University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry (DDS) Dentistry Interview — Format, Questions & Prep Tips

Why have you chosen UNMC College of Dentistry specifically, and what do you plan to do with your DDS in Nebraska?

Nebraska workforce need, interprofessional UNMC campus, specific program features. Out-of-state applicants must answer convincingly — vague answers about "great training" are insufficient.

Walk me through the experiences that confirmed dentistry is the right career for you.

Specific dental shadowing, assisting, volunteering. Concrete moments — not generic statements. Chronological story from first awareness to conviction.

UNMC's campus includes medicine, pharmacy, and nursing. How would you take advantage of an interprofessional health sciences environment as a dental student?

Case conferences, oral-systemic health rotations, shared simulation labs, interprofessional team clinics, collaborative research. Show you have thought about what this actually looks like.

Nebraska has significant dental access disparities in rural areas and in the Omaha urban core. How would you as a dentist address those disparities in your practice?

NHSC loan repayment, FQHC practice, community health center affiliation, mobile dentistry, Medicaid acceptance. Be concrete about options and realistic about trade-offs.

A patient tells you they have been researching their treatment on the internet and want a different procedure from what you have recommended. How do you handle the appointment?

Patient autonomy and shared decision-making. Listen respectfully, explain evidence-based reasoning, explore what the patient found and why it appealed to them, document the conversation. Do not dismiss patient research.

Tell me about a time you worked under pressure and how you managed it.

Dental school and dental practice are high-pressure environments — clinical education, board exams, patient emergencies. STAR format; show self-awareness and coping strategies.

How have you prepared your manual dexterity for the technical demands of clinical dentistry?

Wax carving, artistic hobbies, craft, lab work, dental assisting. Be specific and honest — dental interviewers can detect exaggeration.

You observe a fellow dental student performing a procedure incorrectly and the patient does not seem to be harmed — yet. Do you intervene?

Intervene — patient safety is the priority. Address the student directly in the moment if safe to do so, alert supervising faculty. Post-hoc reporting is also appropriate.

A paediatric patient is terrified of dental treatment and the parent is frustrated by the slow pace. How do you manage both relationships?

Tell-show-do, distraction techniques, building trust gradually. Address parental anxiety separately — do not let parental pressure compromise child-centered care. Know your scope of referral to paediatric dental specialists.

What aspect of dentistry most excites you as a career, and what aspect concerns you most?

Authentic two-sided answer. Concern is not a trick — interviewers want honest self-awareness. Address the concern constructively.

Nebraska has dental shortages in both its rural counties and the Omaha urban core, but for different reasons. How would you reason about the distinct drivers, and what that means for where UNMC graduates are most needed?

Rural: distance, workforce, retention; urban core: insurance, transport, trust. Argue for a pipeline addressing both rather than conflating them. Hedge specific figures rather than asserting them.

A patient becomes irritated that you keep asking about their medications and other doctors, saying 'I'm just here for my teeth.' How do you respond while staying patient-centered?

Briefly explain why systemic health and medications affect dental safety and outcomes, keep it respectful, and proceed efficiently. Demonstrates the interprofessional, whole-patient mindset UNMC emphasizes without lecturing.

How would you contribute at a UNMC interprofessional case conference about a patient whose multiple medications are causing severe dry mouth and rapid decay?

Identify xerostomia's dental consequences, make a specific ask of pharmacy/medicine about medication review, propose shared management (fluoride, saliva substitutes, recall). Shows the co-located campus working as real collaboration.

You are an out-of-state student at a public school that prioritizes Nebraska residents. After graduating you are weighing a job back home versus staying in an underserved Nebraska community. How do you think about that decision honestly?

Acknowledge the public investment and the state's workforce need without pretending obligation you do not feel. A candid, reasoned answer about what would keep you in Nebraska beats a hollow promise to stay.

UNMC's College of Dentistry is on the Lincoln campus rather than the main Omaha medical campus. How would you make the most of interprofessional opportunities given that geography?

Show you have researched how IPE actually works at UNMC — shared coursework, telehealth case conferences, rotations — rather than assuming everyone is in one building. Realism about the campus layout signals genuine research.