Ethics & Professionalism

Not whether you know the rule — whether you can reason out loud without panicking.

12 questions · Written by Victoria Young, DDS

A patient refuses a treatment you believe is essential for their oral health. What do you do?Whether you understand patient autonomy and can reason through a conflict…
During a practical exam, you see a classmate cheating. What do you do?Professional integrity when it costs you socially. Every dental school has an…
A patient clearly needs treatment but can't afford it. How do you handle it?Whether you grasp the real economics of dentistry — the field's single most…
A colleague asks you to sign off on a procedure they didn't actually complete. What do you do?Whether you'll hold a line under social pressure. There is a correct answer…
You notice signs that a patient may be a victim of abuse. What's your responsibility?Awareness that dentists are mandated reporters and often the first…
You realize you've made a clinical error that harmed a patient. What do you do?Disclosure ethics. Nothing separates applicants faster than this question.
A patient with restorable teeth demands you extract everything and give them dentures. What do you do?The classic dental ethics scenario. It sits exactly on the line between…
Do dentists have an obligation to serve underserved communities?Your view of the profession's social contract, and whether you can hold a…
How do you feel about treating patients whose own choices caused their disease?Whether you carry judgment into the operatory. It leaks, and patients feel it.
Is there ever a situation where a dentist should refuse to treat a patient?Whether you know the difference between legitimate limits and discrimination.
Your supervising dentist recommends treatment you believe is unnecessary. What do you do?Whether you can navigate hierarchy without abandoning a patient. Overtreatment…
A 16-year-old patient asks you not to tell their parent something they've disclosed. How do you handle it?Confidentiality with minors — genuinely complex, jurisdiction-dependent, and a…

Practice these out loud.

Admitted asks them in a faculty voice, records your answer, and scores your pace and filler words.

How to answer one out loud

The four principles behind most dilemmas, a four step way to structure an answer, worked examples, and how ethics stations work in an MMI.

Read the guide