Year 12 Excite programme – Talk on Dentistry

On Thursday 16 May we welcomed Jerry Asquith, a dental surgeon who has a dental practice in Ruislip, to talk to the Year 12 girls as part of the Excite programme. Jerry, who undertakes both health service and private dentistry, started his talk by outlining his own career which began at The Royal Dental Hospital in London, followed by hospital work in various maxillofacial surgery units.

Jerry punctuated his talk with various anecdotes, citing dental related incidents that have affected the outcome of history. In addition, he showed various images of celebrities before and after dental treatment, demonstrating the importance of modern dental techniques.

He then went on to explain that dental courses require three A grades at A Level and relevant work experience. In addition the majority of dental schools now require good scores in the UKCAT test. The interview process may be of a traditional panel format but increasingly the multi mini interviews (MMI) are now being used. Jerry described examples of questions asked at interviews, which often include the discussion of an ethical issue e.g. whether to fluoridate water supplies.

Two of the most important skills needed for dentistry include manual dexterity and good communication. Students should demonstrate these skills when writing their personal statements in their UCAS forms. In addition, they must also demonstrate that they work well in a team and have undertaken some kind of community work on a regular basis.

Jerry concluded his talk, by citing a case of forensic dentistry, where dental records were used to identify a murder victim.

Many thanks to Jerry for coming into school to give such an interesting, informative and diverse talk.

Mrs Asquith