Author: Mohamed Nawfal (article originally taken from uniclues.com)
Course: xxx
A lot of people think we learn only about the mouth and teeth… and we do HAHA. We learn how to diagnose and recognise oral diseases, how to treat them and how to teach oral health to patients. However, we also learn about how the general health of a person and his oral health are interlinked.
There are certain overlaps between the two. For one, both require students to learn how to communicate with patients. Also, in Year 1 and 2, our syllabus is very intertwined with Medicine and we learn a lot about the entire body as a system through subjects like Anatomy, Oral Biology, Pathology and Physiology. (Fun tip: For Anatomy, Dentistry students get to learn with the help of cadavers and are tested on their body parts for the exam).
You can look at Dentistry as a specialised form of Medicine. Hence, inevitably, we spend a lot of time studying in-depth about the mouth. Another difference would be that we have more lab time where we do more hands-on work on our head models (called OSCAR HAHA). Lastly, I’d say Dentistry is more focused on aesthetics compared to medicine.
After my A-Levels, I started researching the various degrees and realised that I wanted to do something related to healthcare at university, like Pharmacy, Nursing or Medicine. Surprisingly, it had not occurred to me to consider Dentistry at that point. I then started approaching current dentists, like my friends’ moms, to ask them what it is like. Mesmerized by the work-life balance enjoyed by Dentists and the opportunity to do hands-on work in Dentistry, I more or less knew I would enjoy Dentistry!
Initially, I was very much leaning towards Medicine as it involves the study of the entire human body. To me, it looked more intellectually stimulating than Dentistry, which focuses on only the human mouth. However, I stand corrected. Now that I am doing Dentistry, I have come to realise how much goes on in the mouth and there is a lot to explore in the mouth as well.
I didn’t get into Medicine in the end but if I were to be given the choice to go to Medicine now, I wouldn’t. I guess Medicine just seems more appealing when you’re applying for university courses but this appeal eventually wears off after you discover how fun other courses, like Dentistry, can be! This is due, in no small part, to the small cohort, which makes Dentistry homely as we get to know our classmates really well.
Some of the content we cover in the first year of Dentistry overlaps with JC Biology but it seemed like everyone was struggling initially nonetheless. This made the advantage biology students had seem negligible. What is important is that you pay attention in class and ask questions when you’re unsure and you’ll be fine.
The interview comes in the form of Multiple-Mini interviews. Dentistry interviewers look for certain qualities in the students, like Integrity. I guess they want to see how you communicate with people and if you can sympathise with them. There was also a Manual Dexterity Test. For more information, you can visit this website over here!
I read up quite a lot on what Dentistry entails and about the recent healthcare issues in preparation for the interview. Although they didn’t ask me about the healthcare issues in Singapore in my year, keeping abreast of all these issues will be good as you can never predict what kind of questions interviewers might ask.
I did a job shadowing for 3 days, where I got to ask dentists more about Dentistry and see, firsthand, what dentists do on a daily basis. I guess it is not really necessary but it was fun nonetheless.
I had a separate interview for the scholarship, which was held after I had secured a place at NUS (I was offered my third choice initially before I was offered Dentistry, so I guess you will be called for the interview after you have secured a place at NUS, regardless of the course).
For me, it was a panel interview with 8 interviewers, who comprised the Student Affairs Director and others who are involved in overseeing sports at NUS. They asked questions about my experiences playing my sport and what I think about the general state of sports in Singapore. I was given the letter of offer on 9th May.
My advice would be to know what kind of scholarship you are applying for before you start preparing answers for frequently asked questions. For me, since I applied for the sports scholarship, my questions were about the sport that I play. I think they just want to see what kind of person you are, your commitment to the sport, and how passionate you are about the sport!
We have lessons from 8-5pm on weekdays every day which comprise lectures, tutorials, and lab time. Each tutorial class has about 20 students in them.
For the first year, we had about 3 hours lab time, which pales in comparison to the amount of lab time we have in Year 2. In Year 2, we have at least one lab session every day and even have days where the full day is taken up by lab sessions.
In Year 1, Dentistry students start with basic things like restoration, where you drill and remove caries and put in material to seal up the cavity.
In Year 2, we do crowning, where you drill around a tooth and use certain material to support the remaining part of the tooth. We also do tooth-coloured restorations! Also, in Year 2, we start exploring the different specialities in Dentistry, such as Endodontics, Periodontics and Prosthodontics. This is where we start doing simple procedures like cleaning and checking the oral health of our lab partners as well.
For lab exams/requirements, professors grade students real-time. Basically, for every step a student does correctly, he/ she will receive a signature from the professor.
We have to do project work for certain modules as well. For example, we have this subject called Problem-Based learning in Year 2 where we are split into groups of 20. The professor asks students to discuss some issues regarding a topic taught and present about it in the next lesson. We also have another subject called Dental Public Health which entails a lot of group work. For this, students are tasked to research current developments, like new dental technology, and issues in the dental industry. For instance, now, we are looking at how the state of oral health relates to the global health-related issues we face today.
Furthermore, apart from the lectures, tutorials, lab sessions and project work, I have heard from my seniors that in Year 3, we will start spending more time in the clinic where we will meet patients and work with them. This is where we get to teach patients about the importance of oral hygiene and treat them too! There will be fewer lectures in Year 3 as most of the basics are taught by the end of Year 2.
For my batch, at the end of Year 1, we were given the opportunity to go to The University of Hong Kong. I chose not to go as it was a 12 day trip with only 2 days at the university, which meant that the other 10 days would be more like a leisure trip. I am not sure if every batch gets this opportunity.
Work experience comes in the form of clinicals instead of internships. We work with patients at the clinic in Year 3 and also have clinicals for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the start of Year 3 where we follow a dentist around and see what they do.
I like that dental school is small. Spending 9 hours with your classmates every day really gives you the chance to build good friendships. Also, since our calendar is different from the other faculties, we spend our holidays with each other as well HAHA! Although some people might not like this, it really made me a lot closer to my classmates. It feels like a community.
I wish the course was longer. It feels like too much information is being cramped into the 4 years. When coupled with the countless exams we have to study for, it gets very overwhelming at times. I personally think that if it were longer, we would be able to hone our skills and knowledge and be better equipped for the future.
Other than that, wearing formal clothing really gets on my nerves as well!!
I find lab work the most intriguing! We get the chance to use different equipment in the lab to make dentures and special trays, use newest technologies such as CADCAM to produce crowns.
It also gets really fun and interesting when we do simple procedures on our lab buddies like using clinical equipment to take dental impressions for our lab partners and checking each other’s occlusions.
I’d say I have picked up teaching skills from Dentistry because we are expected to teach patients about oral health and how to brush and floss! We get to practise this on our partners. Remember that flossing is like brushing the sides of your teeth!
I have also picked up interpersonal skills from patient communication modules we did as well! The most fun part was the assessments for these modules where the school hires actors to act as patients. The assessments taught us how even subtle acts like adjusting the patient’s table height can make visits to the dentist that much more comfortable. Making your patients feel comfortable is the key to building long-lasting relationships with your patients.
Once we complete the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, we will be entitled to immediate registration by the Singapore Dental Council. The Singapore Dental Council oversees the conduct of dentists in Singapore and issues practising certificates, which are required if you wish to practise Dentistry in Singapore. The practising certificate has to be renewed biennially.
Singaporeans then have to serve a 4-year bond whereas Non-Singaporeans have to serve a 5-year bond. If you are a PSC Scholar, you will be bonded according to the terms of your award.
As a newly-minted dentist, you can start practising general dentistry, which involves procedures like scaling and polishing, tooth filling and extractions. However, to perform the more specialised procedures, dentists have to complete a formal basic specialist training programme, such as the Master of Dental Surgery programme, and undergo the Advanced Specialist Training, following which then can approach the Dental Specialists Accreditation Board for the necessary accreditation required. Dental specialisations include:
Hence, although you are considered a dentist once you graduate, the things you can do as a dentist are limited unless you go through the external courses.
Also, some graduates become army officers or venture into academia.
Dentistry is a very specialised course so really reflect on whether dentistry is for you before you take the leap. Some things you need to take note of are the following:
On the other hand,
If you are interested in these, you would find dentistry pretty fulfilling!
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the interviewees and do not reflect the official policy or position of any institution. They are also not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, class, individual or organisation.
The information contained in this website is intended to provide general guidance only. It should not be relied upon as professional advice and does not 100% guarantee admission into any course.
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