personal statement examples for dental hygienists

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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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Dental School Personal Statement: The Ultimate Guide (Examples Included)

Learn step-by-step how to write a unique dental school personal statement, including full length examples.

your dental school personal statement can mean the difference between and acceptance and a rejection

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: how to write a dental school personal statement, part 3: common dental school personal statement errors to avoid, part 4: full length dental school personal statement examples.

If you’re applying to dental school and beginning to contemplate your dental school personal statement, you likely fall into one of two categories:

You aced the DAT, have an excellent GPA, and after all of the work you put in for those scores you’re thinking, “I have no energy left… Does the personal statement even matter?”

Your DAT and/or GPA are good or average, and you’re stressed about how you can improve your overall application by writing an absolutely amazing personal statement.

Whatever position you find yourself in, this guide will address your concerns. We’ll explain the importance of the dental school personal statement and why it can make or break even the best application. We’ll also provide detailed, step-by-step guidance on how to write an excellent personal statement, along with multiple full-length dental school personal statement examples so you can see for yourself how it’s done. 

How much does your dental school personal statement matter?

If you’ve got a good score on the DAT and a high GPA, this question has likely crossed your mind. It is true that admissions committees can and do use these scores to quickly sift through the thousands of applications they receive each year. That said, these scores are not on their own sufficient to get you accepted to the dental school of your dreams.

There are plenty of stories of applicants who had a strong GPA and an unbelievable DAT score but were not accepted to their top choice dental school (or any dental school at all). Often, the personal statement is the distinguishing element that can ruin a great application or significantly enhance an average application.

The good news is that there are predictable strategies for writing an excellent dental school personal statement—more on those momentarily.

(Suggested reading: How Hard Is It to Get Into Dental School? )

What is the goal of a dental school personal statement?

With both your GPA and your DAT score, the goal is quite obvious—the higher the better. It may be tempting to assume that the applicant with a 22 DAT and 3.8 GPA will be accepted over the candidate with a 20 DAT and 3.6 GPA, however the admissions process is not nearly this cut and dry, and it is often the personal statement that can separate these two candidates in the minds of an admissions committee.

So, what is the goal of a personal statement? The answer is remarkably simple: the goal of the personal statement is to get the admissions committee interested in you as a person, and to make them want to meet you. 

The entire goal of your application is to land an interview at as many dental schools as possible (or at least at your dream school), and the personal statement is your opportunity to demonstrate your unique and interesting characteristics.

Think of your application as building a house. 

Your GPA and DAT scores are like the blueprints. They are mathematically based and must meet specific structural and engineering requirements in order to support the eventual home. While there is certainly variation in blueprints between different homes, there are specific benchmarks and requirements that must be met for blueprints to meet city building codes and be approved. 

Your personal statement, however, is a much more creative process similar to the interior and exterior design of the home. What color of paint will you choose? What type of windows do you want? Will you select a specific theme for the furniture, drapes, and paintings? After all of these creative decisions have been made, two homes with identical blueprints could have a drastically different appearance. 

While the creative and subjective aspects of writing an excellent personal statement may feel overwhelming to the more analytical students who make up a large portion of dental school applicants, the good news is that there are very clear strategies that can help guide you in this creative process.

According to the ADEA , “ 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 .”

That doesn’t quite convey the real goal of your statement, which is to convince the admissions committee that you, as a person, are interesting and unique, and to compel them to want to meet you off the page. 

Just as understanding the goal of your personal statement is critical, starting the brainstorming process with a general roadmap can help simplify an otherwise overwhelming process.

Fortunately, there is a simple and well-tested format that has been followed by many successful dental school applicants. 

Outlining your dental school personal statement

We’re fans of knowing exactly where you’re going before you even begin writing. Here’s the general format that we recommend using for your personal statement:

Intro : Engage the reader immediately with an interesting introductory paragraph

Body : Illustrate your unique dental journey in 3–5 paragraphs

Conclusion : Reinforce your passion for dentistry and tie back to the introduction

But how do you fill these in paragraphs with information that’s engaging and, most importantly, conveys what’s unique about you? What should you include? Next, we’ll go over five steps that will help you draw out the best topics for your dental school personal statement.

Step 1: Brainstorming

Begin by brainstorming possible topics or areas for your personal statement. Our recommendation is to come up with far more than you’ll actually end up writing about—even as many as 30. 

We know what you’re thinking: Why would I brainstorm 20+ ideas and experiences when only 3–5 will actually make it into my personal statement?

The answer: Often a bad personal statement comes about because an applicant has chosen the wrong topic. Sometimes applicants choose clichéd material, or material that isn’t personally meaningful. Then they feel locked into the essay they’ve begun. But, by brainstorming strategically, and working with someone whose opinion you trust on subject matter, you can position yourself to enter the writing phase confident that you’ve got a subject you can write about fluently and passionately.

To get there, we like an exercise called “ the Rule of 5s ” that provides a systematic approach to guide the brainstorming process.

While we’re calling this the Rule of 5s, it could just as easily be the Guideline of 5s—the number five is simply a good target to help you stretch. However, don’t get too caught up on it. If you have three or four examples in one category and seven in another, that is fine. 

Here’s the Rule of 5s: Brainstorm five good examples in each of the five categories listed below:

Five significant life experiences

Five unique and interesting accomplishments

Five unique and interesting hobbies or interests

Five failures and five lessons you learned from them

Five challenges or setbacks you have faced and had to overcome

Step 2: Your personal journey to dentistry

After completing the Rule of 5s brainstorming activity, your next step is to outline your personal journey to dentistry in a way that clearly answers the question of why you want to be a dentist. This outline should be concise and can even be in bulletpoint form. That said, be detailed and try to think of any key experience, interaction, person, class, conversation, or “aha!” moment that influenced you to ultimately choose a career in dentistry. 

When your outline is finished, review it and identify 3–5 of the most interesting and unique aspects of your journey. If you are having difficulty narrowing it down, consider reviewing the other areas of the ADEA AADSAS application (Dental Experience, Employment, Extracurricular Activities, Research, Volunteer) and see if some of your experiences can be included in sections other than your personal statement.  

Step 3: Choose a memorable opening

Admissions committees will be reading thousands of statements every application cycle, and many applicants will have similar stories about why they want to become dentists. Perhaps they had a good experience in dentistry early on. Perhaps they like science and want to help people. Those aren’t unique attributes in dental school applicants. You’re going to have to begin with something that’s more particular, interesting, and specific to you. 

Let’s look at two different openings to see how they work and why.

Here’s June’s first attempt at an opening paragraph:

Growing up in a middle-class community I had the opportunity to go to my family dentist every six months. For most of my childhood, these visits were fairly routine as I had good oral hygiene and no major dental issues. However, when I was 16 years old, I chipped my two front teeth in an accident. My dentist was able to repair them and they looked even better than before the accident. At that point, I knew I wanted to be a dentist. I attended college and selected biology as my major as I have always enjoyed the sciences. I view dentistry as the perfect combination of art and science that will allow me to help other people the way my dentist helped me.  

What aspect of herself is June emphasizing here? It’s hard to tell. She’s beginning with a story of wanting to become a dentist, but the writing is noncommittal and generic. It doesn’t give us something memorable about her to hold onto, and this paragraph is in no way unique to her experience or dental journey.

Let’s take a look at Marissa’s opening:

As I looked down, I couldn’t believe what I saw. One of my central incisors had been knocked completely out of its socket and sat in a small but noticeable circle of blood near the free-throw line on the basketball court. Just seconds before, I had taken an elbow to the face at the start of the fourth quarter of our state championship high school basketball game. As any high school senior would do, I picked up the tooth, put it in a cup and handed it to my coach. I finished the game with only one central incisor. My parents still have a picture of me on their fridge, hoisting the state championship trophy with an awkward, closed-mouth smile as I tried to hide the missing tooth. Little did I know that six months later, after a failed attempt to save the tooth and the eventual decision to get an implant, the determination and effort I had previously put into basketball would be transferred into my passion of becoming a dentist.

What works here? It’s simple. Marissa tells a story. She gives us images, characters, and a scene. Then she immediately ties that scene into her long-term narrative: becoming a dentist .

By opening with an anecdote and setting the scene the way a movie director might, you draw us into your story and stand out from the pack.

As you think about what anecdote you might use to open your personal statement, remember that it does not have to be directly related to dentistry. Ultimately, however, you will want to tie the anecdote into your dental journey.

Step 4: Connect your opening with your personal journey to dentistry

With your memorable opening created (step 3) and your unique journey to dentistry outlined (step 2), you are most of the way to completing your personal statement.  

The key to an excellent personal statement is finding a creative yet smooth way to connect your personal experiences with your professional journey into dentistry, with a clear and concise answer to the question of why you want to be a dentist.

Let’s take one example from Yasmin: 

I can still remember my heart pounding before my first “major” performance. I was six years old and had been asked to sing “Happy Birthday” in front of the entire family for my grandma’s 80th birthday. I love singing, and in high school and college I sang in a folk band with three of my friends. At times, singing has been my life, providing an escape from the day-to-day stresses and difficulties that we all face. And oddly enough, there’s something we don’t think of when we think about singing: teeth. They’re critical to singing. My desire to pursue a career in dentistry stems from a chance encounter with a singer in Argentina who taught me about the significance of our dentition.

While the transition from singing to dentistry is somewhat abrupt, this candidate has effectively and concisely described a unique personal characteristic, singing, that transitions smoothly into telling the story of her journey into dentistry, which started in Argentina. After reading this paragraph you immediately know something unique about the candidate—she sings—and you are interested to learn more about how her interest in dentistry developed. 

Step 5: The conclusion

In most high school and college writing classes, you are taught that the conclusion should simply summarize your essay. However, in a one-page, 4,500-character personal statement, there is no room to repeat yourself. Rather than summarizing , consider using your concluding paragraph to reinforce two things in the mind of the admissions committee:

Why you want to be a dentist

Your personal and unique story

Your conclusion might refer back to one of your experiences, pulling through a message of how you hope to make an impact in the field of dentistry in the future.

Let’s look at two quick examples.

Here’s Eveline’s first attempt:

I have had several experiences that have all led me to pursue a career in dentistry. The opportunities I have had to shadow dentists have taught me that dentistry is much more than restoring individual teeth, as it incorporates a much larger scope including both oral health and systemic health. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply to dental school and I look forward to completing my studies and becoming an oral health professional focused on both the preventive aspects and restorative aspects of dentistry.

This concluding paragraph is full of buzzwords like “oral health,” “systemic health,” and “prevention,” however it ultimately does not leave the reader with any strong sense of the unique characteristics of this applicant. A paragraph like this could be found in almost anyone’s personal statement. It fails to reinforce the applicant’s specific and unique passion for dentistry, and it does not refer back to any personal experience or unique story. Eveline’s personal statement will blend in with all the rest and she will be less likely to get an on-site interview.

Here’s the conclusion that Yasmin, the folk singer, wrote: 

Much has changed since my “performance” as a scared, six-year-old singing at my grandmother’s birthday. I never would have guessed that my passion for singing would have led me on a 16-year journey: to Argentina and, eventually, to dentistry. But I know I’ve found the path for me.

This concluding paragraph is quite brief at only three sentences, but it effectively reinforces both the unique origins of this applicant’s interest in dentistry as well as the applicant’s memorable history as a singer. The reader is left thinking about the unique aspects of this applicant and will be much more inclined to want to meet them in person by extending an interview.

While there is no perfect formula that encompasses all excellent personal statements, there are some fairly common errors that can quickly transform a good statement into a poor one, drastically decreasing your chances of getting an interview. Below we will discuss six common errors to avoid.

Error #1: Writing a dental school personal statement that reads like a medical school personal statement

It’s no secret that medical school and dental school applicants have many shared characteristics. The prerequisite courses are almost identical, the overall undergraduate experiences mirror each other, and the extracurricular, leadership, research and clinical shadowing experiences have significant overlap. That said, dental admissions committees don’t want lukewarm applicants who appear to have been on a premedical route their entire undergraduate career, as this brings up questions of whether the applicant is truly dedicated to a career in dentistry or merely views dentistry as a backup plan to medicine.

Of course, many students are “pre-health" during their freshman and sophomore years as they take prerequisite science coursework and explore various health professionals including dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, PA, etc. It’s normal to have had experiences in research, leadership, direct patient care, or other extracurriculars that span various health professions and which you may want to include either in your application or your personal statement.

The secret is tailoring all of the experiences you include in such a way as to leave no doubt about your interest in dentistry. 

Let’s look at some example sentences that show how pre-health or premedical experiences can be described in a way that reinforces an applicant’s interest in dentistry.

Here’s what not to do: 

While conducting research on the production of insulin in pancreatic beta cells, I became fascinated with the human body which sparked an interest in pursuing a career that would enable me to help other people. 

An interest in the sciences and a desire to help people are two common characteristics found in nearly every applicant to any healthcare-related profession. While these are important characteristics, it is essential to take them a step further and make sure you connect them directly to dentistry. 

 It can sometimes be difficult to make that connection to dentistry if the experience occurred while you were either investigating all healthcare professions or perhaps were focused on a profession other than dentistry (i.e. medicine or pharmacy).

One tip is to realize that the connection does not have to be synchronous, meaning that even though you were not thinking about dentistry at the time of the experience, you now see how that experience connects to dentistry and enhances your interest in the field. 

We can easily imagine that the candidate who wrote the previous example was conducting research regarding diabetes during their sophomore year as a premedical student. A year later, during their junior year, they decided to switch to pre-dental. While there is a year-long gap between the research and the eventual interest in dentistry, the link between the experience and their desire to pursue a career in dentistry is easily made in an honest and genuine way as follows:

While conducting research on the production of insulin in pancreatic beta cells, I gained an appreciation for the systemic effects of diabetes. I have subsequently become fascinated with the oral manifestations of this disease, which can allow dentists to recognize the oral signs of pre-diabetes, sometimes even before a physician.  

This example takes what could be viewed as a very medical experience (research on pancreatic beta cells) and seamlessly connects it to the applicant’s interest in dentistry. Sometimes you may need to do additional research—for instance, learning about the oral manifestations of diabetes—in order to make these connections.

Taking the time to focus any story or experience in your personal statement on dentistry will transform your essay from average to excellent. As you write your statement, continually ask yourself whether the examples and descriptions you have included could just as easily be found in a personal statement for medical school or pharmacy school or any other health profession. If the answer is yes, go back and find a way to make it hyper-focused on dentistry. 

Error #2: Telling rather than showing, or using clichéd statements rather than specific examples

It is a common pitfall to tell rather than show the reader what you are trying to say.

For example, most students choose to pursue a career in dentistry for their shared interests in science, art, and helping people. It is completely appropriate if these are your reasons as well. The secret, however, is avoiding these clichéd statements by diving in-depth into the experiences and journey you have had that has ultimately led you to a career in dentistry. Rather than telling the reader that you enjoy science, art, and helping people, show them through your unique stories and examples. 

As you write your statement, make sure to frequently ask yourself whether each paragraph and story uniquely describes you or could just as easily apply to someone else. Be sure to include details such as your hometown, family, culture, heritage, creative hobbies, physical characteristics, and anything else that is distinct to you.

Let’s look at a quick example of how you can add personalized elements and descriptions to a clichéd statement to transform it into something that is uniquely you.

What not to do: 

Growing up, I was always interested in artistic and hands-on activities. The opportunity to pursue a career in dentistry, which is a perfect blend of both artistic freedom and working with your hands, is therefore particularly appealing.

What works:

As the only child of two working parents in a rural part of Oklahoma, I often had time alone and gravitated towards hands-on, artistic pursuits, eventually developing a passion for building model airplanes. Visualizing how each small piece would eventually come together to form an airplane actually has many similarities to the field of dentistry.

Notice how the first, clichéd example tells very little about the applicant. We have no details about what makes them unique, and the sentence “tells” us that the applicant enjoys artistic and hands-on activities; however, it does not “show” this through an example.

The second example, on the other hand, provides details that likely only apply to this candidate regarding two working parents and growing up in a rural part of Oklahoma. Additionally, rather than simply telling us about their interest in hands-on, artistic pursuits, they provide a specific example of building model airplanes. 

Putting yourself in the shoes of the admissions committee, which of these two candidates would you rather meet? 

Also, take heart: the second example isn’t telling some dramatic, flashy story. It begins with something simple—being an only child in rural Oklahoma—but ties it to the larger point of the applicant’s interest in hands-on activities as well as art. You do not need to have a life-changing or dramatic story to paint a unique picture of who you are as an applicant.

Error #3: Trying to convince the admissions committee that you are smart

The hypercompetitive nature of dental school admissions can lead applicants to use the 4,500 characters of their personal statement to try to demonstrate their superior intelligence. 

This can be evident in either the specific examples and stories an applicant chooses to use or in the language the applicant employs to write their statement. Either way, this approach is rarely effective.

Here is an example of what not to do: 

As valedictorian of my high school, my teenage years were occupied by hours of studying and homework each night in order to maintain my 4.0 GPA. When I entered college, I increased my level of discipline and dedication to my studies allowing me to maintain that same level of academic excellence throughout my collegiate career, finishing my undergraduate studies with another perfect 4.0 GPA. 

Having a 4.0 GPA and being valedictorian of your high school are certainly accomplishments that should be included in your application. However, trying to convince the admissions committee of your intellectual abilities by including them in your personal statement is not wise. 

Your GPA will be apparent from your transcripts, and the “achievements” section of the AADSAS application is a perfect place to include the distinction of being valedictorian. Neither your GPA nor your high school class standing are directly related to your desire to be a dentist and therefore need not be included in your personal statement.

Personal stories and unique experiences that relate to why you want to be a dentist or that help the admissions committee get to know you on a more human level should comprise the majority of your statement.  

Remember, the goals of your personal statement are to convince the admissions committee that they want to meet you in an interview and to demonstrate that you’re personable enough to be in this patient-facing field. Sounding pompous, self-satisfied, or unrelatable will work against you.

Error #4: Repeating or summarizing what you have already described elsewhere in your application

Another common mistake is simply telling a chronological story that includes or repeats information from the rest of your application. This type of personal statement often reads like a resumé in prose form.

While it is certainly appropriate to use the personal statement to expand upon something mentioned elsewhere in your application, make sure that you are providing additional, specific information that cannot be gleaned from other parts of your application. 

For example, if you have mentioned your shadowing experience in your application, it can be appropriate to include a story in your personal statement that occurred while shadowing a dentist . Make sure, however, that you focus your personal statement on a very specific event—remember, a story or an anecdote—rather than just mentioning your overall shadowing experience.

Here are two examples that illustrate the difference between simply summarizing what you have already described elsewhere in your application and providing additional, specific information. 

What not to do:

My shadowing experience at the Jamestown Public Health Clinic taught me the importance of oral health education and prevention, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.

The above sentence provides little information beyond what can already be assumed by this applicant listing their shadowing experience at a public health clinic. Stacking sentences like these one after another wastes valuable space in your personal statement. 

One day, while shadowing at the Jamestown Public Health Clinic, a three-year-old patient named Alice came in with her parents. Nearly all of her teeth were black and carious and she was crying because of the pain. Unfortunately, this situation of early childhood caries is not uncommon, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. It was sobering to realize that, while the treatment options available for Alice were now limited, the entire situation could have been avoided by providing her parents meaningful oral health education and prevention techniques a mere one to two years earlier.

This example dives into the applicant’s shadowing experience in detail by describing a very specific patient encounter. The story brings to life this applicant’s shadowing experience and highlights the applicant’s ability to think critically and observe specific patient encounters with empathy while making broader connections to oral health education at a population level. This type of critical thinking will certainly be noticed by an admissions committee.  

Error #5: Including too much information rather than focusing on a handful of meaningful experiences

With only 4,500 characters, and your chances of being admitted to dental school on the line, it is understandably tempting to attempt to fit as much as possible into your personal statement. Fight this temptation!

With a personal statement, depth is more important than breadth. You can offer an angle on yourself, a story about why you want to be a dentist, and 3–5 compelling details from your personal and professional history. Don’t try to do more.

Remember, the personal statement is only one portion of your application. There are several other sections that allow you to include many experiences and achievements beyond what you discuss in your statement (i.e. Academic Enrichment, Dental Experience, Employment, Extracurricular Activities, Research, and Volunteer). 

Additionally, you will also be asked to write secondary essays for most schools, which provide additional opportunities to bring in other experiences to your application. 

And remember: this work will help you in your interviews!

The personal statement can initially appear daunting. Following the process outlined above and avoiding the five common errors can help you craft a unique and genuine statement that catches the eye of the admissions committee and secures an invitation for an on-site interview.

Additionally, taking the time to write a thoughtful, introspective, and unique personal statement will not only help get you an interview, but will be some of the best time spent in preparation to set you up for success in your interviews.  

(Suggested reading: How to Ace Your Dental School Interview )

Error #6: Not leaving enough time to edit, revise, and get feedback from trusted readers

As one of the most important components of your entire dental school application, you’ll want to invest considerable time not only in writing your personal statement, but also in editing and revising it. Part of that process involves recruiting trusted readers, such as friends, mentors, and admissions consultants, to give you valuable feedback from an outside perspective.

For these reasons, it’s a good idea to begin the writing process well before you want to submit your application. We recommend beginning about six months before you plan to apply—so if you’re counting on submitting your application on June 1st, the earliest possible day, you’ll want to start brainstorming in December.

Aim to have a full-length first draft completed by no later than the end of April. This will give you at least one month to edit, revise, and solicit feedback before submitting your application in June or July.

(Suggested reading: The Ideal Dental School Application Timeline )

Part 4: Full-length dental school personal statement examples

Let’s now take a look at two full-length examples in order to put together everything we’ve discussed. Each of these essays successfully conveys who its writer is, what is unique about them, and why dentistry is their ideal career.

Dental school personal statement example #1

The summer after my freshman year, I studied abroad in Buenos Aires to learn about Argentinian culture and history, especially Argentinian folk music. I spent many evenings in town squares and restaurants listening to local folk bands. One evening, I introduced myself to an impressive lead singer after a concert. We connected, talking music and influences. I was shocked when he reached into his mouth and removed a “flipper,” which included prosthetic teeth for all four maxillary incisors. This Argentinian singer became emotional as he recounted the story of a serious motorcycle accident that had left him without his four front teeth, making it physically challenging and emotionally impossible to sing in front of a group. Unable to afford any dental treatment, he had to quit singing wholesale for several years. Fortunately, a friend eventually introduced him to a dentist who restored his pronunciation and his ability to sing in front of a crowd.   

Upon returning from Argentina, I began shadowing in dental offices. One afternoon, I observed Dr. Ashani, a general dentist, deliver a set of overdentures to a 36-year-old woman named Ashley. She had lost all her teeth due to xerostomia caused by radiation treatment for throat cancer. As Dr. Ashani placed the dentures in her mouth and handed her a mirror her entire face lit up. She had regained a sense of dignity and self-worth. I also noticed a change in Dr. Ashani. Later that day, we talked, and he said he’d been anxious about delivering the dentures as he understood both the responsibility and the opportunity he had to dramatically change this woman’s life. Those two words, “opportunity” and “responsibility,” seem to capture the essence of dentistry.

As I continued along this path, I sought a research assistant position in the lab of Dr. Delia Acosta where we focused on stem cell tooth regeneration. While we are several years away from re-growing teeth, the possibility of stem cell treatment in dentistry is fascinating at a scientific level and potentially life-changing at a human level. It is exciting to think that I might be able to provide stem cell treatments to people like Ashley or the Argentinian folk singer to restore not only dentition, but also function and confidence. And while stem cell tooth regeneration is an exciting possibility, even a traditional root canal on a painful molar or a class III filling on a maxillary incisor can have a significant impact on the life of a patient.

What this essay does well:

As mentioned earlier, this applicant does a fantastic job of opening with a personal anecdote that hooks the reader. This humanizes the applicant and gives some insight into their personality as well as their interests.

In the following paragraph, the applicant continues the anecdote with a direct connection between their personal experience and their journey to an interest in dentistry. We get a front-row seat to the encounter that sparked her passion.

The applicant does a great job of naturally peppering the essay with dental-related vocabulary—a signal to admissions committees that this person is not only interested in dentistry, they’ve done the work to learn about it individually. Additionally, they have highlighted their knowledge in the essay in such a way that avoids the trap of error #3; trying to convince the admissions committee that you are smart.

The essay continues accentuating key moments along their journey as they delve deeper into their interest in dentistry—showing instead of telling why they are determined to pursue dentistry as a lifelong career.

The applicant then concludes their personal statement organically, tying it back to the introduction and reiterating their enthusiasm for the field through a recap of their entire journey and stating clearly that they’ve found the path for them.

Dental school personal statement example #2

With spindly legs and frizzy hair, I backhanded the bright yellow tennis ball across the court to my opponent. She quickly ran up to the net, hit an overhead shot, and the ball zoomed towards me faster than I had expected. The next thing I knew, I was on the concrete court with a handful of blood gushing from my mouth. The ball had hit me in my face, knocking out my front tooth. I was horrified—our yearly school photographs were the next day. The first thought that raced through my mind was how I would have to smile with lips glued together, fearful of being teased by my classmates. It was in this moment that I recognized how my teeth and, specifically, my smile were so integral to who I was as a person. My teachers and friends described my smile as a contagious form of love, and the thought of losing this trait was terrifying. This experience laid the foundation for my keen interest in dentistry, a career that will afford me the opportunity to enable my patients to smile brightly and to feel like their most confident selves.

My interest in dentistry matured after I traveled to India to assist with a dental health mission in the rural town of Dwarka. Here, our team set up a clinic in several tents and offered free dental services to those in need. I assisted dental hygienists with cleanings, observed dentists fill cavities and fit dentures, and helped with dental hygiene education. I recall meeting Mona, an 8-year-old girl with a lopsided ponytail. She inquisitively wrapped the bubble gum flavored floss around her fingers and mirrored my motions guiding the tasty strings through her teeth. Her mother told me that she had received floss before, but no one had taken the time to explain how to correctly floss or the benefits of flossing. Though a simple exchange, I recognized the power of dental education.

Upon returning from India, I began volunteering at a general dentistry practice. My main duties involved welcoming patients to our practice, performing health screenings, and coordinating their follow-up care. Through this experience, I also had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Simon, a pediatric dentist who had a cabinet overflowing with yo-yos and an ability to put children at ease despite the painful procedures they were anticipating. I was frequently reminded of my own experience as a child, as many of our patients came in with broken front teeth secondary to various misadventures. Dr. Simon took the time to ask each of his patients about their favorite class in school and any new comic books that he should know about. As we developed a closer relationship, Dr. Simon told me that he was drawn to dentistry because it enabled him to both help kids live healthier lives and have beaming, confident smiles. He spoke with genuine conviction, and his words resonated deeply with me.

My experiences working with patients motivated me to pursue research related to dentistry. My main project observed various demographics and categorized which adult patients have increased access to dental care as classified by yearly cleanings and required fillings. Here, I saw a stark contrast in which patients have stable access to dental care and gained a deeper understanding of the disparities that contribute to the less reliable care of those from underserved communities. My research motivated me to institute an outreach program at the pediatric dental clinic I volunteered at. I described the problem and constructed a proposal for which I received community funding that I subsequently used to create educational brochures for patients. We also utilized this funding to offer patients free cleanings and screenings on Friday afternoons for over a year. Through this experience, I recognized that, as a dentist, I would be able to serve as a health advocate and restore smiles across several communities.

Although my experience of losing my front tooth occurred at a young age, it left a lasting impression, just as a smile does when you first meet someone. I have been fortunate to learn about dentistry through the lens of different practitioners and patients in a variety of environments. All of these experiences have culminated in my strong desire to pursue dentistry, a career that will empower me to deliver care ensuring that others can live healthier lives with confident smiles. I will carry my compassion for helping others and my desire to increase equal access to healthcare services with me forward as a future dentist.

The applicant opens their essay with a life-altering anecdote and one in which they realized the a healthy smile is important to one’s sense of self-worth as well as to their identity. The realization mentioned in this anecdote grants the reader a deeper insight into the writer’s sense of what it means to be a dentist and their motivations for pursuing the profession.

The writer then does an excellent job of developing this idea further, showing—as opposed to telling—how their interest in and passion for dentistry grows. Furthermore, the applicant naturally showcases their genuine motivation to help others by discussing their dental service to those less fortunate. This also opens up an opportunity to highlight leadership qualities when they institute an outreach program for the underserved population in their community.

The applicant then wraps everything up by reminding the reader of the lost tooth that kickstarted their journey and calling attention to the compassion they feel for others that inspires them to help patients achieve their best smiles.

About the Author

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on dental school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into dental school using his exclusive approach.

THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE DENTAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.

Personal Statement for Dental Hygiene

Writing your Personal Statement for Dental Hygiene

A personal statement for Dental Hygiene / Dental Therapy plays a significant role in the application process for many programs. They provide admission committees with information on your academic background, professional experience, and personality traits to help them determine whether you’re a good fit for their program.

A well-written personal statement should highlight your strengths as a candidate and demonstrate how those skills would benefit the school’s curriculum. You should include details about your educational background, work history, volunteer activities, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and future goals. If you’ve taken courses related to dentistry, be sure to mention those too.

It’s essential to be honest with yourself when writing your personal statement for dental hygiene. If you’re unsure what to write, ask yourself these questions: 

What do I want to accomplish by applying to dental hygiene school? 

How will my life be different after dental hygiene school? 

Why should I choose this course?

This guide has you covered with 3 winning personal statement tips. As a bonus, I have included a personal statement written by a successful dental hygiene applicant. This guide can also help those applying to dentistry, dental hygiene and therapy, and dental nursing. 

If you’re looking for a more detailed guide to beat the competition, then purchase my guide by clicking below.

Table of Contents

• Tip 1 – Scope of Practice
• Tip 2 – Skills
• Tip 3 – Reflection
• Winning Personal Statement for Dental Hygiene
• Overview of the statement

Tip 1: Understand a Dental Hygienist's Scope of Practice

A hygienist’s Scope of Practice includes every role or procedure that can be legally carried out under the General Dental Council License.

Roles – Research the different roles of dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, and periodontal specialists- this will show off your background research and understanding. Then integrate the roles you’ve researched into your dental hygiene personal statement.

If you have shadowed a hygienist, mention their roles in education, advocating, and treating patients. This isn’t somewhere to list roles but rather to express how this role appeals to you.

Showing your understanding is a big part of the statement. The admissions team won’t give out an offer to a highly competitive program if you haven’t made an effort to do some background research.

Principles – Look into the General Dental Council standards – These are 9 principles each dental professional must abide by. Mentioning one or two of these in your dental hygiene statement will give you brownie points.

1. Put patients’ interests first 2. Communicate effectively with patients 3. Obtain valid consent 4. Maintain and protect patients’ information 5. Have a clear and effective complaints procedure 6. Work with colleagues in a way that is in patients’ best interests 7. Maintain, develop and work within your professional knowledge and skills 8. Raise concerns if patients are at risk 9. Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients’ confidence in you and the dental profession

Tip 2: Show Don't Tell

You must have gained various skills from college, work, hobbies, and other extracurriculars. Think about communication, interpersonal skills, empathy, leadership, teamwork, and resilience. Relate these skills to becoming a dental hygienist. Where and how did you develop these skills?

Matching your skills to the hygienist’s roles by showing your skills through your experiences

“ Dental hygienists play a significant role within the dental team, where they primarily educate patients on oral hygiene and healthier habits. This requires excellent communication skills to teach patients about the processes behind gum disease. To develop my communication, I have practised breaking down biological topics when tutoring younger students. ”

Why is this effective? You are stating the role of the hygienist (educator), then providing evidence of how they educate (causes of gum disease), and then explaining how you have developed this skill through similar methods (tutoring).

Within a few sentences, you have explained your understanding of the role, patient interactions, and efforts to help younger students.

Tip 3: Reflection

Reflection is KEY . Without reflection, your personal statement is just a story with a list of your experiences. Reflecting on those experiences will immediately make you stand out. This is your chance to show how you have developed into the perfect applicant.

Reflecting on what you have learned shows you are mature, intelligent, self-aware, and can be accountable for your actions.

Self-reflection will be a large part of your education and continuous professional development . Reflection involves looking back at your experiences, considering what you have learned from them, and how has it changed you?

If your experience is a fundraising event, what was your role, what went well, what didn’t go so well, how could this be avoided, and what would you do differently next time?

Recognising that you aren’t perfect and willing to grow is a valuable quality.

This will really add to your application. Don’t say, “ I am mature and can account for my mistakes. ” Instead, it would be best if you showed this through your experiences.

E.g. “ Tutoring was initially challenging for me. I did not know how to share my knowledge with the students. After some research and observing a fellow tutor, I started to plan ahead and create lesson plans the day before. I would include images, videos, and examples that helped the students understand the topic. I wish to continue improving my teaching methods as this will help me to educate future patients.”

These 3 Top Tips  are all you need to write a successful personal statement for dental hygiene.

Bonus point: Try to avoid mentioning anything very negative. If you HAVE to explain poor grades or a gap in your education, then keep it brief and support it with positive points before and after. 

Are you finding these tips helpful?

Check out my comprehensive 14-page Dental Hygiene and Therapy Personal Statement Guide

Successful Personal Statement for Dental Hygiene UK

“Empathy- a simple yet powerful emotion that allows us to connect with others. Dental hygiene encompasses a need for empathy. Hygienists are integral to the functioning of a dental team, where they must identify the causes behind gum disease. Not only do they determine the aetiology, but they will also explain this to the patient and create an oral hygiene plan that suit whoever is in the chair. Empathising and understanding a patient are essential in helping to make effective changes. If the dental hygienist advised a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and limited movement to use a manual toothbrush and floss three times daily, this would never be possible. Patient-centred care is a prized skill I have been developing through my employment, volunteering and hobbies. I have spent four months working as a medical scribe at the hospital, where I shadowed various physicians to help them note their discussions and plans. This was difficult initially, as I was not used to the medical language and did not understand many of the conditions. I struggled with the pace and decided to do some more extensive reading before I began each day. Soon enough, I was writing quickly, keeping up with the fast pace, and able to introduce myself to patients and understand their management plans. It was a bonus that I was able to build foundational medical knowledge and oversee how dental hygiene is managed with bed-bound patients. This helped me to understand that simple hygiene can be highly effective if done correctly. More recently, I have been able to shadow dental hygienists and dentists while they carried out consultations, dental scaling and deep cleaning. Two weeks within a clinic helped me to understand how the dentist worked with the hygienist, referring patients who required deeper cleaning. The hygienist would determine the patient’s hygiene methods first, and she would insist there was no benefit to cleaning if the patient could not understand that the cause of the gum disease was in their hands. I was inspired by how she broke down the processes behind periodontal disease by showing the patient in the mirror and relating it to a diagram showing the disease development. It was eye-opening to understand the risks of not treating the condition, and patients were now well aware of the need for better care. Aside from the patient interactions, I noticed how intricate the procedures were, the technique was very skilful, and I hope that my hand-eye coordination can someday reach this level. I currently sew many of my designs on clothing, which has helped me work in small areas. Observing the interactions between the staff made it clear that teamwork is necessary for a dental clinic. The receptionists would regularly work around the dentist and dental hygienist by following their instructions and informing the dentist of any changes or patient issues. This is similar to my collaborative research work, where I have worked with a team of student researchers to plan an experiment. Without each member, the investigation could not have gone ahead. We needed to plan, lead one another, help each other and offer advice and criticism. I have learned to accept feedback and improve based on this. I recognise that others may notice points for improvement that I had never previously considered. Hence, I highly appreciate feedback and am always looking to learn. Dental hygiene is the course that stands out to me. I am interested in the biological processes behind oral diseases and would enjoy spending a lot of time educating and treating patients. I wish to be a part of the preventive dental movement, where I can help my patients to prevent the cause before beginning invasive treatment. I feel that hygienists play a significant role in prevention, which is why I have chosen to follow this path where I can serve many patients every day.”

Each technique is used effectively in almost every single paragraph. This creates a powerful statement showing the student’s understanding of the hygienist’s role.

She was also able to relate each point to her extracurricular experiences and then reflected on what she had learned.

This helps us to see that she is highly self-aware and willing to be responsible for mistakes, but she also shows interest in taking feedback to improve.

This is exactly what is needed from a dental hygiene applicant. Even though this student’s grades were average and her experiences were nothing out of the ordinary, she comes across as intelligent and very empathetic.

Personal statement for dental hygiene, UK – How could the applicant have made it even better! In the introduction, she mentions volunteering which is later not touched upon in the statement. Volunteering would add to the existing extracurriculars, but it isn’t clear where or when she volunteered.

Later in the statement, she briefly mentions research and ties this into teamwork. However, we don’t know if the research was voluntary, what was she researching and what her actual roles were. It would be really interesting to learn more about this, and she could discuss whether she wishes to help with research in the future.

Leadership is briefly mentioned in the research part. This could also be expanded on as there are times when a hygienist must lead the receptionists, patients, and mentor others in training. She could have spoken a bit more about how the research team led one another.

How to improve the conclusion?

In the conclusion, she brings up new topics of biological processes. I always avoid bringing up new topics as it seems random and unclear to the reader. The applicant has still done a good job with the conclusion, as prevention does tie in with her theme of educating patients.

To make the conclusion even more powerful, she could’ve linked back to empathy . She could have then reminded us of her initial motivations and her extracurriculars.

Reminding the reader of your experiences is very important here; they can forget, and it helps to summarise the statement and shows your journey towards this application.

Example of an alternative conclusion: “ Empathy is the link that ties dental hygienists to understanding patients’ needs and abilities. From my work experience, scribing, and research, I have learned that we cannot help others without connecting to those around us. Education has proven to be the foundation for encouraging healthier changes in oral hygiene, and I hope to keep this in mind as an aspiring dental hygienist. I strongly believe this would improve patients’ overall dental health. I now wish to embark on this course with the knowledge I have built and hope to further improve my skills by treating patients of my own. ”

This personal statement for dental hygiene perfectly encompasses essential tips and techniques required to create a winning essay. Hopefully, this personal statement example will guide you in the right direction when writing your application essay. 

Remember- Scope of Practice, Show don’t tell, and Reflect.

Sentence structure, flow, spelling, and grammar are also equally important. Without flow and good transitional sentences, it becomes difficult to read, losing the admission tutor’s interest.

Therefore, I strongly advise getting professional help with the draft once it is written. Invest in your future now to maximise your chances of getting into your dream course.

Get help from an experienced writer Detailed and comprehensive Dental Hygiene and Therapy Personal Statement Guide Top 3 Dental Personal Statements  

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Dental Hygiene Personal Statement

My ambition to study for a degree in Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy has developed out of several years’ experience of working as a dental nurse in support of professional dental technicians and a growing interest in the science involved in dentistry.  I am very much aware of the importance of the hygienist’s role in maintaining the patient’s dental health, and indeed ultimately helping to secure general health through careful attention to oral conditions.  My work as a nurse has made me realise the importance of a full understanding of the physiology of the mouth and gums and of the whole body.  I have been struck by how common periodontal diseases are in patients who come for dental treatment and have an immense faith in the value of preventive care and patient education. The hygienist’s job is largely to prevent disease through advice, therapy and treatment, and is one of the professional health roles which seems to offer the possibility of the most immediate sense of achievement, since patients’ wellbeing can be dramatically improved through the hygienist’s actions.  Advice on diet, smoking and a routine of oral hygiene can improve people’s dental condition immeasurably. I am also interested in the various procedures carried out by hygienists and therapists, such as restoring teeth, extracting children’s teeth, pulp therapy, fitting crowns, radiography and scaling and polishing.  I believe that my experience of the dental world and my dedication to the service are a good basis for my further study leading to a career as a fully qualified professional. I have worked for an agency as a dental nurse, travelling to many practices where I supported dentists in all aspects of dental care, including providing instruments during procedures, mixing materials and ensuring patient comfort.  I would take notes from the dentist’s dictation for the records and maintain the cleanliness and efficiency of the surgery.  I sometimes held the position of head nurse on the site, overseeing the work of others, and I taught four-handed dentistry to some nurses, improving treatment and time management.  During this time I had much first-hand experience of the work of dental hygienists.  In 2009 I gave birth to my son and then returned to college to gain more qualifications in preparation for applying for a degree in the subject, including a pre-access course to nursing and human sciences. The return to study has been rewarding and enjoyable. As a mother of a young child I have developed great organisational ability, and I also share my knowledge with other mothers at toddler groups who sometimes find it difficult to maintain their children’s oral health.

I am a mature student and my career ambition is the result of much thought and a clear understanding of what the job entails.  During my GCSE year I suffered a stroke and so have a very acute sense of what it is to be a patient and how important patient support is in contributing to the success of any therapy.  I am also quite determined not to let my disability deter me from becoming a health professional.  After graduating I should like to work as a volunteer helping underprivileged children and families to have better oral hygiene, and then go on to spend the rest of my career in a top-quality dental practice.

I attend the British Association of Dental Nurses conference annually and am always keen to keep abreast of new developments in my field.  My enjoyment of pottery and painting has given me good manual dexterity, a useful asset for a hygienist, and I very much enjoy museum visits.  I am hard-working, meticulous about detail, and perhaps something of a perfectionist.  I lead well, but also enjoy being part of a professional team.  I am eager to use my abilities to help people and have some skill in putting anxious patients at ease.  My commitment to my chosen path is total and I believe I have the experience, maturity and determination to become a very successful student.

This Dental Hygiene personal statement example can be used as a helpful guide for you if you need some help with your personal statement and UCAS application.

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Top 10 tips for Dental Hygiene and Therapy Personal Statement

1. Stick to the Personal Statement Word Limit

Firstly, your personal statement is only a one-page essay, which must not exceed 4,500 characters, (including spaces, numbers, letters, etc). Your personal statement gives the university a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in Dental Hygiene and Therapy.  

2. Show Examples of Interest in Dental Hygiene and Therapy

The aim of the personal statement is to get the university’s admission team interested in you. You are wanting them to invite you to an interview. Try not to tell them who you are, show them with examples. Bring up interesting stories from your everyday life, which portray your best qualities and try to relate them to Dental Hygiene and Therapy, for example, optimism, attention to detail, confidence, empathy, manual dexterity, and communication skills. 

3. Start Writing Early

Starting early. The earlier you start the better your personal statement will be. It is important to give yourself plenty of time to create a solid plan of what you are going to include and the structure of it. Write as many drafts as you can, this will help build a template ready for the final draft. 

Make sure to start 6 months before the deadline. The time you need to prepare for your personal statement will depend on your writing skills and your availability to sit and take the time to produce ideas, plan and write it up. 

4. Plan and Brainstorm

How to start? Firstly, try to begin brainstorming ideas and topics to include in your personal statement. Make sure to focus on key experiences, which will tell your story and help you realise why this is the profession/career you want to pursue. Make sure to choose a memorable opening, something that will draw the reader in and keep the reader engaged and wanting to know more about you.  

A quick go-to on how to start brainstorming  

• Ensure to make a list of events and experiences that reflect on the evolution of your path to a career in dentistry. 
• Make a list of your strengths and things that keep you motivated.
• Think about key people and how they have inspired you.
• Think about the message you wish to convey in your personal statement. 

Essential questions that need to be thought about before writing your draft: 

• What have you learnt from your experiences? 
• What will you contribute to Dental Hygiene and Therapy?  
• How have your hobbies and academic experiences influenced your desire to pursue a career in dentistry?  
• What personal qualities do you have to make you a good Dental Hygiene and Therapist? 
• Why do you want to study Dental Hygiene and Therapy?  
• What inspired you to apply for Dental Hygiene and Therapy?  
• What do you find attractive about Dental Hygiene and therapy that no other career has to offer?  

When preparing for your first draft of your Dental Hygiene and Therapy personal statement, make sure to spend some time on it, as it will make the writing of your personal statement so much easier.  

When writing about personal qualities, be honest, as it is important to be yourself. Here are some important qualities to include: 

• Artistic  
• Empathetic  
• Attentive to detail  
• Great communication skills 
• Confidence 
• Great interpersonal skills 
• Professionalism
• Good ethic 
• Hard-working 

5. Check Grammar and Spelling

Ensure to check grammar and spelling; it is essential to avoid any grammar inconsistencies. 

Ensure to also pay attention to the past/present and future tense and make sure there is not too much switching between them. Keep it professional and try not to use “I’m” or “don’t.”  

Clarity and flow 

It is essential that your personal statement MUST show a clear picture of your interests and strengths. Too many themes in the personal statement could make it confusing and cloud the bigger picture of who you are as a person.  

Make sure that each paragraph flows into the next one. This can be a challenge, especially when trying to fit so much information into a minor character limit, but try your best to add what you feel is the most important and show the reader YOU! 

6. Show don’t Tell

Do not say it; show it. Remember that everything you bring up, whether about yourself or interests in your personal statement, needs to be backed up. For example, do not just say, “I’m great around people and a people pleaser.” Instead, try and say, “throughout my volunteering, I realised my enjoyment of interacting with people and how my communication skills can help me with future patient interactions.” some other examples may include: 

• General Dental Practice Placements (2 weeks recommended)
• Dental Technician Placements (1 week recommended)
• Online course for Dentistry 

If unsure about your skills or interests, brainstorm and draw some of those connections. It is also great to get friends and family members involved, as a second opinion counts. Try to think of qualities that no other student will write down, remember that you need to stand out and you are up against hundreds of other applicants wanting the same place on the course. 

7. Be Honest

Be honest. Understand that honesty is the best policy. No matter what you say, always tell the truth.  

It is also important not to copy anyone else’s personal statement, even if it is an online one or your friend’s personal statement. This counts as plagiarism, and all universities have a system to check that plagiarism has not occurred within your statement.  

8. Show Enthusiasm for Dental Hygiene and Therapy

Be enthusiastic about dental hygiene and therapy. All these universities are looking for someone passionate and enthusiastic about dentistry. You want to showcase that you have gone out of your way, in your own time, to gain as much experience before starting university. It illustrates initiative and it’s what will make you stand out. If there aren’t specific dental examples where you have done this, sign yourself up so that you can include this in your statement. It all has to be true so don’t start making things up as they might catch you out in your interview stage! Remember, that universities are looking for someone who wants to learn and show dedication.

9. Try to Stand Out

Try to stand out. Talk about what you have done and how your experience stands out compared to others; an example could be you do lots of volunteering work, which can be formal or non-formal or that you have a part-time job, and how these skills are transferable for the degree in Dental Hygiene and Therapy.

To stand out does not need to be dentistry specific, as universities just want you to be yourself and show that you are not the same as every other applicant. They are looking for those who go beyond to make themselves stand out, so brag a little and tell them how proud you are of yourself and all the things you have achieved. Some topics you may bring up can be related to dentistry, but be sure to expand. 

10. Get a Personal Statement Check

Get someone to check your personal statement for you. Ask someone to check over your work, even if this is a friend, parent, or teacher; it is always great to see what others think of it and get a unique perspective. If you know anyone studying Dental Hygiene and Therapy, it may be worth contacting them and asking if they could read it and give you a few pointers. Also, do not be afraid to ask if you could read their personal statement too. Seeking advice from current, past dental students will be instrumental, as they got onto the course based on their personal statements. 

My Personal Statement

As a qualified, GDC-registered dental nurse I ensure to maintain the NHS values and respect every individual equally. My favourite part is being able to interact with patients and aid their understanding of oral hygiene. Being able to communicate with a wide range of people of all ages and backgrounds is one reason why I enjoy dentistry, as well as the challenges and opportunities that it offers.

A favourite aspect of dental nursing is the satisfaction of treating patients using a tailored approach and seeing the end results. Being a dental nurse has made me realise the significance of understanding the physiology of the mouth and the whole body. Being able to relieve a patient from pain or enhance their confidence by improving their oral hygiene makes it such a rewarding career, and has encouraged me to progress further in the field of dentistry.

I have assisted with a wide range of treatments, for example, endodontic extractions and the preparation stage for crowns and dentures. From my experience assisting during surgery, I can appreciate how the hygienist’s empathy and communication skills help to build a rapport with patients, and the positive effect that being caring and compassionate has on their general wellbeing.

One of my most memorable moments whilst working with a hygienist was when I came across an extremely nervous patient. I helped them to relax by asking simple questions and distracting them with humour, which put them at ease and made them laugh. Interactions like this have helped me to appreciate the importance of empathy and adapting my communication strategies to suit the patient’s needs. My experiences with patients and the dental team so far have left me with no doubt that I want to be a part of this valuable and rewarding community.

As a dental professional, I make sure to strive for personal and professional excellence. I have faced many challenges with frustrated and anxious patients; however, my professional manner and respect remained consistent throughout. I have come up with different strategies to reassure anxious patients, such as offering a pre-treatment visit, to let the patient get acquainted with the staff and comfortable in the dental chair.

The GDC principles have come into action many times. One patient I remember was a boy who had little understanding of oral hygiene and was in a lot of pain. Due to his fear, he was unable to cooperate with the dentist’s assessment. Using a calm and friendly manner, I reassured him so that we were able to continue with the treatment. When I saw him again, he greeted me with a huge smile. Knowing that I made an impact on this boy and his oral hygiene is one of the proudest moments of my career so far. This experience helped reinforce the concept that effective patient-centred care and communication, as reflected in the GDC principles, with principles one and two; “put patients’ interests first”, and “communicate effectively with patients” are vital within dentistry.

Another important aspect is the ability to work closely with individuals in order to build a trusting patient-clinician relationship. I find it particularly compelling to witness patients gradually gain faith in the value of preventative care and education in oral health.

I am currently studying for an Access to HE Diploma. Exploring human physiology, anatomy, and the behaviour of drugs inside the body has made me all the more enthusiastic about applying my knowledge in dental practice.

Dentistry aside, I enjoy playing badminton and painting, both activities which have helped to develop my manual dexterity. I enjoy looking after my body using a holistic approach, incorporating diet and exercise such as yoga, to keep my body in good shape and improve my posture. With my experience as a dental nurse, adaptable communication skills, and drive to further my learning, I believe that I would be well suited to pursuing a career as a Dental Hygienist and Therapist.

As expressed, your personal statement needs to stand out, resemble you and most importantly show why you want to pursue Dental Hygiene or Dental Therapy. 

Frequently Asked Question

→what is a dental hygiene and therapy personal statement.

A dental hygiene and therapy personal statement is a written document that is required as part of the application process for admission to a dental hygiene and therapy program. It is an opportunity for the applicant to showcase their skills, experience, and personal qualities to the admissions committee.

→How long should a dental hygiene and therapy personal statement be?

The length of a dental hygiene and therapy personal statement can vary depending on the specific program’s requirements. However, most programs require a personal statement of around 500-1000 words.

→What should be included in a dental hygiene and therapy personal statement?

A dental hygiene and therapy personal statement should include information about your motivation for pursuing a career in dental hygiene and therapy, your relevant experience and skills, your understanding of the role of a dental hygienist or therapist, and your commitment to professional development.

→Should I include my academic achievements in my dental hygiene and therapy personal statement?

Yes, academic achievements can demonstrate your academic ability and potential, so it is important to include them in your personal statement. However, it is important to balance academic achievements with other relevant experiences and skills.

→Is it important to tailor my dental hygiene and therapy personal statement to each program I apply to?

Yes, it is important to tailor your dental hygiene and therapy personal statement to each program you apply to. This can involve researching each program’s specific requirements and highlighting how your skills and experiences match those requirements.

→How can I make my dental hygiene and therapy personal statement stand out?

To make your dental hygiene and therapy personal statement stand out, focus on specific examples and experiences that demonstrate your skills and abilities. Use active verbs and avoid generic statements. Additionally, make sure to proofread your statement carefully to ensure that it is free of errors.

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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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How to Write a Dental Hygiene Personal Statement Essay

Table of Contents

A dental hygiene personal statement essay is a lengthy, well-researched work detailing the candidate’s desired experiences, talents, and goals.

The essay helps the admissions committee evaluate your education, employment experience, and character before making a decision.

When applying to dental hygiene or dental therapy programs, the personal statement can make or break your chances of being accepted. This article explains how to write a compelling personal statement and gives an essay for your inspiration.

What is a Dental Hygiene Personal Statement Essay?

A personal statement essay for dental hygiene shows your background and other parts of your life that have influenced your career choice .

It includes information about your formal training, professional experience, volunteer work, extracurricular pursuits, interests, and aspirations.

To succeed in writing your statement for dental hygiene, it is crucial to be truthful. Whenever you find yourself at a loss for words, try posing the following queries:

• Why do I want to get a degree in dental hygiene?
• How will this change my life when I graduate from dental hygiene school?
• Why pick dental hygiene over others?

10 Guidelines for writing a Compelling Dental Hygiene Personal Statement

These steps are meant to assist in shaping your statement to be convincing. Use it as a guideline to write an effective personal statement.

1. Pique their Curiosity

The purpose of the personal statement is to pique the curiosity of the admissions’ committee. You’re hoping that a meeting with them will result in an interview. Show them rather than tell them who you are.

Share some personal tales that show your optimism, attention to detail, confidence, empathy, manual dexterity, and communication abilities.

2. Write Early and Often

Your statement will be stronger if you begin working on it early. You must give yourself enough time to think through what you want to include and how you want to organize the content. You should write as many drafts as possible to create a framework for the final draft.

Get going at least six months before the target date. Your writing abilities will determine your statement preparation time. You must sit down and devote time to brainstorming, outlining, and drafting.

3. Think It Through and Make a Plan

Where do I even begin? Start by considering what you want to say in your statement of purpose. In your resume, highlight the experiences that best illustrate who you are and why you want to work in this field. Choose an interesting first sentence that intrigues the reader and makes them want to learn more about you.

To get the creative juices flowing, here is a quick reference guide:

• Remember to jot down significant milestones and life lessons that helped shape your route to a dental career.
• Write out your best qualities and the things that inspire you.
• Reflect on the significant individuals in your life and how they have influenced you.
• Besides school, what other interests or experiences have helped shape your decision to become a dentist?
• For a career in dental hygiene and therapy, what attributes in yourself make you a strong candidate?

4. Proofread Your Work

Be sure to run a spell and grammar check. Grammatical errors must be avoided at all costs.

Avoid using the future tense too often, and ensure the past tense is used consistently. Use formal language and avoid “I’m” and “don’t.”

5. Ensure its Well-Structured

Your statement must paint a vivid picture of your passions and skills. Avoid employing a plethora of different subjects in your statement. This is because it can make it harder to understand who you are.

Take care to ensure that your paragraphs logically lead into one another. It’s challenging to convey your unique personality when limited to a few characters but do your best.

6. Prove it with Examples

Instead of saying it, prove it. Remember that you will be required to provide evidence for all the claims you make in your statement.

Don’t just write, “I’m fantastic with people and always try to make them happy.” Instead, “During my volunteer work, I realized how much I enjoy interacting with others. My communication skills will assist me in future patient interactions.”

7. Tell the Truth

Try to tell the truth. The best policy is honesty, so keep that in mind. Do not, under any circumstances, plagiarize a personal statement, whether it be from the Internet or a friend. Every school has a method to verify that your statement has not been plagiarized.

8. Show Passion

Have a positive attitude toward regular dental care and any necessary dental treatment. Dental schools across the country are looking for eager and committed students.

You should demonstrate that you have used your time and initiative to prepare for university by accumulating as much relevant experience as possible. It shows that you’re willing to take the initiative, which is what will set you apart.

9. Strive to Be Distinct

Be noticeable. Discuss your accomplishments and how they set you apart from other applicants. If you want to study dental hygiene and treatment, discuss how your volunteer or part-time work has prepared you.

Universities care more about your personality than your dental credentials. They want to hire people who will do whatever it takes to get noticed. So, don’t be afraid to discuss your accomplishments and share your pride. It’s fine to bring up dental-related things, but don’t limit yourself there.

10. Have Your Personal Statement Reviewed

It’s a good idea to have someone else read over your statement. Having someone else look over your work, whether a friend, parent, or teacher, might help you see things from a new angle.

It would be beneficial to reach out to someone presently enrolled in a Dental Hygiene school and have them provide feedback.

Dental Hygiene Personal Statement Essay

This INK essay shows how to write a compelling dental hygiene personal statement. Use this essay to help you determine your unique selling points!

I have always been passionate about dental hygiene ever since I was a child. Growing up with cavities and bad oral health made me understand the importance of proper care. This has driven my commitment to promote preventative strategies to help others maintain healthy teeth and gums.

My personal experience has instilled in me an empathic approach to dentistry, allowing me to better connect with patients on a human level.

I am highly knowledgeable when it comes to dental knowledge and can easily converse with both patients and colleagues alike. In addition, I possess an acute attention to detail which helps ensure that all procedures are carried out safely and correctly.

Furthermore, I can keep abreast of new advancements in the field by utilizing advanced technologies such as digital x-rays or intraoral cameras.

My expertise, empathy, and enthusiasm will prove invaluable to any prospective employer. I would be delighted to join your team of skilled professionals to develop my skills further and contribute to improving the quality of life.

A dental hygiene personal statement essay is a compelling statement of your strengths and interests . Keep it concise and clear without missing a detail.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Sample Dental Personal Statement — AADSAS

Got accepted to penn, ucsf, nyu, nova, umich, maryland, uf.

A terrified girl with a swollen upper lip trudges into the endodontic clinic. She needs an emergency retreat of her root canal due to a poor previous obturation. As the needle pierces her gums, childhood memories of getting root canals without anesthesia flood her body with even greater pain and fear. Her student dentist wipes away her tears and holds her hand tighter. “The worst part is over,” remarks the soothing voice of the resident as she puts away the syringe. She is amazed by how fast the pain goes away. This girl was me three years ago, and it was this moment that I first envisioned dentistry as my career. [MZ1]  

I was born and raised Uyghur, a Turkic ethnic minority in Central Asia. Growing up in a mixture of Turkish, Middle-Eastern, and Asian cultures helped me appreciate cultural diversity and collaborative environments later in life. Shortly after my high school graduation, I made the biggest decision of my life: to pursue an undergraduate degree in the United States, where I would be able to blossom in a free academic environment. I packed my ambitious heart and dreams into a suitcase and headed for the U.S.

Being away from home for the first time, I was thrilled to explore the world on my own. Determined to overcome the language barrier, I took every possible opportunity to practice my English skills while attending a language institute. Within six months, I passed the placement test and started taking college-level courses. Small victories like this strengthened my determination, and prepared me to overcome future obstacles that I faced while pursuing undergraduate studies and finding my career path.

[MZ2]  

Dealing with frequent illnesses as a child led me to spend a lot of time in the care of others. Nurses, doctors, and dentists became my heroes, and I dreamed of being like them one day. In order to gain more experience in the healthcare field while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Microbiology, I became a Certified Nursing Assistant and began working in an assisted-living facility caring for residents with Alzheimer’s disease. The bonds I built with these kind people and their families helped me realize how much I love caring for others and making positive impacts on their lives. [MZ3]  

Around the same time, I became a patient at the University of Florida College of Dentistry team clinics. A long history of poor dental care led me to undergo an extensive amount of dental work at the clinic. This is where I first met Magda, my student dentist from the root canal story. As soon as I expressed my interest in the healthcare field, Magda enthusiastically began explaining dental procedures to me, teaching me to recognize dental instruments and even how to interpret x-rays. Her proficient skills, professionalism, and concerns for patients truly inspired me to further explore dentistry as my prospective profession.

I subsequently started shadowing at the team clinic, which enabled me to gain a closer look at dentistry. From various types of periodontal therapies, restorations, and extractions – every procedure I assisted with, pumped my body full of adrenaline. I fell in love with how much creativity is utilized in dentistry and relished every bit of patient interaction.

The knowledge from the team clinic further inspired me to pursue a community-based dental experience. I began to shadow Dr. XXXX, a general dentist at ABC Dental Clinic. ABC is a community for people with developmental disabilities. Volunteering at the clinic has been the most eye-opening and rewarding experience I have had in my limited exposure to dentistry. Most of the patients are not verbally responsive and are very challenging to work with. Despite these obstacles, Dr. Garvey’s patience and empathy makes everything possible. His unwavering commitment to serve the underserved population is inspiring me to become a dentist like him. From there, I started working at the UFCD Pediatric Dental Clinic as a dental assistant. [MZ4]  

Luckily, I never had to return to the endodontic clinic again as a patient, but my unflinching determination in pursuing a dental career has only grown stronger since. Utilizing both creativity and discipline in caring for patients, serving the underserved, and relieving pain is what I have found I love doing the most. If that can become a lifelong career, then I am confident that dentistry is, absolutely, my future vocation. Even better, I will be the first Uyghur dentist in the U.S., now wouldn’t that be something? [MZ5]  

Got accepted to Midwestern University (IL) (Re-applicant with a 2.9 GPA and 19 DAT; Got 5 interviews)

My grandfather made me fall in love with the quote: “Use your smile to change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.” I grew up without my parents, and faced adversity and bullying throughout my childhood. It took a toll on my confidence, made me shy, and discouraged me from smiling. Whenever I feel discouraged, my grandfather’s words always comfort me and push me toward my goals. Last year, I found it incredibly painful to deal with his passing after he battled nasal cavity cancer for eight years. He persevered through harsh medical treatments and never stopped smiling in front of me. Even after his dentures stopped fitting him, he would still smile. He gradually lost his appetite and without dentures, he became nutrient deficient since he could not consume the range of food that he needed. This was when I learned about the importance of dentures and their impact on a person’s health.  Watching how strong he was, I yearned to make him a perfect set of dentures as a special gift one day. My ambition was to watch my grandfather enjoy a wide variety of food and to see his old smile again. Since then, I began to see the power behind my grandfather’s smile. His smile speaks for the positivity, courage, and strength that taught me to embrace obstacles and challenges because they will help me thrive as an independent and a mature adult. Although I lost my grandfather, the pain of losing him strengthened my character and pushed me to pursue my dream to become a successful dentist.  [MZ6]  

During my last quarter at UC San Diego, my grandfather’s condition worsened. I constantly worried about him, as he was the only close family I had. There were times when I struggled to balance family responsibilities with academics, and I had felt mentally and physically exhausted every day. Every time I went to see him in the hospital, he told me not to worry about him and to focus on my academics. My anxiety took a toll on my grades and I realized that it helped neither my dream nor his health. Gradually, I learned to manage my time and my stress, and improved my grades later on through more coursework in post-baccalaureate program . Luckily, my aunt is capable of taking care of my grandmother now, so I can further my studies and work as a dental assistant during my free time. [MZ7]  

As a dental assistant, I channeled my desire of taking care of my grandfather into taking care of patients. [MZ8]  During the preparation for an implant case, I noticed a patient was clenching her fists anxiously. I offered her with a cup of water and started a conversation to ease her worries. Later, she calmed down and was ready for the procedure. She was cooperative when I took a periapical x-ray on the difficult position of tooth #15.  Fortunately, the picture turned out clear and the dentist was able to see the depth of the post and the distance between her sinus. When I greeted the patient during her next visit for abutment, she said “thank you” and gave me the most heartwarming hug that I could ever ask for. Her expression of gratitude kindled my desire to serve more patients as an aspiring dentist. [MZ9]  

Knowing that my grandfather lacked oral health education and had limited dental care during his lifetime, I felt a sense of duty to help those who lack access to dental care [MZ10]  . I helped serve the underprivileged by volunteering at the California Dental Association Free Clinic. In particular, I remember a forty-year old Hispanic immigrant named Julio, who was also a low-income immigrant and a father of four. Majority of his teeth was decayed and in need of urgent restoration. After talking to him, I learned that his condition was the result of a lack of access to quality dental care. Due to financial constraints, he could not afford to visit a dentist for a long time. He was grateful that the Free Clinic had given him this opportunity to restore his teeth. Talking to Julio was eye opening, as it inspired me to reach out to the disadvantaged population and educate them about oral health. One day, I wish to provide equitable access to dental care to all. [MZ11]  

After my grandfather’s death, I wrote a letter to him that ended with this passage: “Thank you, Grandpa, for helping me find my passion and for making me realize the power that genuine smiles can bring. Although you are no longer with us, your wisdom continues to motivate me to spread beautiful smiles and to improve the lives of others. As a tribute to you, I am ready to dedicate myself to the career of dentistry.” [MZ12]  

Got accepted to Penn, UCSF, NYU, Pitt, and Rutgers

‘ Shri Ramajeyam!’ chanted the village magician back in Bangladesh, as he tried to heal my grandmother’s toothache for 40 Taka (equivalent to $0.50 in the US). The cheap hocus pocus failed and ultimately, an oral screening at a local hospital diagnosed an oral lesion in her mouth. However, it remained untreated because of my family’s limited finances. [MZ13]  

These financial challenges that have continually haunted my family have helped ingrain the value of patience within the very essence of my personality. Our patience in reapplying for the Diversity Visa Lottery over and over finally paid off the 9 th time, when we won. We thought our financial distress would improve, so we happily left for America. But, surprises ensued. Extreme poverty, accompanied by a sudden cut in Medicaid forced me to curtail my visits to the orthodontist, but I continued to wait, as I had always been, for a change in fortune. [MZ14]  

That change came when my orthodontist halved my fee after sympathizing with my situation. This drew me to a dentist’s prerogative to demonstrate compassion. The importance of a good patient-doctor relationship stood out even more when I shadowed Dr. Pinto, an oral surgeon. During his interaction with a medically compromised patient, who was suffering from a prior iatrogenic procedure, I saw how dentists not just treat the local symptoms of pain, but also address it in a systemic way. This interactive process reminded me of my time leading mentoring program as an International Youth Scholar, in which I mentored a Somali refugee named Abdi. Being psychologically vulnerable as a result of having faced a civil war, initially, he appeared reserved. With my consisted efforts, I built rapport with him as he slowly opened up about his struggle in the refugee camp, his love for soccer, and his dream to study in the U.S. With my encouragement, he applied and received a scholarship at Syracuse University. I will never forget his smile when he gave me the news.  It reaffirmed the holistic nature of a dentist’s influence on an individual’s systemic as well as psychological health.  [MZ15]  

In addition to treating individuals, I want to expand the influence of dental awareness on a community-wide scale and I began this by targeting my local Philadelphia community. I co-founded the Community Dental Disease Prevention Society aiming to reduce the prevalence of dental diseases. We conducted workshops at low-income schools in the city. Despite the initial lack of interest among students, gradually the number of workshop participants grew as they could relate the workshops to their real life experiences. Here Tagita, a first grader shared her story of waiting for a dental appointment due to her family’s financial incapacity, reiterating the inaccessibility of the dental care provision. Meanwhile, high school students expressed concerns about the increasing prevalence of dental malpractice. This made me extend our goals to educate dental providers of iatrogenic dentistry. Additionally, we also set about spreading scientifically based awareness in dispelling damaging propagandas such as those spread by the Fluoride Action Network about the harmful effects of water fluoridation. [MZ16]  

Aside from my involvement with the community, I found personal gratification and further enhancement of my endurance while I was taking a sculpture course.  After the caffeinated nights and clay-stained hands at the studio, looking at my first project – a clay bust of Abraham Lincoln, an unprecedented sense of pride flooded through me. Right then, I knew that in order to be fulfilled I would need manual involvement in my future profession. [MZ17]  

The unique opportunity offered by dentistry to integrate my manual dexterity with my love for science further drew me in. My passion for science grew in a crowded lab-hood at my organic synthesis lab, where I endured repeated tedious phases of optimization of the reaction conditions. Ultimately, I experienced a deep sense of satisfaction as I produced newer molecules in high yield culminating in a co-authorship of a paper in Organic Letters. [MZ18]  

Perseverance gained throughout my life and from my involvement in science, arts and community activism makes dentistry a perfect match for me. Be it campaigning against iatrogenic dentistry via CDDPS, or making someone like Abdi smile confidently, dentistry has allowed me to consolidate my ideals. As I continue to advocate for increased accessibility to dental care for financially disadvantaged patients, I understand that progress will be slow; for now, I vow to stay focused, stay patient. [MZ19]  

  [MZ1] Terrific hook. The story is engaging and vivid. She also amazingly ends the paragraph with her interest in dentistry. Perfect first paragraph.

  [MZ2] Author provides sufficient background and talks about her personal journey to depict her personalities. She shows us a glimpse into her world and provides a subtle glimpse at her personalities

  [MZ3] Explains what she has done during college. It falls under extra-curricular/leadership bucket. But definitely shows her career interest progression. This paragraph does not employ any vivid story, but at this point it’s not needed anymore because she already earned your trust and you’re reading this.

  [MZ4] The last three paragraph provides the picture of how the author pursued her interest further. It’s a logical continuation of her journey.

  [MZ5] Great concluding sentence! Super-catchy. Creates an unique identity for the author.

  [MZ6] Absolutely great introduction. Author takes you into her world and tells you about her personal life. She provides a nice story to back up why she wants to be a dentist. Great introduction, although a bit too long.

The essay revolves around her grandfather and she continually ties back to this theme.

  [MZ7] She explains her situation but reassures the reader that she will be able to handle the tough workload at dental school.

  [MZ8] Great topic sentence brings back the theme of her grandfather.

  [MZ9] Through telling us a story she provides a glimpse into her personality. From this story, we can make assumptions about what kind of dentist she will become – a compassionate, kind hearted one.

  [MZ10] Again, tying back to the theme

  [MZ11] This is called future pacing. She’s basically telling you her dream as a dentist.

  [MZ12] Slightly unconventional ending, but worked really well for her.

  [MZ13] Unique beginning, proven to be quite effective for the author. The story also hooks you right away. You feel a certain level of sympathy for the author’s family.

  [MZ14] Author is using life story to focus our attention on his personality. It’s very subtle and crafty.

  [MZ15] This paragraph is AMAZING because it talks not only about the things that author admires in his dentist, but he also demonstrate how he implemented those qualities into his extra-curricular activities. This is an advance concept and hard to implement, but if you can do it successfully, you have a great shot at getting into many dental schools (just like the author)

  [MZ16] Tells us a STORY about his community service involvement.

  [MZ17] Manual dexterity can be part of your personal statement but add it such that your essay does not lose flow. This is a strong example of how to talk about your manual dexterity.

  [MZ18] Most people don’t have publication as an undergraduate; if you do, talk about it! It will 20X your chances at getting into a dental school. You should not shy away from talking about your accomplishments.

  [MZ19] Great ending. Author used a catch phrase at the end. Quite cliché, but it is executed properly and makes you remember the author.

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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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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Dental Assistant — My Passion for Dental Hygiene: Education, Experience, and Aspirations

My Passion for Dental Hygiene: Education, Experience, and Aspirations

• Categories: Career Choice Dental Assistant

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Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 811 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

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Education and experience, skills and qualities, goals and aspirations, personal values and ethics.

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Dentistry Personal Statement Examples

Last updated: 05/10/2022

• Is Medicine Right for Me?
• What do Doctors do?
• The Daily Life of a Doctor
• How to apply to medical school
• Different Routes into Medicine
• Factors to Consider
• Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge
• Your Fifth UCAS Choice
• Getting Your Grades
• Extra-curricular Activities
• What is the UCAT?
• Preparing for Your UCAT Test Day
• After Your UCAT
• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
• Work Experience and Dental Schools
• NHS Work Experience
• Personal Statement
• Medicine PS Examples
• Dentistry PS Examples
• UCAS References
• Medical and Dental School Interviews
• Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
• Medical School Interview Questions
• Dental School Interview Questions
• Graduate Entry Courses
• Foundation and Access Courses
• International students
• Taking a Gap Year
• Medicine in Australia and NZ
• Medicine in Ireland Medicine in Eastern Europe
• Other Roles in Healthcare
• What Our "Plan B" Looked Like

The personal statement is changing to a series of free text questions for 2026 entry onwards, however it remains unchanged for 2025 entry. Keep an eye on our live updates page for guidance on these changes.

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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Dentistry Personal Statement Examples

What is a dentistry personal statement?

Your dentistry UCAS personal statement gives the university admissions tutors an idea of who you are and why you want to study dentistry.

It should explain why your skills, knowledge and experience make you a great candidate for dentistry, and why you should be offered a place on their course.

Read through our dentistry personal statement examples above for inspiration on how to write your own unique statement for your UCAS application.

Remember that the deadline for dentistry applicants is earlier than many other course, on 15 October .

What should a dentistry personal statement include?

To write a successful dentistry personal statement, you shoud include:

• Why you want to study dentistry - try to pick one or two aspects of the subject that interest you and explain why
• Work experience - what skills did you learn that will be useful in a dentistry degree?
• Volunteering - have you completed any unpaid or voluntary work that is relevant to your dentistry course?
• Wider reading and study - how has this influenced and/or motivated you to study dentistry?
• Extracurricular activities - what do you do outside of school or college and how might this help with your degree?
• Conclusion - mention your ambitions for the future. How will your dentistry degree move you forward on your career path?

For more help and advice on what to write in your dentistry personal statement, please see:

• Personal Statement Editing Services
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• Analysis Of A Personal Statement
• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
• Personal Statement FAQs
• Personal Statement Timeline
• 10 Top Personal Statement Writing Tips
• What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

How do I write a good dentistry personal statement?

Your dentistry personal statement should be structured so that all the paragraphs flow well together and make a coherent statement overall.

We recommend starting with why you want to study dentistry. Most students choose to focus on one aspect of the subject they are enthusiastic about and explain why they find it fascinating or why they enjoyed learning about.

For the main body of your statement, you should think about the course content and explain how you can demonstrate the skills to meet them.

To be a dentist, you need good skills in:

• communication
• organisation
• physical stamina
• problem solving.

For your conclusion, we suggest you summarise your goals and ambitions, and explain how your dentistry degree will help further your career.

Remember to give your dentistry personal statement to teachers, friends and family members for feedback before submitting a final version on your UCAS statement.

What does a dentist do?

Dentists diagnose and treat dental issues and help patients develop better oral hygiene regimens.

They also clean teeth, correct bite issues, perform surgeries and extractions, and perform other duties to ensure that the teeth and mouth are healthy.

What can I do with a dentistry degree?

Apart from becoming a dentist, there are many other career options available to those wishing to study dentistry. These include:

• Dental hygienist
• Dental technician
• Health service manager
• Science writer
• Medical sales representative
• Laboratory technican.

For more information on careers with a dentistry degree, please see Prospects and The National Careers Service .

What are the best UK universities for dentistry?

Currently, the best UK universities for studying dentistry are:

For more information about UK university rankings for dentistry, please see The Complete University Guide and The Guardian .

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Successful Personal Statement For Dentistry At King’s College London

Last Updated: 8th April 2020

Author: Adi Sen

• Getting started

Table of Contents

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it. 

Today, we are looking through a Dentistry applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at King’s College London, Birmingham and Aston University. The Dentistry Course at KCL combines the latest thinking in dental education with early clinical experience.

Read on to see how this candidate wrote a Personal Statement that demonstrates the qualities to work in a clinical environment. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

KING’S

Enrolling on our Dentistry comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts. 

With our  Dentistry Premium Programme, your tutor will give you regular actionable feedback with insider tips on how to improve and make your Personal Statement top-quality for the best chances of success.  

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Dentistry Personal Statement

Everyone has the right to a good smile. A smile can have a major effect on a person’s self-esteem, confidence and happiness. It would give me great satisfaction being able to have a positive effect on a patient’s quality of life by being able to influence these and many more factors. Dentistry as a prospective career path has always been a very appealing profession because I am interested in caring for people and also enjoy the creativity involved with the profession.

My work experience has further fuelled my desire to study dentistry, because it has shown me how rapidly expanding the dental sector which allows continuous learning. I have worked at Smiledent Dental Practice where I shadowed the dentists and the dental nurses. This experience has highlighted the importance between the balance of leadership and teamwork required to achieve the best treatment for the patients and the efficient running of a dental practice. Furthermore, I witnessed the need to gain the trust of the patient and build a patient-dentist relationship, to allow for a smooth successful treatment.

Apart from a dental practice, I have also volunteered at Haselbury Junior School organising activities for young children at an afterschool club for three months. Working with young children taught me to adapt my communication skills, using simple vocabulary and body language. During this time, it also gave me a sense of care and responsibility towards the children. This motivated me to work with people at the opposite end of the age spectrum. I therefore volunteered at The Haven Day Centre which was a humbling yet valuable experience. I enjoyed being a pillar of support to the elderly trying to entertain them and it was a warming experience to witness their joy.

Moreover, I have regularly attended St John Ambulance Cadets for the past three years. I am now a senior member in the division teaching younger peers first aid thoroughly enjoying the additional responsibility involved in nurturing others.

In addition, I have a keen academic interest. The transmission of diseases, prevention and immunology in Biology, has emphasised to me the significance of hygiene and how rapidly diseases can spread which is vital in the field of dentistry. In Chemistry, I have particularly enjoyed learning about molecular bonding enabling me to understand why particular materials have properties that make them suitable for their job. I have thoroughly enjoyed and flourished in the practical aspects of both subjects. The experiments have allowed me to put into practice/apply the knowledge I have acquired in lessons. Studying mathematics has improved my problem-solving ability acquiring practice to reach answers with a methodical yet flexible approach. In years 9 and 12, I was invited to attend lectures at the London Metropolitan University and the Royal Institution of Mathematics over a series of weekends. As a result, I had the opportunity to study branches of mathematics outside the syllabus which thoroughly challenged me. Additionally, geography has helped develop a creative aspect of academic life. In the human sector, I enjoyed the topic about smoking because it taught me the history and origins of smoking and the widespread effect it has on the body including the gums and teeth.

As part of my research, I have expanded my dental knowledge using several websites to gain extra information. I have been fascinated by crowns and root canal treatments because I am fond of the creativity involved such as choosing tooth colours, shape and material to ensure practicality for the patient and simultaneously rectify tooth damage.

Finally, from my work experience in a dental practice and I believe would thrive in such an environment.

For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:

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Good Points Of The Personal Statement

Clear structure and the student gives good insight into his/her motivation for the study of dentistry as well as providing evidence for his/her personal, professional, and academic development. It becomes very clear that the student is dedicated to the subject and disciplined in the pursuit of his/her goals. Having a good experience from work attachments is a further strong point, demonstrating the student’s enthusiasm for the subject. The student also shows a good range of other achievements and activities that contribute to the overall, very positive, impression of a dedicated and well-rounded individual.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

At times, the style of the statement is somewhat unclear. Particularly towards the end, one gets the impression that the student ran either out of space or out of ideas as the different aspects raised in the text are not discussed to their full effect, making them significantly less relevant for the overall quality of the statement. This is particularly a problem with the conclusion which makes little to no sense.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

An average statement that demonstrates some good and relevant work experience and patient exposure. Unfortunately, the statement is let down by some stylistic weaknesses that reduce the overall strength of the content, at least in some parts.

And there we have it – a King’s College London Dentistry Personal Statement with feedback from our expert tutors. 

Remember, at KCL, the Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.

Our Free Personal Statement Resources page is filled with even more successful personal statements and expert guides.

Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Dentistry application.

With our  Dentistry Premium Programme we help you craft the perfect  Personal   Statement , achieve a highly competitive UCAT and BMAT  score and teach you how to  Interview effectively.

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Your purpose

A mission statement identifies your professional objectives.

Cynthia McKane-Wagester, RDH

Whether you`re a seasoned hygienist or a novice just ready to begin your journey, you must rekindle your commitment to your profession. Revitalizing your passion for dental hygiene is essential. With passion, we are motivated and enthusiastic about what we are doing. We truly are able to identify our purpose and articulate it within a meaningful philosophy.

For us, the most important thing is a commitment to excellence. Excellence means striving to be the best that we can be in our practices. Even if we don`t perform perfectly, if we strive to the best of our ability, surround ourselves with good people, and treat our patients with care and consideration, then we cannot fail. More than anything else, we must desire to be the best.

Our coworkers also must feel this passion because it will motivate them. One of the greatest advantages of understanding our purpose is demonstrating the value of the care and service we provide. The words needed to explain the advantages of dental treatment flow automatically when they come from the heart. Because you maintain a clear vision of the difference dentistry can make in someone`s lifestyle and health, you`ll take advantage of every opportunity to give the patient more information.

To become an excellent hygienist, you must first envision your objectives and set your goals. The steps, if implemented over the next six months, will rekindle your enthusiasm.

Develop a philosophy of practice

Dennis Waitley, in Being the Best, observes, "Offer the best you have, and assume the best in return." Just as it is true that no two people are exactly alike, it also is true that no two people have exactly the same basic philosophy. It is extremely important to know exactly what your mission is. However, most people do not have a written document that clearly states their mission. Take the time to think this issue through, because it provides the "passion power" for your personal and professional development.

A strong sense of mission is essential if you are to reach objectives. Before your objectives can become clear, you must think about your purpose. Without a clear picture of purpose or direction, you simply will tread water. Think about why you work in dentistry. Where do you intend to be in five years in terms of your job, yourself, your family, and the practice of dental hygiene? In other words: What`s your vision?

Some mission statements are very short: "It is my purpose to assist every patient to achieve a lifetime of dental health." Alternatively, they can be more inclusive: "My purpose is to help people achieve a state of optimal dental and oral health personally appropriate for them. By continually striving to provide excellence in personal and professional service, I intend to accomplish this in a caring and gentle manner, thus enhancing the quality of my patients` lives."

The statements represent broad orientation. They can, if you choose, be much narrower: "I recognize and wish to concentrate on the dental-health needs of senior citizens. It is my mission to educate and cater to the special needs of this important and growing segment of the population."

A person who has a written statement reflecting his/her sense of purpose is in a much stronger position when the time comes to develop individual marketing strategies. When you know who you are, it is much easier to know what to do in each and every situation.

Once you create and commit to your philosophy, then you can find the right dental office that will allow you to practice what you believe.

Walk and talk your philosophy. Practice what you preach. Establish standards and monitor the health of your dental-hygiene practice. Your department truly is the pulse of the practice. A successful practice must have loyal patients. Many of them will see you far more frequently and for longer appointments than they will ever see the dentist. It is your ethical and professional responsibility to educate and motivate your patients to accept the treatment you know they need. Remember, no one ever becomes successful by doing only what is required of them. Raise your standards and give more of yourself. Then, you will achieve the success you deserve.

"When you embark on something, fix your intentions and put selfishness behind you, then you cannot fail." This quote comes from Miyamoto Musashi, who wrote The Book of Five Rings, 1596. Goal-setting gives you a sense of direction and keeps you focused. It also prevents frustration. For you to have any chance of achieving your goals, they must be written down. If you don`t commit your goals to paper, they are not goals!

We can set goals in many areas of our lives:

- Social and family

- Business and family

- Self-actualization

Here are six steps to follow in setting and achieving these goals:

1. Identify a goal - decide what you truly want to achieve as an individual, office, or staff member.

2. Define your objectives and strategies for accomplishing each goal.

3. Identify the person who is responsible for each strategy related to achieving each goal.

4. Set a time or date for accomplishment of each goal or strategy - no more than one year away.

5. Evaluate your methods. Even if your original strategy does not work, learn from it! Change your strategy and work ahead! Be prepared to embrace change. One main reason why people don`t achieve what they want is that they`re afraid to change.

6. Realize that growth comes from all types of experiences - be positive! Problems are meant to be solved. Assigning blame is worthless and counterproductive. Ask yourself, "What can I do to make things better?" Turn negatives into positives and grow!

Keep your goals realistic and describe in great detail how you will benefit in the long run. Also, make a point of writing down, as vividly as you can, what will happen if you don`t meet your goals. Try to describe the changes in your life and that of your family that will happen in one, five, or 10 years - whether you achieve them or not. By creating a realistic understanding of the pain you will have if you fail and the pleasure you will have if you succeed, your motivation will increase exponentially.

Remember, there are three kinds of people in the world:

- Those that make it happen.

- Those that watch it happen.

- Those that wonder, "What happened?"

If you don`t know where you are going, it doesn`t matter what road you take.

Cynthia McKane-Wagester is president of McKane & Associates, a full-service management firm located in Baltimore, Md. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland`s Dental Hygiene School and has considerable private-practice experience in addition to founding a placement service. She has provided consulting services for more than 12 years. Her firm teaches a win-win approach to profitability with special emphasis on assisting teams in reaching their pinnacle level of excellence. She is the author of Dental Hygiene: A Practice Within a Practice©, 1995. She can be reached at (800) 341-1244.

The essentials of your mission

Here is a list of things that your mission statement might include if you are seeking to be effective:

- A declaration about quality, excellence, and efficiency as they relate to your personal and professional life. For a hygienist to be truly successful, her head, heart, and hands have to become one. You must have talent and determination. Most of all, you must love your work. You must make a commitment to being the best. Your knowledge of your field must be current.

- A statement that reflects your position regarding honesty, integrity, and fairness in dealing with patients. Dental hygiene has a code of ethics, and we must hold ourselves accountable to it.

- The kind of atmosphere you want to create within an organization, not only for your family, but also for the practice with which you associate. Remember, the dental team plays the most important role in the success of a practice. Very few external factors have as much impact as does the quality of the team. Take charge and take the initiative.

- The type of people you prefer to serve in your practice.

- The areas in which you are especially interested (preventive dentistry, community involvement, children`s needs, etc.).

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Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Saif)

Home » Application Guide » Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Saif)

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Welcome to our collection of Dentistry Personal Statement Examples! We’ve searched far and wide to find personal statements from successful applicants all around the UK and asked them to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of their work for your own inspiration. Today’s subject is from Saif, who studies Dentistry at King’s College London.

Saif applied to study Dentistry back in 2021 at four amazing UK Dental Schools, including KCL, University of Bristol and University of Glasgow. He received offers from 3 out of his four choices of which he chose to study at KCL.

Let’s read the personal statement that got him a place at KCL, or skip straight to his feedback to learn what made his personal statement a success!

Please be aware that these examples are meant purely for the sake of inspiration, and should absolutely NOT be used as a model around which to base your own personal statement. UCAS have a rather strict system that detects plagiarism .

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.

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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. 

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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!

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Dental School Personal Statement Examples

I trace my adult aspirations back to the age of nine. At this time, my father returned to college in his late thirties to pursue a master’s degree in anesthesia. I was the oldest of three children, my mother was also unable to work, and we soon found ourselves scrounging out an existence on welfare. I will never forget my first Christmas on public assistance, my parents agonizing over how they could buy presents in addition to putting food on the table. Our church taught me the most important lessons in life at that time, compassion, and generosity. And these moral imperatives have become my principal frame of reference, what I aspire to accomplish myself.

One morning, my mother woke up in excruciating pain, and we realized that the local dental school clinic was our only option as welfare recipients. John, a dentistry student, recommended a root canal and patiently responded to each of my mother’s concerns in a simple, straightforward way with illustrations; I could even understand it at 10 years old. I could see that my mother felt safe and comfortable, fully trusting in John. During the procedure I saw the tears roll down her face as I held on to her hand. John let me hold the suction for part of the procedure. John became my first real life hero; and from that day forward I have nurtured and treasured the dream of becoming a dentist myself, and attending to the weakest among us, the underserved. Later, we would move to Florida where I constructed a hockey workshop in our garage with numerous stick handling drills that helped develop my natural dexterity and coordination. One professional experience that has helped to prepare me for the great challenges of dental school was my employment with XXXX Marine Services. We helped to train helicopter pilots in the fields of search and rescue. Coast Guard helicopters would hover within ten feet of my head while I was raising and lowering rescue baskets.

Since entering high school, I have cultivated noble goals of wanting to give something back to the community. One of my early forms of engagement with the community in high school was serving as Captain of our ice hockey team. Even though we lost the state tournament, I went on to serve as Assistant Captain of the Hockey team, helping to bring XXU Ice Hockey to its first winning season. Yet, when I realized that my grades were suffering, I quit the team to be able to devote myself full time to my studies. During my first year I co-founded the XXXX Leadership Organization, beginning with only ten members. My first title was Social Service Coordinator, and I oversaw designing and organizing our efforts to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Foundation. Within 3 years, we had 150 members. I see my natural inclination for organizing philanthropic activities to be my greatest asset and I feel strongly that the greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to provide free dental health care to members of our American societies with scant resources.

I see my home as the entire Caribbean area and I have spent a lot of time in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cozumel, Belize, the Grand Cayman Islands, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. I was a close observer of healthcare systems on these islands, especially Haiti, and it is my sincere hope to make major contributions to dental missions to these islands in the future. I studied Spanish for 3 years in college and continue to improve through a concerted effort to practice. I have also dedicated a lot of planning to my goal of someday operating a free mobile dental clinic in rural areas of Florida, especially for the benefit of migrant farm workers and their families. I assure you that I will give my all to my studies if admitted and I want to thank you for consideration of my application.

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Crafting a burnout-proof career as a hygienist

Health care is an extremely demanding field, and too many of us experience burnout. From heavy workloads to lack of scheduling autonomy to insufficient support, the health-care world is rife with factors that can lead to burnout. 1 The dental hygienist shortage is hitting practices and patients hard, so burnout and hygienist satisfaction should be taken very seriously. 2

I began my career as a clinical dental hygienist in 2007 and moved into higher education in 2013, when I became a professor of dental hygiene and then a program director. After nearly 10 years in higher education, I was feeling burned out by administrative burdens, academic politics, budgets, and all the extraneous factors that distracted me from what I loved: teaching and mentoring.

When I left higher education, I dipped my toe back into clinical practice by temping as a hygienist at several different practices. I hadn’t realized how much I missed practicing hygiene, but I didn’t want to give up teaching and mentorship. After temping for Aspen Dental, I joined the practice as a part-time hygienist, where I found a burnout-proof balance that has kept me fulfilled.

How new dental hygiene grads can avoid burnout

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The benefits of a flexible schedule.

Flexibility and autonomy are critical for avoiding burnout. Being able to design my own schedule gives me the ability to work the days and hours I want. I’m not subject to churning out prophy exams; if I have a patient who needs extra attention, I can build that time into my schedule.

One issue many hygienists have with part-time work is the lack of full benefits. As hygienists’ interest in part-time work grows, organizations are updating their policies so that even part-time hygienists can have access to the full suite of benefits. This is a huge step in the right direction to support hygienists and is one of the key advantages of working with a dental support organization (DSO). DSOs have a large bank of resources, which makes it much easier for them to offer top-of-the-line benefits to all hygienists.

The combination of schedule autonomy, flexibility, and access to benefits makes part-time work, with the right employer, extremely attractive.

Work-life balance is attainable

Yes, part-time hygiene work may sound great, but what does it look like in practice? For me, working three and a half days per week allows me to care for patients, which I love, while also pursuing the teaching and mentorship that made my time in higher education so valuable.

When I’m not working with patients, I work as a dissertation chair and PhD methodologist at Liberty University and give continuing education lectures and presentations. I’m also able to be active in my local and national hygiene associations. Volunteering with the Pennsylvania and American Dental Hygienists’ Associations gives me the opportunity to advocate for my fellow hygiene colleagues and influence policies for our profession. I love teaching, presenting, and mentoring, and being able to pursue these interests when I’m not in the dental office has helped me build the most fulfilling career imaginable. I don’t have to choose between education and patient care; I can have both.

Practicing chairside hygiene while having the opportunity to help students is exactly the work-life balance I need. I’ve been able to cut out the aspects of my previous roles that led to burnout, leaving only what I truly enjoy. This balance has helped make my career as burnout-proof as possible.

Reflect on what you really want

For hygienists considering part-time work, my advice is to seriously consider what you really want. If you’re not happy with what you’re currently doing, look for a different place to work. Especially postpandemic, many offices place a large administrative and clinical burden on hygienists to meet patient demand, and unfortunately, these burdens take away a lot of a hygienist’s autonomy and flexibility.

When I decided to return to clinical practice, I knew I needed to find a dental office that would let me practice the way I wanted. I was able to find the autonomy, flexibility, benefits, and support I needed, but I wouldn’t have had that success if I hadn’t taken the time to really consider what was important to me.

If you’re not happy in your current position, what don’t you like? Do you feel rushed? Are things too inflexible? Are you unhappy with scheduling? Whatever it is that you care about most, prioritize those nonnegotiable items when you’re interviewing at other offices. When you find the right fit, you’ll feel empowered to practice the way you want. That level of freedom is your bulwark against burnout.

Remember why you love hygiene

For me, the biggest benefit of part-time work is how it allowed me to fall back in love with dental hygiene. By having the flexibility and autonomy to control my own schedule and practice the way I want to, I can avoid the burnout that plagued me in the past and provide the best possible care for my patients.

1. Health worker burnout. Office of the Surgeon General. May 30, 2024. www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/health-worker-burnout/index.html. 

2. Hill A. The dental hygienist shortage: will dentistry ever look the same? Dentistry IQ. August 22, 2023. www.dentistryiq.com/practice-management/staffing/article/14297985/the-dental-hygienist-shortage-will-dentistry-ever-look-the-same

Kimberly A. Erdman, EdD, RDH, FAADH, FADHA

Kimberly A. Erdman, EdD, RDH, FAADH, FADHA, is a dental hygienist at Aspen Dental, as well as a PhD Methodologist at Liberty University. She loves providing top-notch patient care while also being able to teach and mentor students pursuing graduate health science work. Kimberly is a proud member and Inaugural Fellow of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and a Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Hygiene.

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