Bachelor of Dental Surgery is an Undergraduate Degree granted for a course or curriculum in the Dentistry field. It is known as B.D.S, which is an acronym form of Bachelor of Dental Surgery. The course duration is 4 years in addition to an internship of one year, as stated by the regulations of Dental council of India. There will be a total of eight semesters in the B.D.S course.  B.D.S permits one to become a Dentist.

Candidates who are passionate about helping humanity should go for B.D.S. The course is not intended for candidates who cannot tolerate ghastly sights and smells. It is the responsibility of a dentist to take care of different patients who could have harsh problems in their teeth.  For identifying various problems, one required to conduct physical assessment. This physical examination will depict one to loathsome smell from both medicine and patient’s mouth. Therefore, candidates should keep all this in their mind before decide on this course. An additional area is surgery, which needs endurance and peaceful mind. Some surgeries need physical power also.

Advantages or Benefits of BDS

The students who have completed BDS can work with government or private hospitals or they can launch their own clinic for helping the society. BDS creates socially accepted Dentist who can work carefully or efficiently on patients in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and oral disease. Career in the field of dental science is one of the profitable options in the present time, in spite of of serving the human beings.

Eligibility Criteria for BDS

As to join a BDS Schools, a candidate requires having 50% marks from students of H.S.C (10+2) with PCB subjects and English. The admission of B.D.S course is done through National wide competitive examination. These Entrance Examinations are carried out in all major cities in India. Most of the advertisements for the BDS entrance exams are notified through leading newspapers of India about the issue of the application forms and main dates for general Entrance Examination.

There is common dental exam for those who are applying for M.B.B.S and Dental Sciences (BDS) named All India Pre-Medical or Pre- Dental Entrance Exam. CBSE is the concerned authority which carries out the exam.  Merit based listing is followed by most of the Institutions. The number of dental colleges are very few in most states, where admission is governed by domiciliary status, excluding the centrally run medical institutions. Candidates should choose the course and institution, by making sure that the Dental Council of India has approved it.

Admission Procedure for BDS

BDS Course admission is made through State stage selection Board, Common Entrance Test, All India Entrance Exam etc. On the merit basis in the exams, all the candidates opted for BDS admission is carried out. In India, different private colleges conduct individual entrance exam for admitting candidates to the BDS course.

BDS Entrance exams in India

• Amrita University Medical Entrance Exam
• Association of Managements of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges Exam
• Banaras Hindu University  Medical Entrance Exam
• Bharati Vidyapeeth University Medical Entrance Exam
• Christian Medical College Entrance Exam
• Delhi University Medical/Dental Entrance Test
• Dr. D.Y. Patil All India Common Entrance Test
• Jamia Millia Islamia BDS Entrance Exam
• Maharishi Markandeshwar University MBBS/BDS entrance Exam
• Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital – Joint Entrance Test
• Rajasthan Pre Medical Test - RPMT Entrance Exam
• SRM Medical College Hospital & Research Center Entrance Exam
• University of Delhi Medical Dental Entrance Test DUMET Exam
• Uttar Pradesh Common Aptitude Test
• Uttaranchal Pre Medical Test - UPMT Entrance Exam
• Vinayaka Missions University All India Common Entrance Examination AICEE

How to fill in BDS Entrance Application form

The interested candidates can collect the booklet and application outline from various sources designated by the concerned authority. Before filling the application form, candidates should go through the prospects cautiously and should avoid mistakes. For getting hold of the application form through post, applicants have to send a letter to the concerned institute with a required amount of DD.

BDS Entrance Exam Pattern

BDS exam follows the 12th standard syllabus. These are objective type questions. Candidates have to select the right answer from the provided set. No negative marking is there for the BDS entrance exams. Each correct answer carries one mark each. Additionally the students can write the paper in either English or Hindi.

Reference Books for BDS Entrance Exam

Therefore, the students can refer few related books as follows

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

Top 10 BDS Colleges in India

• Amrita College of Dentistry, Kerala
• Army College of Dental Sciences, A.P
• Dental College, Kozhikode
• Dental College, Trivandrum
• Govt. Dental College & Hospital, Aurangabad
• Govt. Dental College & Hospital, Mumbai
• Govt. Dental College, Gujarat
• Kasturba Dental College, Manipal
• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
• Seth G.S Medical College, Mumbai

Other Reputed Colleges/ Universities offering BDS program

• A.J. Institute of Dental Sciences , Mangalore
• Adhiparasakthi Dental College & Hospital,bMelmaruvathur
• Ahmadabad Dental College
• Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research, Chennai
• College of Dental Science, Karnataka
• College of Dentistry - Rajasthan
• Darshan Dental College, Rajasthan
• Dental wing, Maulana azad Medical College, New Delhi
• Dr R Ahmed Dental College Hospital,  West Bengal
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Dental Colleges & Hospital, Banglore
• Dr. Syamala Reddy Dental College , Bangalore
• Farooquia Dental College ,Mysore
• Guru Nanak Institute Dental Sciences Research, West Bengal
• KG Medical College Dental College Hospital, West Bengal
• Mar Baslious Dental College, Ernakulam
• Modern Dental College & Research Centre, Madhya Pradesh
• Nair Hospital Dental college, Mumbai
• P.M.S. College of Dental Sciences & Research, Thiruvananthapuram
• School of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Madhya Pradesh
• Sharavathi Dental College & Hospital , Shimoga
• SRM Dental Colleg , Chennai
• Tamil Nadu Govt. Dental College , Chennai

BDS course curriculum

Seminars, displays, Didactic lectures, group discussions, clinical tasks and conferences are integrated in BDS courses.  Those who are interested can learn on various portions of dental science, which encompasses of different forms of treatment including the surgical procedure.  There are certain general teaching topics like, Dental anatomy & Oral histology, Community Dentistry, Pedodontics, Oral Medicine & Radiology, Oral Pathology & Dental materials.

• Human Oral Anatomy, Physiology, Histology and Tooth Morphology
• Human Physiology
• Materials used in Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Oral Pathology and Oral Microbiology
• Orthodontics

BDS Specializations

There is no specialization at the bachelor level.

BDS Course Evaluation

Usually examinations are held to find out whether candidates have required skill and obvious concepts of basics needed to his every day professional work. The BDS examinations are carried out two times in a year. Frequent tests are conducted to evaluate the habit of progressive daily learning.  The assessments shall be held at least 8times in every year at the end of each semester.

Each subject shall have a maximum of 200 Marks as follows

• Internal Assessment
• Orals
• Theory Practical/ Clinical
• University Examination Written

BDS Text Books

• Applied Dental Materials by Anderson
• Applied Physiology by Cyril A Keele, Samson.s Wrights
• Chemistry and Metallurgy of Dental Materials by Cambel Smith
• Dental materials written by P.K Basu
• Dental Metallurgy and non-metallic materials by Smith
• John B. West. Best and Taylor.s Physiological Basis of Medical Practice, Baltimore Williams
• Pathologic basis of Disease by Cotfxan Kumar Roffins Robbins
• Pathology Vol. I &II by John M Issane Andersons
• Restorative dental materials by Craig
• Review of Medical Physiology by Ganong
• Science of Dental Materials Tenth Edition by Kenneth J. Anusavice, Philips
• Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical Students by AVSS Rama Rao
• Textbook of Medical Physiology by Guyton
• Textbook of Pathology Vol. I&II by Critchie, Boyd

What to do after BDS?

Options of going for either a job or higher studies are available. Lots of options are available in higher education. The BDS students can decide on any one of the specialization based on their interest.  Some of the master’s courses are as follows,

• M.D.S. (Community Dentistry)
• M.D.S. (Oral Medicine)
• M.D.S. (Oral Pathology & Microbiology)
• M.D.S. (Oral Pathology)
• M.D.S. (Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics)
• M.D.S. (Pediatric Dentistry)
• M.D.S. (Pedodontia & Preventive Dentistry)
• M.D.S. (Preventive Community Dentistry)
• M.D.S. (Public Health Dentistry)
• Ph.D. (Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics)
• Ph.D. (Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology)
• Ph.D. (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery)
• Ph.D. (Oral Medicine and Radiology)
• Ph.D. (Orthodontics)
• Ph.D. (Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry)
• Ph.D. (Periodontics)
• Ph.D. (Prosthodontic)
• Ph.D. (Public Health Dentistry)

Job and Career options for BDS

As there is no dearth of people having dental troubles, Dentistry is a beneficial profession. The major causes behind outcome of damage in teeth are due to inactive lifestyle and busy times that will compel to visit a dentist. This profession is rapidly changing as well as expanding which creates lot many openings and challenges. Another scope is that the film artists and models need cosmetic dentistry to make better their looks.

After completing the BDS course can work in Central and State Government hospitals as well as Medical colleges for teaching and dispensaries under the guidance occupy dental Surgeons.  Different sectors like railways, defense public as well as private units occupy dentists in medical centers and hospitals. General and specialized handling like orthodontics is having more scope in private perform. Salaries in Public division are ruled by scales existing to all 1st Class officers private sector practice salaries are very high.

Employment Areas

• Dental Clinics
• Dental Equipment Manufacturers
• Dental Products Manufacturers
• Educational Institutes
• Hospitals
• Individual practice
• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Private Practice
• Research Institutes

Job Types

• Consultant
• Dental Assistant
• Dental Hygienist
• Dental Lab Technician / Ceramist
• Dental Surgeon
• Forensics
• Medical Representative / Sales Representative
• Oral Pathologist
• Private Practitioners
• Professors
• Public Health Specialists

Remuneration after BDS

Government hospitals, newly trained dentists could get around Rs.8000 for each month including allowances but in private hospitals, it could be from Rs 7,500 to Rs 15,000. PG level holders can get a start on Rs 15,000 upwards. By their own practice, dental surgeons can earn fine money through their own experience. Moreover, the consulting charges could be Rs.500 upwards. Cosmetic filling costs can be Rs. 40,000 to 50,000. This may depending upon the problem the patient is having. A well-known dentist can get around Rs.20, 000 - 1, 00,000 or more for each month.