B.D.S. / Bachelor of Dental Surgery 

B.D.S. or Bachelor of Dental Surgery is an undergraduate Dentistry course. The duration of Bachelor of Dental Surgery course is 4 years regular study followed by 1 year of internship. After M.B.B.S., Bachelor of Dental Surgery is one the most sought after course in the field of medical science. B.D.S. enables one to become a Dentist. The curriculum of BDS is being regulated by the Dental Council of India (DCI).

Information on eligibility, admission procedure, exams, fee and other details is given below.

BDS: BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) is an undergraduate course for five years duration. Under this degree duration, four years will be for theory and one year will be for internship on rotation basis in every department. Dental Council of India (DCI) regulates dental education in the country.

Eligibility: Candidates have to fulfill the specified criteria in terms of nationality, age limit if any, qualifying exam, pass percentage, and more. In addition, they must also qualify NEET .

• For NEET candidates belonging from the general category must have to obtain a minimum of 50th percentile, for SC/ST/OBC candidates 40th percentile and candidates with locomotor disability 45th percentile.
• Candidates have to pass a recognized Higher/Senior Secondary Examination or the Indian School Certificate Examination equivalent to 10+2 Higher/Senior Secondary Examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology. Unreserved candidates and OCI, NRI, foreign candidates must have secured at least 50% in their qualifying exam in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/ Biotechnology and candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes (OBC)must have secured 40%.
• Candidates must have completed 17 years at the time of admission or before December 31 of the year of admission.

Syllabus of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS):

Candidates can go through the below-mentioned syllabus of BDS degree, which an aspirant has to go through while completing the degree.

First Year of BDS

• General Human Anatomy including Embryology and Histology
• General Human Physiology and Biochemistry, Nutrition and Dietetics
• Dental Anatomy Embryology and Oral Histology
• Dental Materials
• Pre-clinical Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge

Second Year of BDS

• General Pathology and Microbiology
• General and Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Dental Materials
• Preclinical Conservative Dentistry
• Pre-clinical Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge
• Oral Pathology & Oral Microbiology

Third Year of BDS

• General Medicine
• General Surgery
• Oral Pathology and Oral Microbiology
• Conservative dentistry and Endodontics
• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
• Oral Medicine and Radiology
• Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics
• Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge

Fourth Year of BDS

• Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics
• Oral Medicine & Radiology
• Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
• Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge
• Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
• Public Health Dentistry

Scope:

In today's world, where oral health is one of the primary concerns for everyone, the scope of BDS in India and abroad is very high. People like to visit the dentist for their oral checkup in a month or two. The scope of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in India is very vast and increasing at a rapid speed day by day. It depends on the respective aspirant’s skills, knowledge, calibers, and the place they are practicing. The course of BDS is very career-oriented and serves society with its application. BDS graduates can easily earn a handsome salary by working in both private or government organizations. Some of the employment area after graduating from BDS are mentioned below

• Dental Clinics
• Government hospitals
• Dental Institutions
• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Dental Products Manufactures
• Private Practice

Careers opportunities after BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery)

A wide variety of career choices is open for students after BDS. The most obvious choice would be to practice as a dentist. An important point is that students must register with the Dental Council of India to be able to practice as a dentist. Some of the career options are mentioned below:

• Set up private practice: A common option followed by many dentists who have passed and registered themselves with the Dental Council of India. This will require some amount of funds and a good location. It also will take sometime before the dentists can establish themselves.
• Consultant: In case setting up one’s own practice is not appealing, working as a consultant with established hospitals is another option. Here, one would be like an employee who is required to take on the patients who visit the hospital for their dental problems.
• Teaching: Generally freshers are not taken in for teaching. The job requires experienced doctors who can answer queries and teach well. Mostly the doctors attached to the Govt hospitals also work as consulting professors to the students at the attached colleges. However, teaching is an option for dentists who are having some experience working as a dentist.
• Government Job: Most Govt hospitals, organizations, PSUs require doctors including dentists. So students can go in for these jobs for job security.
• Options Abroad: To work abroad or practice as a dentist, one needs to check the regulations of the country and fulfill them to start work.
• Further Study: Another option would be to go in for a Masters in Dental Surgery. The specializations available allow the dentist to choose the area in which they would like to mark their career. They have a choice of 9 specializations to choose from while pursuing their masters as given below.

1. Oral Medicine, Diagnosis, and Radiology
2. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
3. Oral Pathology and Microbiology
4. Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
5. Orthodontics
6. Prosthodontics
7. Periodontal Surgery and Oral Implantology
8. Pedodontics
9. Public Health Dentistry

MDS is not just the only option that is open for students. Dentists can also pursue a management course like MHA (Masters in Hospital Administration) or MPH (Masters in Public Health). This will allow them to step into the management side of health organizations or hospital chains.

BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Salary:

The salary of dental graduates depends upon their caliber and experience. Aspirants can earn a handsome salary both in the private and government sector. The experience wise salary after completing the graduation is :

0 to 6 years is 3 to 4 lakhs per annum, 6 to 12 years is 6 to 9 lakhs per annum (approx).

Fee:

The average annual fees to pursue BDS is around INR 1 Lakh to 8 Lakhs.