Dental
Info
Dentistry is the study of the source prevention, and treatment of diseases and disorders of the mouth, teeth, gums and jaw. Dentistry is one of the oldest healthcare-related professions in the world and has been practised since antiquity, just like medicine.
The modern-day basic dental programme and its various specialities and subspecialties have been designed to ensure that doctors can safely and effectively deliver a comprehensive range of primary and advanced dental care to the wider population. Over the last few years, dental science has seen rapid advancement in the way diseases are diagnosed and treated.
With a degree in dentistry, you can practise your way to richness
Diploma:
Diploma in Dental Mechanic
Diploma in Dental Mechanic is a study of diagnosing dental problems of a patient. The basic eligibility criteria to get admission in diploma in a dental mechanic is 10th class or its equivalent course from a recognised board.
Diploma in Dental Hygienists
Diploma in Dental Hygienists is a study of deep dental techniques such as oral healthcare which includes scaling, polishing, cleaning, taking radiographs, placements of fissure sealants and many others. They also advise patients on how to take care of their oral healthcare.
Diploma in Dental Operating Room Assistant
Diploma in Dental Operating Room is a study of oral healthcare. Dental Operating Room Assistant is mainly a support role. The person helps a dentist with his/her job such as setting up tables/chairs, cleaning dental equipment, and also in getting medicines.
UG Courses:
BD
The bachelor's degree in dentistry, called Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), is for five years. This includes four years of classroom studies and one year of compulsory internship. To be eligible for BDS admission, one must have passed 12th standard or equivalent in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English with 50% marks for general category students and 40% for reserved category students. Students must have completed 17 years on or before December 31 of the year of admission.
After completing your 12th standard or 10+2 or equivalent, you?ll have to attempt the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG), the only entrance test for admissions to all BDS colleges in Bangalore. The test is very competitive as lakhs of students appear for the few thousand BDS seats.
PG Courses:
MDS
The second step toward specialising in one or more of dental specialities is to get a postgraduate degree called Master of Dental Surgery (MDS). All admissions to MDS programmes are based on the marks scored in NEET-PG. Studying MDS, at times, can get tough. Most colleges in India today offer all or some of the nine MDS specialisations approved and regulated by the Dental Council of India (DCI).
MDS Specialisations
MDS in Orthodontics
Master of Dental Surgery in Orthodontics (Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics in some colleges/universities) is a three-year postgraduate speciality programme that trains a dentist to diagnose, prevent, and or correct malocclusion and other abnormalities of the oral structures.
MDS in Prosthodontics
Master of Dental Surgery in Prosthodontics (Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge in some colleges/universities) is a postgraduate programme that focuses on oral prostheses. In short, the surgeon uses a prosthesis to fix missing teeth or parts of teeth or parts of the jaw or palate.
MDS in Conservative & Endodontics
Master of Dental Surgery in Conservative and Endodontics is a specialised field in dentistry that deals with treating infections and diseases of the dental pulp. They also deal with caries, malformed, discoloured, non-aesthetic or fractured teeth of both young and adult patients.
MDS in Pedodontics
Master of Dental Surgery in Pedodontics (Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry in some colleges) is a three-year postgraduate programme that focuses on comprehensive oral care and hygiene of children.
MDS in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Master of Dental Surgery in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery are trained to surgically intervene to treat issues of the face, mouth, and jaws. It?s a complex surgical field and often interfaces with other medical super specialities like plastic surgery, otolaryngology, and neurosurgery.
MDS in Periodontics
Master of Dental Surgery in Periodontics (Periodontology in some colleges) is a speciality of dentistry where specialists diagnose and treat diseases and disorders of supporting structures of teeth like gums, alveolar bone, cementum, and periodontal ligament.
MDS in Community Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery in Community Dentistry is a three-year programme that deals with promoting oral health and hygiene in the community with or without the involvement of government and private organisations.
MDS in Oral Pathology
Master of Dental Surgery in Oral Pathology is a three-year postgraduate programme that deals with diagnosing and treating diseases that affect the oral region. They also study the immune system to understand the root cause of the disease and treat based on what the pathological investigations say.
MDS in Oral Medicine & Radiology
Master of Dental Surgery in Oral Medicine and Radiology deals with detecting and treating oral diseases. The specialists also factor in the patient?s history, diagnosis, investigations, radiographic evidence of the oral region to arrive at a treatment.
Eligibility Criteria
| Stream | Eligibility |
| BDS | 10+2 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English |
| MDS, PG Diploma | Pass in BDS |
Placement And Career
As a dentist, you?ll have endless career opportunities. You?ll be working in all areas of dental healthcare.
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Dentist: You will find work in dental departments of hospitals, nursing homes, and dental hospitals/clinics. You can also work as a teacher in a dental hospital.
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Researcher: As a dental researcher, you can work with pharmaceutical and oral healthcare companies developing drugs, oral medicines and oral care products.
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Private Practice: Right after your degree and internship, you can start a clinic of your own.
- Policy Maker: You can work with academia, government or industry to formulate plans and policies for the public
Top Recruiters
Government hospitals, private hospitals, clinics, and other private hospitals/clinic chains.
Job Analysis
Dentist: Dentists are the first point of contact for people suffering from dental pain. Often practising individually or as part of a large hospital, their job is to diagnose and treat dental ailments.
Specialists: Dental specialists diagnose and treat illnesses or injuries to the oral and surrounding region. Almost all dental specialists are trained to diagnose and surgically treat the oral cavity, study medical histories, prescribe medicines, and counsel patients.
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Oral Medicine and Radiology
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Paedodontics and Preventive Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Periodontology
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Public Health Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Oral Pathology and Microbiology
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Oral Pathology
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Prosthodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Conservative Dentistry
Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) Prosthodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Periodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Oral Surgery
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Oral Medicine
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Orthodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Paedodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Conservative
Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) Orthodontics
Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) Conservative Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Doctor of Medicine (MD) Community Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (MD) General Medicine
MBBS
Master of Science (M.Sc) Information Technology-Data Science & Cloud Computing (AL and ML)
Master of Science (M.Sc) Information Technology- Game Design, Programming and Design Thinking
Post Graduate Diploma in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Computational Sciences and IT
Master of Arts (M.A) Journalism and Mass Communication
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Community Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Pedodontics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Prosthodontics, Crown and Bridge
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Oral Medicine and Radiology
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Prosthodontics and Maxillofacial Prosthetics
Master Of Science (M.Sc.) Electronic Media
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Prosthetics & Crown and Bridge
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Public Health Dentistry
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Prosthetics & Crown and Bridge
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Periodontology
Postgraduate Diploma Program (PGDP) Art & Design
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Art and Design
Master of Vocational (M.Voc) Multimedia
Master of Vocational (M.Voc) Fashion Designing
Master of Vocational (M.Voc) Interior Design
Master of Science (M.Sc) Multimedia
Master of Science (M.Sc) Fashion Designing
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Interior Design and Business Management
Master of Science (M.Sc) Fashion Management
Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology & Microbiology
Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S.) Pediatric Dentistry
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Dentistry
Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) Oral Pathology & Microbiology
Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Paedodontics & Preventive Dentistry
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Periodontics and Implantology
Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Prosthodontics & Crown and Bridge
Post Graduate Diploma in Periodontics
Post Graduate Diploma in Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
Post Graduate Diploma in Oral Surgery
Post Graduate Diploma in Orthodontia
Post Graduate Diploma in Prosthetics & Crown and Bridge
FAQs
The importance of oral health was always lagging behind when compared to general health. However, that has significantly changed over the last few decades. As a result, dentistry has emerged as one of the fastest-growing career options in the country.
It depends on one's priorities. A decent dental clinic in India would cost 5-6 lakhs to set up. That is only considering various equipment and tools. You also consider other expenses such as rent/cost of land, consumables, lab fees, etc,.
There are plenty of opportunities for career growth in dentistry. One can typically find career growth through specialisations and super specialisations. There are also many post-graduate diploma courses and certifications from numerous international bodies that enhance one’s qualifications to progress in their career
Among the several specialisations that one can pursue in dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Endodontics, Pediatrics, and Orthodontics are some of the highest paying.
Due to heightened awareness of oral and dental health in foreign countries especially western countries such as the US and the UK, there is a great demand for dentists from countries such as India where the quality of education is high. Indian dentists make up a huge chunk of the dentistry workforce in western and middle eastern countries.