Dentistry Courses

Career in Dentistry

In order to ensure absolute health and hygiene, dentistry or dental care is utterly necessary. Physicians who perform dentistry are named as dentists. In carrying out treatment and surgeries, dentists get assistance from a number of people like dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental therapists, and dental technicians. All of them collectively offer oral healthcare facilities and services.

In India, the undergraduate level dentistry courses are offered in the form of a Bachelor of Dental Surgery or BDS course. The duration of this study program is normally five years. This duration consists of four years of learning and 12 months of internship which is mandatory for the students. As laid down by statistics in the year 2010, India housed 291 dental colleges of which 252 are run by private bodies and 39 are operated by the public agencies.

The dental schools and colleges in India can be categorized into the following:

Private dental colleges and schools that are associated with a government university
Government dental colleges and schools as a division of a government university
Private dental colleges and schools as a division of a privately run university.

In majority of the states in India (other than the states of Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir), the CBSE (Central Board for Secondary Education) holds a countrywide exam for filling up about 15% of the seats in the dental colleges that are managed by the states.
A post graduate degree or master's degree in dentistry (MDS) has a duration of three years. Moreover, this degree gives the students the opportunity to study in a particular area of expertise.

The MDS or Master of Dental Surgery course consists of the subjects listed below:

Periodontics
Prosthodontics
Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral Pathology & Microbiology
Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics
Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry
Community Dentistry
Oral Medicine Diagnosis and Radiology

Dentists in India have great job opportunities in dental divisions of nursing homes, hospitals, clinics and healthcare divisions of the government. They can also teach as professors, lecturers, and associate professors in dental colleges. In addition, they can work as researchers in the pharmaceutical industry and other sectors manufacturing oral hygiene products and drugs such as mouthwash, toothpaste, and gum care products.

Dentistry Entrance Exams in India

Given below is a list of the dentistry entrance exams in India:

Conducted By	Name of Entrance Exam
Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital	Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital - Joint Entrance Test MGDCH JET
Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences	PIMS Entrance Test
AIPMT	All India Pre-Medical / Pre-Dental Entrance Examination
State of Maharashtra	MH PGMPGDCET - Maharashtra Post Graduate Medical, Postgraduate Dental Entrance Exam
Delhi University	Delhi University Medical/Dental Entrance Test (DUMET)
Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute	All India Common Entrance Test for MBBS and BDS
State of Madhya Pradesh	MP DMAT - All India Dental and Medical Admission Test
Annamalai University	Annamalai University MDS Entrance Exam
Avinashilingam Deemed University for Women	Avinashilingam Deemed University for Women MDS Entrance Exam
Vinayaka Missions University	All India Common Entrance Examination AICEE
KEAM	KEAM - Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical Entrance Exam
Haryana PMT	Haryana Pre Medical Entrance Test
State of Uttar Pradesh	Uttar Pradesh Common Admission Test - UPCAT Entrance Exam
Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka COMEDK PGET	COMEDK PGET - Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka Post Graduate Entrance Test
Banaras Hindu University	Banaras Hindu University BHU MDS Entrance Test
Bangalore University	Bangalore University MDS Entrance Exam
Calicut University	Calicut University MDS Entrance Exam
Barkatullah University	Barkatullah University MDS Entrance Exam
Delhi University	Delhi University MDS Entrance Exam
Bhavnagar University	Bhavnagar University MDS Entrance Exam
Bharath University	Bharath University Chennai MDS Entrance Exam
Department of Dental Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences	Department of Dental Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College & Hospital (Pune)	Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College & Hospital (Pune) MDS Entrance Exam
Baba Farid University of Health Sciences	Baba Farid University of Health Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
Dr N T R University Of Health Sciences	Dr N T R University Of Health Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya, Avadh University	Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya, Avadh University MDS Entrance Exam
Calcutta University	Calcutta University MDS Entrance Exam
Indira Gandhi National Open University	Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) MDS Entrance Exam
Institute of Medical Sciences - Banaras Hindu University	Institute of Medical Sciences - Banaras Hindu University MDS Entrance Exam
JSS University	JSS University MDS Entrance Exam
Maharashtra University	Maharashtra University MDS Entrance Exam
Gitam University	Gitam University MDS Entrance Exam
Kerala University	Kerala University MDS Entrance Exam
Kannur University	Kannur University MDS Entrance Exam
NITTE University Mangalore	NITTE University Mangalore MDS Entrance Exam
Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil University	Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil University MDS Entrance Exam
Maharishi Markandeshwar University	Maharishi Markandeshwar University MDS Entrance Exam
Pondicherry University	Pondicherry University MDS Entrance Exam
Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences	Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
Manipal University	Manipal University MDS Entrance Exam
Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences	Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
Panjab University	Panjab University MDS Entrance Exam
Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS)	Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) MDS Entrance Exam
Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute	Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute MDS Entrance Exam
Sri Ramachandra University	Sri Ramachandra University BDS Entrance Exam
Vinayaka Missions University	Vinayaka Missions University MDS Entrance Exam
Karnataka KRLMPCA UGCET	Karnataka KRLMPCA UGCET Common Entrance Test for BDS
KLE University	KLE University MDS Entrance Exam
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health And Sciences	Rajiv Gandhi University of Health And Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
SRM University	SRM University MDS Entrance Exam
Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University	Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University MDS Entrance Exam
Saveetha University	Saveetha University MDS Entrance Exam
The West Bengal University of Health Sciences	The West Bengal University of Health Sciences MDS Entrance Exam
Annamalai University	Annamalai University BDS Entrance Exam
HPCPMET	HPCPMET - H.P. Combined Pre Medical Entrance Test BDS Himachal Pradesh
AIUGET - Sri Siddhartha University Tumkur Karnataka	AIUGET - Sri Siddhartha University Tumkur Karnataka BDS Entrance Test
Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Vadodara	Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Vadodara Entrance Exam BDS
Panjab University	Panjab University BDS Common Entrance Test (CET)
KAIET - Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Karad	KAIET - Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Karad BDS Entrance Test
AMUPMDC AssoCET	AMUPMDC AssoCET BDS Common Entrance Test
NUUGET - Nitte University Mangalore	NUUGET - Nitte University Mangalore BDS Entrance Exam
State of Uttaranchal	Uttaranchal Common Pre Medical Entrance Exam for BDS (Uttarakhand PMT)
GCET	GCET - Goa Common Entrance Test for Admission to BDS
Pravara Institute of Medical sciences Ahmednagar	Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences Ahmednagar All India Common Entrance Test for BDS
National Eligibility Entrance Test NEET-UG (MBBS)	National Eligibility Entrance Test NEET-UG (MBBS). The scores will be applicable for BDS (Dental) enrolment as well.

The entrance exams for BDS are normally conducted in the months of April or May. The students should be at least 17 years old to appear for the BDS entrance test. Their maximum age must not be more than 25 years.

For studying BDS, the students should pass their 10+2 exam or senior secondary examination or any other examination which is equivalent from a recognized board with at least 50% marks. They should have Chemistry, Physics, and Biology as compulsory subjects at their +2 level. In case of aspirants belonging to the SC/ST category, there is an exemption in the marks necessary i.e. at least 40%.

Admission to the postgraduate courses in dentistry is conducted with entrance examinations that are held both at the national and state levels. These exams are quite competitive in nature. In addition, students can also go for certificate courses which are offered with a duration of two years in Dental Hygiene and Dental Mechanics.

Top Dental Colleges in India

Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi
College of Dental Sciences, Manipal
Nair Dental College, Mumbai
Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai
SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharvad
Faculty of Dental Sciences, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University, Lucknow
Government Dental College, Bangalore
Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere
Dr. R Ahmed Dental College, Kolkata
Government Dental College, Rohtak
Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College, Pune
SRM Dental College, Chennai
Government Dental College and Hospital, Aurangabad
Tamil Nadu Government Dental College, Chennai
Vinayaka Mission's Sankaracharya Dental College
Saraswati Dental College, Lucknow
K.L.E .Society`s Dental College
Army College of Dental Sciences, Secunderabad

Last Updated on : March 18, 2016