Students from Science stream in 12th of any board of exams can join the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course by clearing respective entrance exams. BDS is a 5 year long undergraduate program. There are Government as well as private dental colleges offering this course.

BDS students, subsequent to the completion of the course, can work with hospitals in the private or the public sector. It is also possible for them to start their own dental clinic.

Entrance Exam after 12th for BDS Course Admission

Many entrance exams are conducted through out India for the admission of candidates into the BDS course. Some of the popular entrance exams are:

• All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT)
• All State Level Common Medical Entrance Examination
• All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS)

Apart from these exams, there are a few common medical entrance exams that are carried out by the Central Board of Secondary Education, the individual State Medical Council Board & the Respective Universities for the admission of students into the BDS & MBBS courses in quite a lot of government as well as private medical colleges in and around the country.

A few of the BDS/MBBS exams that are held by other Colleges/Universities are:

• AFMC
• AIPGDET
• DUMET
• AU AIMEE
• MP DMAT
• AMUPMDC
• COMEDK PGET
• Dr.D.Y.Patil Institute All India Common Entrance Test for MBBS and BDS

Eligibility for Appearing for BDS Exams

• Candidates who seek to apply for the BDS course must be above 17 years and less than 25 years.
• Candidates must have finished their class 12 with a background in science.
• They must have attained a minimum of 50 percent in the final exams; relaxation is given to SC/ST students.

Apply for the BDS entrance exams after 12th

The notifications for the BDS examinations will be announced in all leading newspapers. The tests will be mostly carried out in the months of March or April. The information bulletin can be bought by paying the designated amount from the elected branches of the Indian Banks. It is also possible for candidates to procure their application by registered or speed post. The completed forms should be dispatched by Speed Post or Registered Post only. Applications received by any other means will not be accepted. Those applications that are received past the final date will be rejected.

Preparing for the BDS course after 12th

BDS course typically involves the study of

• Dental materials
• Oral Medicine & Radiology
• Dental anatomy & Oral histology
• Community Dentistry
• Pedodontics
• Oral Pathology

The students need be systematic and hard working if they want to do well in this course. You need to keep your focus for more than 5 and half years. Since the exams and practical sessions are going to time intensive, only those with a passion and interest for this subject can do well.  Read a lot of reference text books in addition to attending the lecture sessions in the college. Plan to widen the knowledge base and always be prepared to update yourself on latest aspects in dental treatment and care. Apart from the deeper subject knowledge, it is important to have craftsmanship and a good behavior to be successful in this line.

Reference books for 12th students for BDS Preparation

The BDS exam will have the syllabus of class 12. A few of the books that will help the students to prepare for the examination are given below

• HC Verma for Physics
• NCERT- Physics Part 1 and Part 2
• NCERT- Chemistry Part 1 and Part 2
• ABC Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry by Arihant
• Organic Chemistry by Morrision Boyd
• Physical Chemistry by Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula
• NCERT- Biology Part 1 and Part 2
• Pradeep’s
• Trueman’s
• AC Dutta for Botany

Coaching centers for the BDS Entrance Exam after 12th

• Brilliant’s Academy
• Aakash Institute
• Dr. Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute
• MediTECH
• CAREERFORUM
• WinEntrance
• Allen Career Institute
• CareerPoint
• Kota Elite Academy
• Mastermind Classes
• Narayana Institute for Medical/Engineering Coaching Delhi
• Naik Academy Mumbai
• Oasis Educational Services
• SDK Technologies
• SuccessCDs
• Login4Career
• Aakashdeep Academy
• Dr. Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute, Delhi

All these centres are known to be centres of excellence. The Nasik Academy, Mumbai, MediTECH, the Kota Elite Academy and Mastermind Classes are some of other well known BDS exam coaching centres in India.