types of research , determine the field of interest, and review the literature. Following the special rules of scientific research would allow you to achieve the research objectives, which are not just optimizing/developing treatments, materials, tools, and techniques but also improving the living conditions.

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Tabatabaei, F., Tayebi, L. (2022). Introduction to Dental Research. In: Research Methods in Dentistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98028-3_1

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How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

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• Give background on your topic.
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This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

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Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

• Braille was an extremely important invention.
• The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

• The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
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Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

• Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
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Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

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The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

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As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

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To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

• Argumentative
• Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

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• Published: 21 July 2023

An introduction to dental ethics Part 3 - Concepts of professionalism through duty-based ethics and virtue ethics

• Keerut Oberai 1  

BDJ Team volume  10 ,  pages 9–11 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Keerut Oberai looks at two more types of ethical theories, their advantages, disadvantages, and uses in dentistry.

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Introduction

Previously in this series, we considered the role of ethical theory before turning our attention to utilitarian ethics. In this part, we will look at two more ethical theories - duty-based ethics (sometimes known as deontological or non-consequentialist ethics) and virtue ethics. Both ethical theories, which are very different in nature, are used in definitions and models of professionalism in dentistry. As with the previous section, we will consider the ethical theory, its advantages and disadvantages and its uses in dentistry.

Duty-based ethics (non-consequentialist ethics)

Duty-based ethics claims that whether an action is right or wrong does not depend on the consequences of the action. This contrasts with consequentialist ethics, which we explored in the previous part of this series, which claims that whether an action is right or wrong depends on the consequences that it brings about. Instead, duty-based ethics provides us with moral rules which we ought to follow. Acting in accordance with these rules is moral and in contrast breaking them is immoral.

Immanuel Kant most famously advocated for this system of ethics. He claimed that it was our duty to act in accordance with a universal moral law. Rules which accorded with this moral law he called categorical imperatives. Kant claimed that these categorical imperatives ought to apply to all rational agents and therefore have the quality of being universal. He summarised this stating, 'act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law'. 1 In addition, we ought to act in accordance with categorical imperatives regardless of our own preferences and motivations.

In dentistry, duty-based ethical theory is the basis for professional standards of conduct. These are professional rules or standards that we, as dental professionals, ought to follow.

In dentistry, duty-based ethical theory is the basis for professional standards of conduct. These are professional rules or standards that we, as dental professionals, ought to follow. They guide our action both inside and outside of clinical practice. The most prominent of these professional standards is the General Dental Council (GDC) Standards for the dental team which 'sets out the standards of conduct, performance and ethics that govern you as a dental professional'. 2 The advantage of duty-based systems of ethics and professional standards is that they clearly set out the expectations of dental professionals and are action guiding. An action guiding ethical principle clearly defines what actions are right and wrong which can be extremely helpful when presented with an ethical dilemma. However, in some circumstances duties may come into conflict. Kant and other duty-based ethicists struggle to come up with an account of how we resolve these conflicts and which rules or duties should take priority over others.

Virtue ethics

Whilst consequentialist and duty-based ethical frameworks consider what is the right action, virtue ethics considers what sort of person we ought to be. This ethical theory was put forward in its most influential form by Aristotle in his work 'Nicomachean ethics'. 3 Here, he advocated for a teleological account of ethics which considers the ultimate end or purpose of human beings. He suggested that it was to achieve a flourishing life, which he referred to as eudaimonia.

To attain this, we must adopt a certain set of virtues or characteristics. In doing so, we will habituate towards choosing the right action when presented an ethical scenario. However, which virtues are we to adopt? Aristotle claimed that the virtues which help us achieve eudaimonia exist within a 'golden mean'. In other words, the virtuous characteristic is the one which exists between two extremes. For example, the virtue of courage exists between the extremes of recklessness and cowardice.

When applied to dentistry, virtue ethics tells us what sort of dentist we ought to be. In other words, what virtues we ought to be in possession of to be considered a professional or good dentist. For example, the Royal College of Physicians defines professionalism as 'a set of values, behaviours and relationships that underpin the trust the public has' in the profession. 4 When considering professional values these often include virtues such as altruism, trustworthiness, beneficence but also those such as making sure one is maintaining their clinical skills and knowledge.

Virtue ethics, whilst appealing has its critics. The main criticism is that it does not help guide our actions like the previous two ethical theories we have looked at. In other words, it is not action guiding and there will not be a clear answer as to which action to take. For example, what is considered as a beneficent action may not be clear as in the case of euthanasia - is it better for patients to be kept alive but suffer or be allowed to die on their own terms. The answers to such dilemmas are not always clear when virtue ethics is applied.

Professionalism in dentistry

Professionalism in dentistry, and indeed in healthcare, has changed drastically over the last 50 years. In the past, professionalism was based on a paternalistic model in which the dentist told the patient what treatment they needed and what was in their best interests. Instead, we now have an emphasis on autonomy and the patient being a partner is decision making, determining their own best interests. Professionalism is therefore something which is dynamic, and which will continue to evolve and develop over time. Indeed, we have already seen novel challenges to professionalism such as the emergence of social media which is still a relatively new phenomenon.

In 2020, Cardiff University and the General Dental Council (GDC) produced a mixed-methods research study on the topic of professionalism in dentistry. 5 The study highlighted the importance of communication and patients feeling that they were 'being treated by a practitioner with 'safe' hands'. 5 Dentists themselves were also able to input their opinion on the subject. Interestingly, many dentists reported that having to deal with financial transactions was something which they often found difficult. This is something which is unique to dentistry with most of our healthcare colleagues working with patients who do not pay for their medical care.

Duty-based and virtue ethics can help us in ethical dilemmas and help us to understand what it means to be professional.

Anecdotally, many dental practitioners are concerned that, even if they have act in a way which they perceive to be ethical and if they have done their best, a complaint may still arise. This is a concern which is no doubt linked to the increasing fear of litigation in dentistry. The study discussed this stating 'dental professional groups discussed the impact of regulations, financial pressures, and isolation on professionalism. They presented complaints as a serious issue facing every dentist and talked about "defensive dentistry" and a "climate of fear"'. 5

The study also conceded that professionalism in healthcare and indeed in dentistry can be a difficult topic to clearly define. Furthermore, we may be presented with nuanced cases in which it is difficult to know what the right answer is. This was confirmed in the study which found that:

'Professionalism is developed through observation and reflection and can be challenging to assess. New dentists learn from observing seniors. Insight and reflection were viewed as important throughout dental training and professional practice.' 5

For the most part, we are innately aware of what counts as professional behaviour. However, there will always be challenges and nuanced cases. This is where having an ethical theory, such as those we have looked at so far in this series, can provide a foundation to help us navigate our way through these challenging scenarios.

To conclude, duty-based and virtue ethics can help us in ethical dilemmas and help us to understand what it means to be professional. Duty-based ethics provides us with a set of rules or duties which we ought to follow, and which help guide our actions. In contrast, virtue ethics tells us what sort of dentist we ought to be and what characteristics or virtues we ought to possess. These ethical theories help underpin our professional behaviour and judgements in daily clinical practice. Both can help us in navigating the nuanced and sometimes complex professional challenges that we face in everyday practice. Whilst they may not provide an exact answer, they can act as a framework or foundation on which to build on.

Author information

Keerut is a general dental practitioner in London, Founder of the Healthcare Ethics and Law Educational Platform, and a Speaker on Dental and Healthcare Ethics

Kant I, Gregor M. Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals. 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

General Dental Council. Standards for the dental team. September 2013. Available at: https://standards.gdc-uk.org/Assets/pdf/Standards%20for%20the%20Dental%20Team.pdf (accessed June 2023).

Bartlett R, Collings S. Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics . Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2012.

Royal College of Physicians. Advancing medical professionalism. 2018. Available at: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/advancing-medical-professionalism (accessed June 2023).

Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE). Professionalism: A Mixed-Methods Research Study. Commissioned by the GDC. July 2020. Available at: https://www.gdc-uk.org/docs/default-source/research/professionalism---a-mixed-methods-research-study.pdf?sfvrsn=3327e7e2_1 (accessed June 2023).

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Keerut Oberai

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Oberai, K. An introduction to dental ethics Part 3 - Concepts of professionalism through duty-based ethics and virtue ethics. BDJ Team 10 , 9–11 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41407-023-1922-2

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