Last updated September 2026 · Worked examples · 2027 entry
Most dentistry examples online are just finished statements with no explanation. That does not help you write yours. For each UCAS question we have written two answers from the same student's experiences, one weaker and one stronger, then set out underneath exactly what works, what does not, and how the weaker version gets fixed.
These were written in-house by our dental student reviewers as teaching examples. They are not real submitted statements and must not be copied. UCAS runs similarity checks on every statement.
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How to use these examples. Read the weaker answer first and try to spot the problems yourself, then read the stronger one and the notes. Copy the structure and the thinking, never the sentences. UCAS checks every statement for similarity.
These are short excerpts. They show how to turn a weak answer into a stronger one, not the full length you should write.
Question 1This answer has one job that medicine applicants do not have: it must show why dentistry and not medicine. Weak statements never answer that, and dental admissions tutors are quietly testing for it.
How long
Around 25 percent of your 4,000 characters, so roughly 900 to 1,100.
What a reviewer checks
My interest in dentistry began when I had braces fitted and saw how my orthodontist transformed my smile and my confidence. Since then I have wanted a career where I can help people in the same way. Dentistry is the ideal blend of science, art and caring for others.
I have always enjoyed working with my hands, which I know is essential for dentistry, and I am a patient and hard working person. Shadowing a dentist confirmed that this is the right career for me and I am determined to work hard to achieve my place.
Weak points
Reviewer verdict: Pleasant, but completely generic. It gives the reader no reason to remember this applicant.
StrongerThe dentist chose not to restore a small area of early decay. Instead, she used the radiograph to explain what she had found, refined the patient's brushing technique and explored when he consumed fizzy drinks before reviewing him three months later. I had assumed dentistry was primarily about repairing damage; this appointment made me see that deciding when not to intervene can be equally clinical. Prevention meant understanding his habits, suggesting a change he could sustain, and then using follow-up to check whether it had worked. That mix of immediate judgement and long-term management is what attracts me to dentistry.
The precision appeals to me too. I have crocheted since I was thirteen, and keeping the tension even is hard because one loose stitch pulls the whole piece out of shape later. It has taught me to value controlled, consistent movements over speed or care. Dentistry needs the same precision at a very small scale, but it serves a patient rather than existing for its own sake.
Reviewer verdict: This is what a strong Question 1 looks like for dentistry. Specific, aware of prevention, and impossible to reuse from a medicine draft.
Good to better: simplifying the precision paragraph
Compare the earlier draft with the revised version, then see exactly what changed and why.
Earlier draft
I am also drawn to its precision. I have crocheted since I was thirteen, and maintaining even tension is deceptively difficult: a small lapse can distort the shape several rows later. It has taught me to value controlled, consistent movements rather than simply working quickly or carefully. Dentistry appeals to me for the same reason - the outcome depends on precision at a very small scale, but that precision serves a patient rather than existing for its own sake.
Revised version
The precision appeals to me too. I have crocheted since I was thirteen, and keeping the tension even is hard because one loose stitch pulls the whole piece out of shape later. It has taught me to value controlled, consistent movements over speed or care. Dentistry needs the same precision at a very small scale, but it serves a patient rather than existing for its own sake.
What is better, and why
For dentistry this answer should carry evidence of careful, checkable technique as well as academic interest. Practical work is your friend here.
How long
Around 30 percent of your 4,000 characters, so roughly 1,000 to 1,300.
What a reviewer checks
Studying Biology and Chemistry has given me a strong scientific foundation for dentistry. In Biology I have enjoyed learning about the structure of teeth and the causes of tooth decay, and in Chemistry I have developed my practical skills through experiments in the laboratory.
These subjects have improved my attention to detail and my ability to work accurately, which are important skills for a dentist. Balancing my studies with a part-time job has also taught me time management and how to work under pressure.
Weak points
Reviewer verdict: Everything here is a fact about school. None of it is evidence about you.
StrongerMy titration results were consistently outside the range I expected, and my first instinct was to blame the solution. Repeating it slowly showed the fault was mine: I was reading the meniscus from slightly above eye level, so every reading was out by the same small amount in the same direction. The error was invisible until I looked for it in my own technique first.
That habit matters more than the mark. A dentist reasons the same way when a restoration keeps failing in the same patient: check the technique and the moisture control before blaming the material.
Biology gave me the question I have read most about. Once I understood that enamel demineralises and remineralises continuously, decay stopped looking like an event and started looking like a balance that tips. Reading about minimally invasive dentistry took that further, because if the balance can tip back then removing less tooth tissue now decides how much tooth is still there in thirty years.
Reviewer verdict: A strong answer that quietly proves precision, honesty about mistakes, and genuine interest in oral health.
Good to better: sharpening the clinical link
Compare the earlier draft with the revised version, then see exactly what changed and why.
Earlier draft
That habit matters more to me than the mark. It is the same reasoning a dentist needs when a restoration keeps failing in the same patient: check the technique and the conditions before deciding the material was wrong.
Revised version
That habit matters more than the mark. A dentist reasons the same way when a restoration keeps failing in the same patient: check the technique and the moisture control before blaming the material.
What is better, and why
Shadowing, volunteering, jobs with the public and hands-on hobbies. Reflection beats logged hours, and one activity written properly beats a list of five.
How long
Around 45 percent of your 4,000 characters, so roughly 1,600 to 1,800.
What a reviewer checks
I have completed five days of shadowing at two dental practices and one afternoon at a community clinic, which gave me a good insight into the daily life of a dentist and confirmed my choice of career. I observed fillings, extractions and check-ups.
Outside school I play the piano, do crochet and build model kits, which all demonstrate good manual dexterity. I also work Saturdays in a cafe, which has improved my communication with customers of all ages, and I volunteer at a care home. Together these experiences have given me the skills to become a caring and successful dentist.
Weak points
Reviewer verdict: Good raw material, wasted. This could easily become the strongest part of the statement.
StrongerThe appointment I learned most from was one where very little treatment happened. The patient was visibly anxious, and before starting the dentist agreed a hand signal with her so she could stop at any point. Her shoulders came down before the chair had finished reclining. Nothing about that was clinical, and the appointment would not have been possible without it.
What I had not expected was how much of the day was review and prevention rather than treatment, and how quickly the dentist moved between the patient, the nurse and the notes. I also watched her tell a patient that a tooth she had restored two years earlier had failed again, and explain why, which was uncomfortable to watch and clearly part of the job.
Volunteering at a care home has stayed with me for a different reason. Helping at mealtimes, I noticed how many residents were struggling with dentures that no longer fitted, and how rarely that seemed to be picked up. It was the first time I thought about access rather than treatment: the dentistry these residents needed existed, and it was not reaching them.
My Saturday cafe job is where I have dealt with people who are annoyed. Handling a complaint with a queue building behind it taught me to settle the person before solving the problem, which I later watched a practice receptionist do far better than me on a busy morning.
Reviewer verdict: Four experiences, each doing a different job, none of them just listed. This is the version that gets remembered.
Good to better: trimming the part-time job
Compare the earlier draft with the revised version, then see exactly what changed and why.
Earlier draft
My Saturday job in a cafe is where I have done the most talking to people who are not in a good mood. Handling a complaint properly while a queue builds behind it taught me to deal with the person first and the problem second, which I have since watched a receptionist do far better than me on a busy practice morning.
Revised version
My Saturday cafe job is where I have dealt with people who are annoyed. Handling a complaint with a queue building behind it taught me to settle the person before solving the problem, which I later watched a practice receptionist do far better than me on a busy morning.
What is better, and why
Send us your dentistry statement and a senior reviewer marks it up line by line, keep, sharpen or cut, with the reason and the fix. Back in 72 hours, from £69. We suggest edits and give detailed feedback, we never rewrite it for you.
Get my draft reviewed Prefer 1-to-1 tutoring?Braces starting your interest is fine. Braces as your first sentence puts you in the largest group in the pile. Lead with something you observed or did instead.
Dental schools spot swapped-in words immediately. If you are applying to both, the drafts need genuinely different content, not the same one with the noun changed.
Five days at two practices is a fact, not a reflection. One appointment described in detail is worth more than the whole week summarised.
Naming three hobbies proves nothing. Take one and describe what it demands: precision, a small working field, repeating a movement until it is consistent.
Statements that only talk about treatment miss half of modern dentistry. Show that you understand oral health is managed over years, not fixed in one visit.
A practice runs on nurses, hygienists, receptionists and appointment books. A line showing you noticed that is rarer than you would think.
Every clinical term and every claim is fair game at interview. If you cannot explain it out loud in plain English, take it out.
These are the clichés we see in almost every first draft. The rewrite keeps the same idea but shows the skill through a real moment, and explains why it matters for dentistry.
Weak line
"I am a hard working team player with excellent communication skills."
In the practice, I watched a dentist explain to a nervous teenager that she did not need to start treatment that day. The nurse passed her the mirror, the dentist pointed to the early decay on the screen, and they agreed a new brushing routine together.
What struck me was how the dentist led the conversation but the nurse made it possible: handing the mirror at the right moment, writing the notes, booking the review. That is the kind of teamwork and communication I want to be part of.
Why this works: The weak line claims three qualities without evidence. The better version shows the writer noticing how a dentist and nurse actually work together, and understanding that prevention depends on the whole team.
Weak line
"Volunteering at a care home made me realise I want to save lives."
At the care home, one resident kept refusing to open her mouth at mealtimes. The carer told me she was frightened of her dentures rubbing. I sat with her, waited until she was ready, and helped her take small bites.
It was slow and not clinical, but it made me see that dental care does not start in the chair. It starts with getting someone to trust you enough to let you look. That is the side of dentistry I want to explore.
Why this works: Saving lives is not what most dentists do day to day, so the weak line also shows a poor understanding of the job. The better version shows patience, communication and a real insight into access and trust.
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