OHSU Dentistry Interview Prep Guide (2025-2026)

OHSU’s School of Dentistry is Oregon’s only dental school, known for its mission-driven approach to education, patient care, research, and community service ohsu.edu. The program’s interview process is generally regarded as welcoming and low-stress studentdoctor.net, featuring a conversational format that focuses on getting to know the candidate in alignment with the school’s values. Interviews are conducted in a closed-file, often virtual setting blackstonetutors.com, meaning interviewers have not reviewed the applicant’s academic file beforehand and instead evaluate based solely on the interview interaction.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of key areas to help applicants prepare for an OHSU dental interview. It covers the structure and style of the interview, the school’s mission and core values, notable program features and facts (such as facilities and curriculum highlights), and current policy issues in oral health relevant to Oregon and the broader U.S. context. Additionally, it discusses the non-academic qualities OHSU looks for in applicants, the official competency framework guiding the D.M.D. program, common themes from past interview questions, and important dates for the 2025–2026 admissions cycle.

OHSU’s interview format has recently been conducted virtually, typically beginning with a group orientation and then a panel interview with two interviewers (in a blind, closed-file format) blackstonetutors.com. Because the interviewers do not have prior access to academic records, the conversation is open-ended and focused on the applicant’s personal qualities and experiences. Past candidates consistently describe the experience as very low-stress and friendly studentdoctor.net – interviewers mainly try to get to know the person behind the application and see if there are any red flags in a relaxed setting forums.studentdoctor.net. The tone is usually conversational rather than interrogative, helping applicants feel at ease.

In addition to the formal interview, the day often includes opportunities to speak with current dental students and a closing session blackstonetutors.com. This structure reflects OHSU’s effort to make the interview day informative and welcoming for applicants. Specific interview questions are not disclosed (candidates sign nondisclosure agreements), but generally the questions are a mix of scenario-based prompts and personal/behavioral questions rather than technical quizzes. Overall, the format lets applicants showcase their interpersonal skills, ethical reasoning, and genuine motivation for dentistry in a supportive atmosphere. Given a class size of roughly 75 students per year ohsu.edu, being invited to interview is a positive sign (indicating you are among a select group from the larger applicant pool), though final admission is still competitive.

The OHSU School of Dentistry’s mission centers on providing the highest quality oral health education, patient care, research, and community service ohsu.edu. As part of OHSU, the dental school shares the broader university’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of Oregonians and beyond. In practice, this means the school prioritizes serving local communities in Oregon, the wider region, and even national and international oral health needs through its programs ohsu.edu. Core values such as integrity, compassion, diversity, and service excellence are emphasized. For example, OHSU’s institutional values highlight transparency and a dedication to serving others to improve community health ohsu.edu. These mission-driven values permeate the dental program: interviewers will likely be looking for alignment between an applicant’s personal ethos and qualities (like empathy, collaboration, and a commitment to service) and the school’s values. Demonstrating an understanding of OHSU’s mission, and reflecting those ideals in one’s experiences or outlook, can subtly convey a strong fit with the school’s culture.

OHSU offers a four-year Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) program that integrates rigorous biomedical education with extensive clinical training. As the only dental school in the state (with roots dating back to the 1890s), OHSU has a long tradition of clinical excellence and community engagement in the Pacific Northwest. The school is housed in the state-of-the-art Skourtes Tower facility at Portland’s South Waterfront campus, which features modern dental simulation labs, clinical patient care areas, and research facilities ohsu.edu. This cutting-edge building provides an ideal environment for dental education, with technology and resources that enhance student learning. Each incoming D.M.D. class consists of about 75 students ohsu.edu, and OHSU, as a public institution, gives preference to Oregon residents in admissions (along with residents of WICHE-participating western states) ohsu.edu. For the Class of 2029, for example, 42 of the 75 students were Oregon residents, with others coming from across 15+ other states ohsu.edu. The student body is academically strong – recent classes have had an average overall GPA around 3.8 and average DAT scores around 21 ohsu.edu, reflecting the program’s competitive admissions standards.

Beyond academics, OHSU’s program places heavy emphasis on clinical experience, community outreach, and interdisciplinary learning. Starting in pre-clinical years, students train in a high-tech simulation lab to build procedural skills, then progressively treat patients under faculty supervision in OHSU’s clinics. A distinctive aspect of the curriculum is the community-based rotation program: all students spend time in off-campus rotations at community health centers and rural dental practices throughout Oregon ohsu.edu. During these rotations, guided by volunteer faculty at the sites, students gain hands-on experience providing care to underserved populations and learn about public health dentistry. They may also participate in initiatives like school-based oral health programs or even engage in oral health policy advocacy with local officials as part of their experience ohsu.edu. This approach aligns with the school’s mission of serving the community and helps graduates develop cultural competence and a commitment to improving access to care. Additionally, as part of an academic health center, dental students have opportunities for interprofessional education – collaborating with medical, nursing, pharmacy, and other health professional students. The program also encourages research and scholarly activity; students can get involved in faculty research projects or pursue their own inquiries, leveraging OHSU’s strong research infrastructure. All of these features contribute to a well-rounded education aimed at producing clinically skilled, empathetic, and socially conscious dentists.

These distinctive program features can also guide applicants in formulating insightful questions to ask during the interview. For instance, candidates might ask:

• What opportunities do students have to participate in community outreach or clinical rotations in underserved areas during the program?
• How do dental students at OHSU collaborate with students from other health professions (medicine, nursing, etc.) as part of their training?
• Are there opportunities for dental students to engage in research or scholarly projects, and how are students supported in those endeavors?
• In what ways does the new Skourtes Tower facility and its technology enhance the learning experience for dental students?

In Oregon and the surrounding region, improving access to dental care is a major policy concern. Around 24% of Oregon’s children have untreated tooth decay (significantly higher than the national average of roughly 20%) ohsu.edu, and approximately 66% of adults in Oregon have lost at least one tooth due to decay or advanced gum disease ohsu.edu – statistics that point to gaps in preventive and restorative care. These oral health disparities are especially pronounced in rural and low-income communities; in fact, about one-third of Oregon’s population lives in rural areas with limited access to health services ohsufoundation.org. OHSU’s School of Dentistry has a strong public health orientation aimed at tackling these issues. The community-based rotations mentioned earlier are one example: by placing students in community clinics and remote practice settings, the school not only extends care to underserved populations but also trains future dentists to understand and address the needs of those communities ohsu.edu. During these rotations, students might engage in activities like school-based prevention programs or even policy advocacy (such as educating local officials about oral health needs) as part of their experience ohsu.edu. The underlying goal is to instill a sense of social responsibility – OHSU explicitly hopes to graduate practitioners who are committed to caring for underserved populations and who will be leaders in improving community oral health ohsu.edu. This focus reflects a broader belief that dental professionals should play an active role in closing the access gap through service and advocacy.

Another notable regional issue is water fluoridation. Oregon has one of the lowest rates of fluoridated public water supply in the nation – only about 26% of Oregon residents receive fluoridated water axios.com – due largely to public resistance in cities like Portland. This ongoing debate about preventive health measures often enters conversations about public policy and dentistry in the state. On a national level, there are parallel discussions about improving oral health access and prevention. In recent years, several U.S. states have expanded their Medicaid programs to provide dental benefits to more adults apnews.com, recognizing the importance of oral health to overall well-being. However, challenges such as low reimbursement rates and provider shortages mean that having insurance coverage doesn’t automatically equate to access. There is also a growing movement to better integrate oral health into the broader healthcare system ohsu.edu – for example, ensuring medical and dental providers work together on issues like diabetes-related gum disease or hospital dental care. As an academic health center, OHSU is at the forefront of this interprofessional, integrated approach, which is increasingly seen as a model for the future. In the interview, applicants won’t be expected to have deep policy expertise, but being aware of key issues like access to care, preventive strategies (e.g., fluoridation), and the evolving role of dentistry in public health can demonstrate a well-rounded interest in the field. Interview questions may indirectly touch on these themes (for instance, asking how you might handle a scenario involving an underserved patient), so having a thoughtful perspective on dental policy topics is beneficial.

Like most dental schools, OHSU employs a holistic admissions process – strong academics alone are not enough without evidence of other qualities. The admissions committee places significant weight on an applicant’s experiences, attributes, and achievements beyond the classroom. In fact, OHSU explicitly states that demonstration of leadership, community service, and genuine exposure to dentistry are highly valued in candidates ohsu.edu. According to the school’s guidelines, factors that contribute to a competitive application include (but are not limited to) a history of meaningful extracurricular involvement, volunteer or service work, leadership roles in organizations, research experience, hands-on experience in the dental field (such as shadowing or dental assisting), and even work or life experiences that have shaped the applicant’s perspective ohsu.edu. Strong letters of evaluation also play a critical role – OHSU looks for recommenders to highlight personal qualities and motivation for dentistry ohsu.edu. In the interview, these non-academic dimensions often come to the forefront. Interviewers may ask about your volunteer work or community service, inquire about leadership challenges you’ve overcome, or discuss what you learned from any research or dental shadowing experiences. These conversations allow you to showcase traits like empathy, communication skills, perseverance, and passion for the profession – exactly the kinds of qualities OHSU seeks in future dental students.

OHSU’s D.M.D. curriculum is organized around core competencies that each student must achieve by graduation. These competencies are aligned with the standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and define the essential skills, knowledge, and professional behaviors expected of a new dentist. In essence, they outline what a graduating OHSU dental student should be able to do safely and independently ohsu.edu. The competency framework spans everything from scientific knowledge to clinical care to ethics. Key competency domains include:

• Applying foundational scientific principles to the prevention, diagnosis, and management of oral and systemic diseases ohsu.edu
• Communicating effectively with patients and other healthcare professionals in a culturally sensitive, ethical, and professional manner ohsu.edu
• Conducting comprehensive patient assessments, including collecting and interpreting medical, dental, and psychosocial information about the patient’s health status
• Formulating accurate diagnoses (and prognoses) based on assessment findings and clearly explaining them to patients
• Developing and discussing evidence-based, sequenced treatment plans that address the patient’s diagnoses, needs, and preferences in accordance with clinical standards
• Providing or managing high-quality patient care that is compassionate, ethical, and based on the best current evidence (while also employing sound practice-management principles) ohsu.edu
• Evaluating the outcomes of treatment and engaging in self-assessment to guide continuous improvement and lifelong learning ohsu.edu

These competencies guide the program’s teaching and evaluation methods. Although as an interviewee you won’t need to recite these points, being aware of them can be useful. They reflect the attributes of a well-rounded dentist that OHSU is aiming to train – for example, communication and ethical decision-making are clearly emphasized, which correlates with the kinds of soft skills interviewers may look for during scenario questions. Understanding that OHSU expects its graduates to be not only clinically competent but also good communicators, ethical practitioners, and lifelong learners can help you frame your own experiences in a way that resonates with the program’s goals.

Interview questions at OHSU generally aim to assess both your personal motivations and your ability to think through real-world scenarios. Past applicants report that a variety of question types are used, but certain themes tend to recur. For example, it’s common to be asked about ethical dilemmas or scenarios – “what would you do?” type questions that might involve patient confidentiality, helping a patient with limited resources, or dealing with an ethical challenge in the clinic. Teamwork and communication scenarios have also been noted, where you might be asked how you would handle a conflict with a classmate or work as part of a healthcare team. These kinds of questions gauge your problem-solving approach, ethics, and interpersonal skills.

Another theme in OHSU interviews revolves around your personal experiences and insights. You should expect inquiries about your motivation for pursuing dentistry and why you are interested in OHSU specifically – these allow you to articulate what draws you to the profession and to this school studentdoctor.net. Interviewers often ask about items from your background like research projects, volunteer work, or significant extracurricular activities, probing what you learned from them or how you handled challenges during those experiences studentdoctor.net. Be prepared for questions about resilience and time management (e.g., “Tell us about a challenge or setback and how you overcame it” or “How do you manage stress or balance responsibilities?”) which speak to your readiness for the demands of dental school. Also, because dentistry is a hands-on profession, don’t be surprised by questions about manual dexterity or hobbies that cultivate it (candidates have reported being asked about activities like art, crafts, musical instruments, etc.). While interviewers typically won’t grill you on technical dental knowledge, they may ask you to reflect on what you observed during shadowing or your understanding of current issues in dental care. Overall, the question themes aim to illuminate your character, your preparation for a career in dentistry, and how you think through situations, to ensure you align well with OHSU’s expectations.

The application cycle for the OHSU School of Dentistry class entering Fall 2026 follows the typical ADEA AADSAS timeline, with some school-specific deadlines. OHSU uses a rolling admissions process, which means applications are reviewed and interview invitations/offers are made continuously rather than all at once. Below are the key dates and milestones for the 2025–2026 application cycle:

1. May 13, 2025 – The ADEA AADSAS application cycle opens for 2025–26 applicants help.liaisonedu.com.
2. June 3, 2025 – First date that applicants can submit an AADSAS application (once transcripts and other materials are in) help.liaisonedu.com.
3. October 2025 – March 2026 – OHSU invites selected applicants to interview during this period (interviews are conducted on a rolling basis) ohsu.edu.
4. December 2025 – March 2026 – Admissions offers are extended on a rolling basis. Applicants may begin receiving acceptances as early as December and continuing through March as seats are filled ohsu.edu.
5. January 1, 2026 – Deadline: All application materials must be submitted to AADSAS for OHSU by this date (OHSU’s official application deadline and the preferred last date to take the DAT) ohsu.edu.
6. Mid-August 2026 – Classes begin for the OHSU School of Dentistry D.M.D. program (incoming students attend orientation and matriculate) ohsu.edu.

It’s advisable to submit your application well ahead of the January 1 deadline because of rolling admissions – earlier submissions could potentially lead to earlier interview consideration and decision. If invited to interview, you will typically get a few weeks’ notice to schedule on one of the available dates. Also note that December 15, 2025, is the first day U.S. dental schools (including OHSU) are allowed to officially communicate acceptances, so applicants who interview in the fall could receive good news on or shortly after that date. By March 2026, OHSU aims to have its class filled, and any outstanding waitlist activity would be resolved by early summer. Being mindful of these timelines will help you stay on track throughout the application and interview process.

Preparing for an OHSU School of Dentistry interview involves understanding the program’s unique attributes and aligning your preparation with its values and expectations. The interview is not just an evaluation of your academic achievements – it’s a holistic assessment of your fit with OHSU’s mission of service, your communication and ethical reasoning skills, and your passion for dentistry. By familiarizing yourself with the interview format, reflecting on how your experiences connect with OHSU’s core values, staying informed about relevant dental policy issues, and keeping track of important application deadlines, you can approach the interview confident and well-prepared to show why you belong at OHSU.