dentist personal statement introduction

Username or email *

Password *

Remember me --> Sign In

Forgotten password?

info@themedicportal.com

How To Structure Your Dentistry Personal Statement

Personal statements are often used by admissions tutors in differentiating between candidates in different stages of the admissions process, therefore your personal statement can be a crucial factor in the admission team’s decision.

It can be hard to include all the points you want to make within 47 lines (or 4000 characters), but a good structure to your personal statement will provide an excellent framework to portray yourself as a good candidate for dentistry.

Each paragraph should serve a strong and specific function so that your personal statement is clear and easy to understand.

This article will discuss a general framework you can refer to while writing your personal statement. Below is some great advice to help you structure your personal statement.

1. Introduction Admissions tutors are looking for candidates that are able to demonstrate their motivation to study dentistry and the introduction of your personal statement is the best place to convey your interests and commitment.

You can choose to highlight the specific aspects of a career in dentistry which appeal to you and relate a specific situation from your work experience which you can then link to why you would like to study dentistry.

As the admissions team will be reading multiple personal statements in a day, it is of utmost importance to draw your reader in from the get-go.

To do this, a personal anecdote is a good way to immerse your reader into your journey and infuse some individualism into your personal statement.

2. Work Experience Your personal statement should show that you have undertaken steps to find out more about dentistry, and it is highly important to show that you discuss what you have learnt and reflected upon them.

It is recommended to include your reflections from work experience, and there are many different things that you can reflect on. Here are some questions which you can ask yourself:

What skills did the dentist possess, and what did you learn through them about healthcare?
What are certain key attributes dentists must have (such as empathy, communication and teamwork), did you have any incidents where the dentist demonstrated these attributes?
What challenges do people working in dentistry face daily?

3. Academic Achievements As dentistry is a scientifically heavy course, it is vital to show evidence of your interest in science and eagerness to learn.

A way to demonstrate this would be to write about a topic that you are interested in. Your topic of interest can be from your A Level or undergraduate syllabus, or from a case that you observed during your work experience.

For graduate entry applicants, you can include academic prizes or research that you have been involved in.

After writing about your topic of interest, you can further reflect on why you found this topic interesting, and how this links back to your motivations to apply for dental school.

4. Other Achievements In your previous paragraphs, you will have acknowledged that there are certain key attributes that a dentist should possess. By acknowledging the importance of these transferable skills, you will be able to show that you understand the requirements of dentistry, and you have developed the skills described.

This section will be a good place to display these attributes. Due to the UCAS limit of 4000 characters, it is of utmost importance to be specific and succinct about when you have shown these attributes. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

What are the three key attributes of a dentist?
What have you done previously which best exemplifies these attributes?

5. Conclusion As the last paragraph of your personal statement, the conclusion should help sum up your points you have brought up and provide closure to your personal statement. Therefore, you should refrain from adding new content in your conclusion.

A good way to make an impact with your conclusion would be to link it back to your introduction. Through this, you will be able to remind your reader about your motivations for doing dentistry to reinforce why you are a suitable candidate.

Written by: Isabel Chan

Already written a first draft of your dentistry personal statement? Check out our Personal Statement Review service!

More on Dentistry:

Dentistry Guide

Reapplying To Dentistry

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Studying Dentistry

Prep Packages

Get the best prep at the best price. Save up to 20% with prep packages for UCAT or Interview. Plus a new range of exciting medical experiences.

Trusted Courses

Our courses are trusted by world-leading schools and thousands of aspiring medics every year. 5*-rated UCAT and Interview Courses are available in person or live online.

1-2-1 Tutoring

Need one-to-one help? Our Doctor-trained Medicine tutors are ready to help you boost your UCAT score, nail your interviews and get you into Medical School.

Join Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list for weekly updates and tips on how to get into Medicine.

5 Things You Didn't Know About Studying Dentistry

Dentistry Ethical Scenarios

KCL Dentistry Personal Statement Example

Whole personal statement.

A smile is more than just a smile, it is a reflection of happiness, confidence and self-esteem. Dentistry is the engineering of a smile, focusing on patients’ health, comfort and wellbeing. The interaction with patients and colleagues is not only integral to the care provided, but also a very attractive aspect of this career. With constant advances in research, dentistry has been and always will be an evolving profession. This opportunity for lifelong learning excites me and has fuelled my desire to pursue this pathway.

I had the opportunity to join the dentists at my local practice where I observed check-ups; the fitting and moulding of dentures; and tooth extractions. The interaction between dentists of different specialist interests; along with the dental nurses, hygienists and supporting staff maintained the best care possible in a multidisciplinary team. It was amazing to see the wonderful impact that they had on so many patients. For example – helping a lady with periodontitis. Her gums had begun to recede causing many teeth to fall out and others to wobble. Everyday tasks we take for granted (such as talking and eating) led to constant pain and difficulty. I will never forget the look on her face once she was fitted with her personalised dentures. This inspired me to learn more about the working life of a dentist.

I came across Dr Manouchehri’s ‘Teeth and Tales” podcast which was informative and enjoyable. It was interesting to learn about the importance of dental health as an indicator for many diseases. For instance, mouth ulcers can indicate signs of some bowel diseases, and examination of the mouth can diagnosen early stages of oral cancer. This captivated me : dentistry does not only improve the quality of people’s lives; it has the potential to save it. The podcast includes a brief yet stimulating discussion about a dentist’s ‘typical work week’ – which is in fact not typical at all.

Each patient has their own needs, resulting in an immense variation of work that has intrigued me – sparking my interest in orthodontics. This focuses on unique tooth alignment in order to provide patient focused treatment, providing new, exciting challenges to overcome. A smile can be built that improves the appearance and functionality of someone’s mouth – building their confidence and protecting their teeth by correcting their bite.

Communication is the basis of the dentist-patient relationship that is built on trust and respect. I am an effective communicator – evident in my roles as Senior Prefect and Classroom Assistant. As part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, I volunteered at my local Barnardo’s where I worked as part of a team which helped me improve my communication skills. It was a great pleasure to do something good for my community, supporting the less fortunate by gathering and sorting through donations to those in need.

Dentistry is a demanding and stressful career, so finding ways to relax is important. Music is my tool for relaxation. I am a keen piano player and have passed my grade 6 exam with distinction. Hard work and disciplined practice have greatly improved my manual dexterity and attention to detail – skills that are integral to dentistry. My commitment has allowed me to begin tutoring, where I tailor my teaching style according to a student’s age and skill level. I am able to communicate complex information in an understandable way; build relationships with otherwise shy children; and put them at ease when dealing with frustrations. By effectively managing my time, I balance my schoolwork and benefit from being part of the school choir as well as an U18’s football team within the top division of my region. Football involves communication with teammates, mirroring the teamwork required in the life of a dentist.

I recognise that dentistry is a demanding career, but it is also extremely rewarding. It would give me the opportunity to connect with and positively impact so many people. Nothing would fulfil me more.

MEDICINE MASTERY BUNDLE

Achieve Medicine Mastery in all areas of your application, including the Personal Statement

Write an impressive Personal Statement with the help of our one-to-one tuition, in-depth resources, an intensive crash course and much more.

Personal Statement Crash Course

KCL Dentistry Personal Statement Example Analysis

Now, let’s go section by section and see what Saif has to say about what he wrote:

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

I feel that in the introduction of my personal statement I have been able to clearly demonstrate my passion for Dentistry. From my explanation, the intent behind my desire to study Dentistry really shines through.

I do feel that my introduction does come across as quite impersonal and I haven’t related it to myself until the final sentence. I could have expanded further on the research aspect of Dentistry as this is an area I am interested in and it would have been better to covey this to the admissions tutor to demonstrate my understanding of it.

Paragraph 1

I have not only discussed my work experience but also reflected on it, showing what I learnt and how it made me feel. This shows my passion and experience – and also that I understand the value of doing work experience.

I probably could have been more concise, which could have meant I would have had more characters available to me later on in my personal statement which I feel I ended up rushing through. As well, I would have liked to have spent more time discussing the life-saving aspect of Dentistry in more depth by talking about what a Max Fax surgeon is.

Paragraph 2

I have shown that I have been doing wider reading – even though it has not been in the traditional sense of the term but rather with a podcast. I have made sure to talk about what I have learnt from it, using mouth ulcers are a symptom for some bowel diseases as an example as I just found it so fascinating.

Again, I probably could have been more concise here. What the podcast talks about is not what is important but rather what I have grasped and learnt from it. I have probably embellished my language a bit too much, e.g., “…podcast which was informative and enjoyable,” when I could have cut out the latter part of the sentence and gone straight into why it was interesting.

Paragraph 3

Here I made the point of discussing a specialist branch of Dentistry, that being orthodontics. I have talked about what interests me in orthodontics. This also displays the knowledge I have gained through wider reading and understanding of the profession as a whole.

I should have gone into my depth about what sparked my interest in orthodontics. It would have been helpful to relate it back to what I saw during my work experience.

Looking for Personal Statement support?

We’ll do you one better! The Medicine Mastery Bundle supports you through your Personal Statement, UCAT and Interview with 30+ hours of 1-1 tuition and a full suite of resources and features .

Personal Statement Work Book

Personal Statement Workbook

Paragraph 4

I have used my personal experiences to relate to how I have developed and enhanced my communication skills – a skill which is vital to a career in Dentistry. Though I have only mentioned it from the sense of a dentist-patient relationship, it is also a necessary skill when working with other members of a dental team.

As briefly mentioned above it would have been better to relate my communication ability to a clinical setting and draw on what I saw and learnt during my work experience. As well, I mentioned being a Senior Prefect and Classroom Assistant but have not gone into detail of anything I actually done within these roles.

Paragraph 5

Here I have discussed the extracurricular activities that I undertook to show off more of my personality and interests outside of school and Dentistry. The idea behind this was to show the universities I was applying to what sort of person the would-be considering aside from my academics and to showcase myself as a well rounded individual.

I have mentioned elsewhere I could have been more concise at the start of my personal statement as I feel this section is really rushed as I ran out of characters which would have allowed me to go into more depth. Maybe if I had structured my personal statement differently, it would have allowed me to discuss my extracurriculars in more detail

My conclusion is clear, concise and straight to the point. I have acknowledged that a Dentistry degree and career will be challenging but I feel I am well suited to face this adversity and rise above it.

There is being concise, and then there is potentially being too short which I feel this is. Again, I used up valuable characters earlier on in my personal statement which would have been better used for my conclusion. As well, I could have related it back to what I said in my introduction to make it feel more cohesive.

Final Thoughts

I am pleased with my reflection of my work experience, I have not just listed what I done but mentioned the value I have gained from it by relating it to patients that I came across. Additionally, the section about my wider reading and my interest in the subject through Dr Manouchehri’s podcast, I feel, conveys my passion for Dentistry and my fascination with it.

The end is what really lets it down, I feel, I ran out of characters, and it shows. I easily could have shortened my introduction and gained characters back there. Reading it back through, it does come across as slightly rushed and that I had just crammed it all in. There are definitely some sections that could have been broken down into smaller paragraphs just for ease of reading.

So there you have it! This personal statement helped Saif get 3/4 offers in his application.

Everyone has different experiences and abilities, so you may not be able to relate to everything that was said in this personal statement. However, the information and advice provided by Saif is universal and will help any applicant write a better personal statement!

Be sure to check out more Medicine Personal Statement Analyses to see advice from all different kinds of applicants, including Ali Abdaal himself! Or if you want to get started on your own statement, check out 6med’s Medicine Mastery Bundle for all the support and resources you’ll ever need for your PS and the rest of your application!

More Medicine Personal Statement Examples & Inspiration

Reapplying to Medicine – Anton’s Personal Statements

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Jonathan (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Millie (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Duranka (Oxford)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – James (UCL)

Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement – Samah (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Ali Abdaal (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cambridge (Elizabeth)

Medical Biosciences Personal Statement Example – Imperial College London

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Warwick (Laura)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Plymouth (Abdullah)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – King’s College London (Azzra)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Brighton and Sussex

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff University (Faris)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cambridge (Lucy)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Sunderland (Ikrah)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cambridge (Annie)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Oxford (Alexander)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Bristol (Faraz)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff University (Jemma)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – King’s College London (Thomas)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Example – Barts Medical School

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Nottingham (Aymen)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – Barts (Malikha)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff (Eera)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Emmy)

Chloe Hewitt

unlock infinite medical wisdom

Just leave your email in the box and you’ll receive weekly updates and the best tips for your medical application!

Application Support

Personal Statement
Crash Courses
1-1 Tutoring

Free Resources

Personal Statement Free Resources
Medicine Application Guides

Other Stuff

UCAT.Ninja™
Exams.Ninja
School Support
Tutor With Us
Medical School Success Calculator
Help Centre

Pay with confidence