Dentistry didn’t emerge as a profession independent of medicine until around the 16th century. In 1723, Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon who is often known as the Father of Modern Dentistry, published a book titled “The Surgeon Dentist, A Treatise on Teeth.” It was this book that brought in concepts of dentistry that are still in use today – from dental filings to the role of sugar in tooth decay.
Since then, dentistry has become quite a serious profession by itself. There are numerous dental colleges that cater to aspiring dentists throughout the country. Dentistry is strongly blooming as a parallel field to medicine. Wondering how this is happening? People will have tooth problems as long as there are people and trained professionals will be needed to take care of these tooth problems because toothaches are easily among the top 3 annoying pains if you’ve ever had one. Dentists have successful careers whether they work in hospitals or have their own clinic, thus taking home a fat paycheck each month. If that tickles your interest, read on to find out how to become a dentist, get to know some of thebest dental colleges in India and find out other reasons why pursuing a dental course might be the right choice for you.
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Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
The BDS or bachelor of dental surgery is the first step you can take in your journey of becoming a dentist. It is usually a full-time 5-year undergraduate course with 4 years of classroom teaching and one year of compulsory rotatory internship. This is the only recognised professional dental course by the Dental Council of India (DCI).
Eligibility
Since BDS is a course that deals with one facet of health, i.e, dental care, there are a few boxes you need to check to be eligible for admission to BDS colleges in India. They are:
- The candidate must be at least 17 years of age or would be reaching that age in the year of admission itself.
- The candidate must have passed their 10+2 from a recognized board or university with at least 50% marks with the PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) combination.
- The candidate must have appeared for the NEET (National Entrance cum Eligibility Test) and secured passing marks in it.
Some of the best BDS college in MP, like Mansarovar Dental College, also requires English as a compulsory subject along with PCM in applicants’ 10+2
Syllabus for BDS
The syllabus for the BDS course in almost all colleges is common as the syllabus is exclusively designed by the Dental Council of India(DCI). The syllabus for this course is tabulated below year wise for your reference.
| First Year | Second Year |
| General Human Anatomy | General Pathology |
| Embryology | General Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Oral Histology | Dental Materials |
| General Human Physiology | Pre-clinical Conservative Dentistry |
| Biochemistry | Pre-clinical Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge |
| Nutrition and Dietetics | Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Dental Anatomy | General Microbiology |
| Third Year | Fourth Year |
| General Medicine | Oral Medicine Radiology |
| General Surgery | Oral Maxillofacial Surgery |
| Oral Pathology | Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics |
| Oral Microbiology | Periodontics |
| Patient Safety Curriculum | Prosthodontics |
| Community Orientation Program Group Project | Orthodontics |
| Oral Medicine | Pedodontics |
| Oral Surgery | Public Health Dentistry |
Master of Dental Surgery (MDS)
The Master of Dental Surgery or MDS is a postgraduate course that one can pursue after graduating in BDS. This is also a full-time course that lasts for a duration of 3 years. This course is provided with multiple specializations thus training the students in a specific specialization that they have to choose, giving them in-depth knowledge to succeed as a specialist in that particular field.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for admission to an MDS course in the best dental college in MP is pretty simple. Interested students have to be graduated in BDS from a college recognized by the Dental Council of India and should have appeared and qualified in NEET PG.
Specializations
The specialization offered by dental colleges differs from institution to institution. Premier MDS college in MP offers following specializations with a limited number of seats in each.
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
- Periodontics
- Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge
- Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
- Preventive community dentistry
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Paedodontics
- Operative dentistry
- Oral pathology and microbiology
- Public health dentistry
- Oral medicine & radiology
Best Colleges for Dentistry
Let us now look at some of the other best dental colleges in India on the basis of their BDS and MDS courses.
| Best Colleges For BDS | Best Colleges For MDS |
| Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS BHU, Varanasi | All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi |
| Faculty of Dental Sciences King George’s Medical University, Lucknow | Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore |
| Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur | Babu Banarasi Das University, Lucknow |
| Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata | Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi |
| Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore | Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune |
| Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai | Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata |
| Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi | AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore |
Future Prospects
The future prospects for students pursuing either the MDS or the BDS course are really bright as there are a lot of job opportunities available for dentists in both the public and private sectors. Students can choose to open their own dental clinic after either of these courses or even move to gulf countries to look for jobs – where the demand for dentists is unusually high. The added advantage of the high salaries that dentists usually get doesn’t hurt either. Let us now examine some of the common job profiles and salaries of BDS and MDS graduates.
BDS – Job Profiles, Roles and Salaries
| Job Profile | Job Role | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
| Dentist | Taking care of the oral health of their patients – filling cavities, performing root canals, etc. | 3.5 – 4.5 lakhs |
| Dental Officer at Indian Defense Services | Involves the same work as a dentist but in the 3 branches of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) | 9 lakhs |
| Dentist in Indian Railways | Dentists employed by the Indian Railways | 7.2 lakhs |
MDS – Job Profiles, Roles and Salaries
| Job Profile | Job Role | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
| General practitioner | Performs dental procedures independently | 5.4 lakhs |
| Dental Surgeon | Performs dental surgeries in a hospital | 7.5 lakhs |
| Clinical Research Scientist | Research to find new discoveries on dental treatment, methods, pathology, etc. | 3 lakhs |
| Academic lecturer | Teaches BDS and MDS students | 6.8 lakhs |
There are a lot of options for a dentist among career options to earn a handsome salary. The important thing to remember before going for a BDS course is to check if the course is approved by the Dental Council of India. Pursuing dental courses at renowned colleges like MDC which is one of the best dental colleges in India will train you into a potential dentist.
FAQs
- Are there any other reasons other than high salaries to study dentistry?
Yes. Some other reasons why you can study dentistry other than high salaries are:
- You’ll help people
- You’ll combine your creative and scientific skills
- You’ll have an independent career
- Is the fee for a BDS course high?
Yes. BDS course fees are usually on the higher side, averaging around 5 lakhs in our country. They are not any higher than other medical courses though.
- Can I get into a BDS course without sitting for NEET?
No. You can try but to our knowledge, most, if not all dental colleges approved by the DCI require you to clear the NEET to get admission in one of their dental courses.
- Is there negative marking in the NEET PG entrance exam I need to take for MDS?
Yes. NEET PG has 200 questions of 1 mark each. They have negative markings for wrong answers too.
- Are there higher study options after MDS?
Yes. You can go for a PhD if you still want to study after MDS.
