BDS course in India is the only course that enables candidates to become dentists or dental surgeons. There are also thousands of candidates who keep BDS as a second option after MBBS. So it is also very high in demand among medical aspirants.
What is a BDS Course?
BDS tends to Bachelor of Dental Surgery, it is a 5 years undergraduate program and the one and only approved dental course in India. If a candidate desires to become a Doctor, he needs to pursue BDS to establish his career at government and private hospitals. He may also open his own dental clinic in India.
BDS degree is regulated by the Dental Council of India (DCI). In this course, students are engaged in 4 years of a classroom session followed by 1 year of internship, hence it becomes 5 years of course in total.
Candidates who complete their BDS degree, have to register themselves in the DCI (Which regulate BDS course) to become eligible to practice in India as a Dentist. A candidate who pursues BDS courses in India is taught the subjects such as Oral Pathology, Oral Surgery, Dental Histology etc.
In India, if a candidate wants to study a BDS course, it is compulsory to complete 10+2 with Biology, Physics and Chemistry subjects. After that, they have to qualify for the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance exam) which is held once a year at the national level.
There are more than 300 dental colleges in India which have approx 26,000 seats in India. The Budget of BDS in India goes somewhere around INR 6 Lakh to 10 lakh. Also, some good colleges provide stipends during internship periods ranging between 15k to 40k depending on the college.
In a Nutshell, BDS is a professional course and offers lucrative career opportunities. Candidates can establish their careers as Dental Research Scientists, Lectures, and world Dentists in any reputed government and private hospital.
BDS course Overview
| Course Name | BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) |
| Duration | 5 years including 1-year internship |
| Exam type | Semester wise |
| Eligibility | 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks and Compulsory subjects include Physics, Chemistry, Biology |
| How to get admission | NEET (Entrance Exam ) |
| Tuition fees | INR 1 Lakh to INR 5 Lakh |
| Job roles | Dental Research Scientist, Dentist, Lecturer, etc. |
| Average annual Salary | INR 5 lakh to INR 10 Lakh |
Why choose a BDS course?
There are many reasons behind choosing this course, a few are the advantages listed below:
The demand for professional dentists is increasing rapidly, because of an increasing number of patients in the country. To treat those patients, one should have a BDS degree which makes them eligible to practice as a Dentist in the country.
This above scenario reflects an increasing demand for BDS courses because students are expecting a reputed & settled career in this domain.
- Students can expect a good Return on investment
- Students can consider BDS a good alternative to MBBS because it also offers great exposure in the medical domain.
- There is less competition in BDS in comparison to MBBS. Candidates also find the BDS course simple when compared to the MBBS course.
- Students may earn a stipend during the internship up to INR 15,000 – 40,000 depending on the medical college.
- Candidates can open their own clinic after getting a legal license from the Dental Council of India (DCI).
- BDS courses offer lucrative career scope after graduation.
- Candidates can go to Abroad countries like the US, Canada, and Australia, they can settle in these developed nations and build a decent career as professional Dentists. Candidates have to clear exams like BDE or NDEB.
- Candidates can continue their studies and go for MDS, and PhD courses after completing their graduation in BDS.
Admission process for BDS course in India
The step for taking admission into the BDS course in India are mentioned below:
There is only one Entrance exam NEET to get admission into government and medical colleges of India for the BDS course. It has been mandatory since 2016 that candidates are required to appear in the NEET exam to take admission into MBBS, and BDS courses.
In order to become eligible for the NEET exam, candidates are required to attain 50% marks in the 10+2 exam.
Eligible candidates can appear in the NEET exam followed by the counselling process.
Note: Generally, the cut-off marks for the BDS course remain less than the MBBS course.
Eligibility criteria of NEET exam for BDS course in India
The Eligibility criteria for the Dental course in India is similar to the MBBS course because in both the courses, candidates have to appear in the NEET exam which is the only entrance exam to enter in medical stream.
| Lower Age limit | 17 years as of 31 December in the year of admission |
| Upper age limit (General Category) | No upper age limit from 2022 |
| Upper age limit for reserved category (SC/ST/OBC/PWD) | No upper age limit from 2022 |
Note: If a student is 16 years old, and he/she is appearing in the NEET Examination. They must be completed 17 years by the end of the admission year. That means, if they are appearing in NEET 2022, they must complete their 17 years by the end of 2022.
Marks criteria for NEET 2022
| Category | Required % in 12th class |
| General category students | Physics, Chemistry, Biology (50%) |
| For reserve categories (SC/ST/OBC) | Physics, Chemistry, Biology (40%) |
| For General Physical Handicapped | Physics, Chemistry, Biology (45%) |
Top Medical Colleges for BDS course in India
Syllabus for Dental course in India
BDS is a 5-year programme in which various subjects related to Dentistry are taught in the colleges.
| 1st years |
| Biochemistry |
| Dental Histology |
| Dental Materials |
| Anatomy |
| Physiology |
| Preclin |
| Prosthodontics |
| Prosthodontics |
| 2nd years |
| Preclin |
| Conservative |
| Pharmacology |
| Dental Materials |
| Pharmacology |
| Oral Pathology |
| Microbiology |
| Pathology |
| 3rd years |
| Gen Surgery |
| Gen Medicine |
| Pedodontics |
| Oral Pathology |
| Oral Medicine |
| Oral Surgery |
| Public Health |
| Orthodontics |
| 4th years |
| Endodontics |
| Public Health |
| Dentistry |
| Orthodontics |
| Oral Medicine |
| Oral Surgery |
| Prosthodontics |
| Periodontics |
| Practice Observership |
| Conservative Dentistry |
| 5th Year |
| Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry Period |
| Ontology Oral Medicine, Diagnosis and |
| Radiology Public Health Dentistry |
| Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Oral |
| Maxillofacial Surgery Oral Pathology and Microbiology Accident |
| Emergency Medicine Comprehensive Oral Health Care |
BDS JOBS and Initial Salary
Graduates holding BDS degrees have a plethora of opportunities in their Dental careers. In India, there is only one course or programme to become a dentist but these candidates can also build their careers as researchers, lecturers etc. at private as well as government hospitals. Pursuing a dental career is not only limited to the job only but also it can extend to opening a private clinic.
However, not all candidates jump into jobs and start earning money after completing graduation, some of them continue their studies as a researcher and pursue higher studies (MDS) in the dental sciences.
| Dentist | INR 3 to 4 Lakh |
| Researcher | INR 3 Lakh |
| Lecturer | INR 5 Lakh |
| Dental officer at Indian defense service (Army, Navi, Air force) | INR 9 Lakh |
| Dentist in Indian Railway | INR 7 Lakh |
| Territorial Army officer | INR 10 Lakh, |
Future scope after completing BDS course in India
BDS graduates can open their private clinic and can choose self-employment instead of choosing any job. It requires some investment in the initial phase but in the long term, it will give a high Return on your investment. There are thousands of dental clinic practitioners who are doing very well in this domain.
Apart from it, Candidates will also have decent Job opportunities after completing their graduation.
BDS career in government/ Private sectors:
If we consider private sector job opportunities, BDS graduates can work in private hospitals, clinics, and pharma companies in various positions. And if we consider the Government section, BDS graduates can work as dental surgeons in hospitals, the Army Dental corps, and the Indian Railway, and as Dental officers in the defense sector like Army, Airforce, and Navy.
Scope of BDS graduates in the Academics and Research industry
BDS candidates can easily enter the teaching profession as they can join any government or private dental college as a lecturer. Candidates having a knack for teaching pursue careers in academics, they can also join state government colleges as fresher teaching faculty after qualifying the eligibility criteria of that particular college. Some of them can also start their journey with national-level medical institutes like ICMR, AIIMS, National Institute of Epidemiology which look for assistance and associates for their research work.
The final Takeaway
BDS courses in India are very promising for medical aspirants. They can pursue it on a very less budget when compared to the MBBS. If you further have any queries, you can contact us and can detail about Dental colleges in India.
Also check, Best Dental College in India for BDS course
BDS JOBS and Initial Salary
Graduates holding BDS degrees have a plethora of opportunities in their Dental careers. In India, there is only one course or programme to become a dentist but these candidates can also build their careers as researchers, lecturers etc. at private as well as government hospitals. Pursuing a dental career is not only limited to the job only but also it can extend to opening a private clinic.
However, not all candidates jump into jobs and start earning money after completing graduation, some of them continue their studies as a researcher and pursue higher studies (MDS) in the dental sciences.
| Dentist | INR 3 to 4 Lakh |
| Researcher | INR 3 Lakh |
| Lecturer | INR 5 Lakh |
| Dental officer at Indian defense service (Army, Navi, Air force) | INR 9 Lakh |
| Dentist in Indian Railway | INR 7 Lakh |
| Territorial Army officer | INR 10 Lakh, |
Future scope after completing BDS course in India
BDS graduates can open their private clinic and can choose self-employment instead of choosing any job. It requires some investment in the initial phase but in the long term, it will give a high Return on your investment. There are thousands of dental clinic practitioners who are doing very well in this domain.
Apart from it, Candidates will also have decent Job opportunities after completing their graduation.
BDS career in government/ Private sectors:
If we consider private sector job opportunities, BDS graduates can work in private hospitals, clinics, and pharma companies in various positions. And if we consider the Government section, BDS graduates can work as dental surgeons in hospitals, the Army Dental corps, and the Indian Railway, and as Dental officers in the defense sector like Army, Airforce, and Navy.
Scope of BDS graduates in the Academics and Research industry
BDS candidates can easily enter the teaching profession as they can join any government or private dental college as a lecturer. Candidates having a knack for teaching pursue careers in academics, they can also join state government colleges as fresher teaching faculty after qualifying the eligibility criteria of that particular college. Some of them can also start their journey with national-level medical institutes like ICMR, AIIMS, National Institute of Epidemiology which look for assistance and associates for their research work.
The final Takeaway
BDS courses in India are very promising for medical aspirants. They can pursue it on a very less budget when compared to the MBBS. If you further have any queries, you can contact us and can detail about Dental colleges in India.
Also check, Best Dental College in India for BDS course
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