
BDS (Abbreviation of Bachelor of Dental Surgery) is the only approved undergraduate professional Dental course in India. BDS course after 12th is a compulsory course for students aspiring to work as Dentists at government or private hospitals/ clinics. The program is managed by the Dental Council of India (DCI). The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (The BDS long form) course mainly focuses on the study of teeth, gums, and other parts of the mouth. The BDS course duration in India is 5 Years (4 years classroom study and 1 year compulsory internship).
Candidates desiring to pursue a BDS degree program must have certain skills such as communication skills, manual dexterity and problem solving skills. Since you understood the BDS meaning, Read on to know more about BDS course duration and fees, benefits, eligibility, syllabus, colleges, after BDS what to do and many more.
1. Make a Positive Impact: As a Dentist, you have a chance to improve the oral health of the patients and help them make a healthy smile.
2. Job Prospects: The demand for Dental professionals continues to grow, offering excellent job prospects.
3. Prestige and Respect: A Dentist with a BDS degree certificate can gain immense prestige and respect from the society.
4. Work-life Balance: Dentistry can offer a favorable work-life balance compared to some other Healthcare professionals.
The aspiring candidates must have passed the 10+2/ equivalent with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks from a recognized institute.
They must have studied Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects.
Admission to Bachelor of Dental Surgery, requires the qualification of the NEET exam. Students need to appear for the BDS exam’s counseling sessions organized by the MCC or state level counseling authorities.
The NEET marks for BDS varies every year for admission to government and private colleges. The BDS cutoff for NEET 2022 for government colleges and private colleges was determined by the counseling authorities. However, aspiring students can generally expect a competitive cutoff as government colleges tend to attract numerous candidates due to their reputation for quality education and reasonable fees. Although the competition is high for private colleges, you need to have excellent BDS NEET marks for government colleges in India.
To get admission in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course, it is important to qualify the entrance examination. The only entrance exam for BDS course admission is NEET UG. BDS admission without NEET is not possible in India. NEET is a national-level exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It is the only exam conducted for admission to BDS course in India. It is conducted every year in the 1st week of May.
You may be wondering “BDS-How many years are there, what would be subjects that we study in each year?” Various subjects related to Dentistry are available in the BDS course syllabus. Go through the BDS subjects (year-wise) to get an answer for your question.
BDS 1st Year Subjects:
You may be wondering “How many subjects in BDS 1st year?”. Below are the BDS first year subjects that are included in BDS 1st year syllabus:
2nd Year BDS Subjects:
As compared to BDS subjects - 1st year, the BDS second year subjects help students to learn about various aspects of Dentistry. Mastering BDS 2nd year subjects would be helpful in building a strong foundation for your career. Below is the 2nd year BDS subjects available in the BDS syllabus:
3rd Year BDS Subjects:
Below are the subjects available in the 3rd year BDS syllabus. Students can even refer this to buy BDS third year books:
BDS 4th Year Subjects:
Below are the subjects available in the 4th year BDS syllabus:
The average fee of a BDS course starts from Rs. 20,000. The average BDS Course fees in Private Colleges in India is Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 28,00,000. The fees of the BDS course can vary from college to college. The government BDS colleges usually have less fees as compared to private colleges.
There are several top BDS colleges in India. According to the ranks and marks obtained in the NEET exam, the students get their seats in the top BDS colleges. The BDS course fees in India for the Management and NRI Quota will be comparatively higher. BDS course fees in private college in India can go up to Rs. 28,00,000 (Average).
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi
King George’s Medical University, Uttar Pradesh
Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh
Vydehi Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Center, Bangalore
Christian Medical College, Vellore
DA Pandu Memorial RV Dental College and Hospitals, Bangalore
Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
Siksha ‘o’ Anusandhan University, Odisha
Army College of Dental Sciences, Secunderabad
Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
Government BDS colleges in India offer affordable Dental education. The fees structure varies across different states, but in general, government colleges provide a more economical option compared to private institutions. The NEET marks required for admission to government BDS colleges, i.e., the cut off for BDS in Govt. colleges, vary each year depending on factors such as the number of applicants and the overall performance in the exam.
King’s George Medical University, Lucknow
Nair Dental College, Mumbai
SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad
Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata
Bharti VidyaPeeth Dental College and Hospital, Pune
Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences, Coorg
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi
AMC Dental College and Hospital, Gujarat
Dr. Y.S.R University of Health Sciences, Andhra Pradesh
India is home to several top private BDS colleges that offer excellent Dental education. Students pursuing BDS course in private colleges in India can gain quality education due to the state-of-art facilities, experienced faculty, and a comprehensive curriculum. BDS fees structure in private colleges may differ according to the student's NEET rank. BDS private college fees are different for merit, management and NRI quotas.
Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore
Christian Dental College, Ludhiana
I.T.S Dental College, Ghaziabad
DAV Centenary Dental College, Haryana
Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai
Dr. D.Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal
A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Science, Mangalore
Government Dental College & Research Institute, Bangalore
Sri Rajiv Gandhi College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Bangalore

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