BDS

STUDY IN INDIA

BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) is a 5-years undergraduate program and the only approved professional dental course in India. It is a compulsory course for the students aspiring to work as dentists at government or private hospitals.BDS is one of the most popular medical courses after MBBS in India.
BDS mainly focuses on training and introducing the students to the dental sciences and surgeries.The 5-year program involves 4 years of classroom education and 1 year of compulsory rotating internship.
After MBBS, one of the most desired courses by students these days in the health sector is BDS.
The degree is regulated by the Dental Council of India ( DCI ). The various subjects taught in the program include Dental Histology, Oral Pathology, Oral Surgery, etc.
The professionals of the course can find lucrative job opportunities as Dentists, Lecturer, Dental Research Scientist, at reputed hospitals and even in the education sector.

It is necessary for the students to register themselves in the Dental Council of India which regulates the BDS course so that they become eligible to practise their profession after the completion of their degree.
In India, for admission to BDS courses, it is mandatory for students to qualify a 10+2 exam or an equivalent degree with at least 85% from a recognised institute.
There is generally only one entrance exam conducted all over India. The entrance exam is named National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam ( NEET ) and is held as a national level exam once a year.
During the internship period, the students may receive a monthly stipend of INR 15,000 - 40,000 (approx.) which entirely depends upon the college. After the completion of graduation, students usually practice their skills in the field of dentistry in government or private hospitals.

BDS Eligibility Criteria

Being eligible for a course is a prerequisite for admission to a particular college and course. The basic eligibility criteria for admissions to BDS courses have been mentioned as follows:

The aspiring candidate must have passed the 10+2 qualifying exam or an equivalent degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate from a recognised institute.
They must have studied the subjects of Physics, Chemistry and Biology compulsorily in their 10+2.
In almost every college offering this course, the admissions are based on the result of NEET. The student must clear the cut-off of the exam to be eligible for admission.
If the students manage to qualify the entrance, they need to appear for the counselling sessions organised by the colleges.
There are generally three rounds of counselling sessions held.

BDS Entrance Exams

In India, admission to BDS courses is based on the national level NEET exam only. Presented before is some more information regarding the exam

Not many entrances are conducted for admission to BDS. The national level exam NEET is the only exam conducted for admission to BDS courses.
NEET is a national level exam conducted for admissions to undergraduate medical courses like MBBS, BDS, BAMS, etc.
The aspiring candidates need to register themselves on the official website and fill in their personal details.
They must then fill the online application form available over there.
The admit cards will be sent to the students via email. The applicants are requested to appear for the exam on the prescribed date only.
Results are announced as per the marks obtained in the exam

If the student manages to clear the cut off set up for the exam they may proceed to the counselling sessions held for admissions to a college
Since 2016, it has been made mandatory that admissions to courses like MBBS, BDS, BAMS, and any other medical course will take place only through the national level exam NEET.
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a national level exam for admissions in undergraduate medical courses like MBBS, BDS, etc.
BDS admissions are entirely done through NEET in every institute be it a government college or a private college.
Being one of the most competitive exams conducted in India, NEET is necessary enough for admissions to recognised dental colleges in the country.

BDS Course Details

BDS is a Five years long professional course in field of Medical education. It consists 240 days for teaching in academic each year in addition with the paid one year rotation internship. The candidate must have to clear their final examination along with internship for getting BDS degree and practice in India. The entire candidate has to complete their theory work that has been provided in 160 lectures hours within the six months.

Subject	Lectures
Oral &Maxillofacial Surgery	30 hours.
Conservative Dentistry &Endodontic	50 hours
Prosthodontics And Crown& Bridge	50 hours
Public Health dentistry	30 hours

After clearing the all Examination candidates will be allowed to prevail six months paid rotating internship in the entire department.

Departments	Days
Oral Medicine and Radiology	20 Days
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	20 Days
Prosthodontic	30 days
Periodontics	15 days
Conservative dentist	10 days
Pedodontics	15 days
Oral Pathology& Microbiology	10 days
Orthodontics	10 days
Elective	10 days
Community Dentist	30 days

Any candidate who have not cleared there BDS course from all subject within the 9 years will be disqualified from the Exams by the Council.

BDS Masters Degree - MDS

The Interested candidate may also opt for higher studies MDS Masters of Dental Surgery it is the master’s degree for BDS. There are 9 specialization branches are available in master’s course to choose the specific field and mark their career. The list of nine branches is given below;

Oral Medicine, Diagnosis, and Radiology.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Oral Pathology and Microbiology.
Conservative Dentistry and Endodontic
Orthodontic.
Prosthodontic.
Periodontal Surgery and Oral Implantology.
Pedodontics.
Public Health dentistry.

MDS is not only Further career option they can also look for the Management courses like, MPH or MHA to step into the Hospital Management Chain.