UCLA School of Dentistry (DDS) Dentistry Interview — Format, Questions & Prep Tips

Why dentistry rather than medicine? What specifically draws you to oral health as your career?

A positive case for dentistry: the blend of manual craft and biomedical science, longitudinal relationships, and visible outcomes. UCLA also values community focus, so connect to service if it is genuine.

UCLA Dentistry has community rotations at FQHCs across Los Angeles County. What draws you to training outside the dental school clinic in community settings?

Community-based training builds adaptability and exposure to diverse populations and social determinants of oral health. FQHCs serve patients who cannot access private dental care.

What draws you to a public dental school committed to oral health equity in Southern California specifically?

Reference LA County oral-health disparities, the large uninsured population, the Latinx oral-health context, and UCLA's community and biomedical strengths.

Tell us about the experience that confirmed dentistry is the right path for you.

A specific, reflective story showing realistic understanding of the profession rather than an idealised view.

How have you developed your manual dexterity and fine-motor skills, and why do they matter in dentistry?

Concrete examples — art, music, crafts, lab or surgical work — and reflection on precision under time pressure. Link dexterity to restorative quality and patient safety.

At an FQHC rotation, a Spanish-speaking patient with multiple urgent dental needs and no insurance is anxious and rushed. How do you communicate and prioritize?

Professional interpreter use, triage of urgent needs, plain-language explanation, and empathy under time and resource constraints. Show you can build trust quickly.

Los Angeles County has over one million residents without dental insurance. What should the state, the profession, and dental schools do to address this gap?

Dental Medi-Cal expansion, FQHC funding, loan repayment for dentists in underserved areas, and the dental school clinic as a safety-net provider.

A patient at a community clinic needs comprehensive care but can only attend sporadically due to work and transport. How do you plan treatment ethically and realistically?

Phasing care to address urgent needs first, flexibility, avoiding judgment, and recognizing structural barriers. Patient-centered realism over an idealised plan that will not be completed.

You suspect a colleague is overtreating patients — recommending unnecessary procedures. What is your responsibility?

Patient welfare and professional integrity, raising concerns appropriately, and the duty not to ignore overtreatment. Balance collegiality against the obligation to protect patients.

Should community water fluoridation be expanded across LA County despite opposition from some residents?

Balance population-level caries prevention, especially for low-income children, against autonomy arguments. Reason with evidence rather than asserting one side.

The DDS curriculum pairs demanding biomedical sciences with early clinical and community work. How will you manage that load?

Realistic study strategy, time management across didactic, clinic, and community rotations, and use of support resources.

Is there anything in your DAT scores or AADSAS academic record you would like to explain?

Own weaknesses honestly without excuses and show upward trajectory. Self-awareness reassures interviewers more than a perfect record.

Role-play: a classmate wants to skip a scheduled community rotation and asks you to cover for their absence. Respond.

Uphold integrity and the commitment to patients at the community site, decline to falsify, and address it collegially. Professionalism and the service mission are being assessed.

Role-play: a parent at a school-based dental program is skeptical that their child needs sealants. Explain and persuade respectfully.

Plain-language education on prevention and decay risk, respecting the parent, and checking understanding. Avoid condescension while advocating for the child's oral health.

You are shown LA County data showing far higher childhood caries rates in low-income, predominantly Latinx areas. What might explain this and what would you want to know?

Access, insurance, diet environment, fluoridation, and provider distribution. Distinguish association from causation and identify what further data would clarify the disparity.