How to become a dentist?
Bachelor of dental surgery is a professional undergraduate program specializing in the field of dentistry. This profession deals with the study of problems affecting teeth, gums, and oral hygiene. Treatments include x-ray, imaging, implants, and surgeries of teeth through various procedures. Oral health is a major growing concern nowadays, people tend to pay more attention to their oral hygiene, of course, who doesn’t like to have a great smile. Dentistry has evolved very much over the years, it is not just limited to treating cavity problems but also removal, shape correction, implantation, and replacement of decayed, damaged, or lost teeth. Graduates after 12th standard who wanted to become a dentist in this field get the opportunity to bring smiles to people’s faces by seeking appropriate treatment for respective oral problems. Dentistry is a great career opportunity for job seekers in terms of high wages and flexibility of work along with 100% chances of employment.
Skills to be a dentist
- A graduate of dentistry should promote oral health and basic hygiene to general public
- Should be able to handle the workload
- Should possess great knowledge of various oral surgeries
- Carry out right anesthesia procedures
- Able to diagnose the root cause of oral disease
- Efficient in carrying out investigative and laboratory procedures
- Mentally support patients during their dental treatments
Dentistry as a career option
Since oral hygiene has been a growing health concern in modern times, people have become more aware of their health including oral health. Choosing a career in dentistry is a good option as it is a growing sector, with the help of medical intelligence and health advancement, dental surgery has reached a far-fetched milestone in the specialization of exponential oral problems such as dental implants, complicated tooth surgeries, braces treatment, tooth biopsies, jaw surgeries, reconstructive surgeries, cosmetic surgeries, laser-based treatments, etc. that are medically termed as Endodontics, Orthodontics, Pedodontics, Periodontics, Prosthodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Having a bachelor’s with a specialization in any of these fields will lead to a high-income job profile not only in India but also in overseas countries. After completing the bachelor’s course in dental surgery, one can join a government or private health institution, and start their career as a dentist with a satisfactory remuneration but if one has done a specialization in dental surgery, then it can provide a profitable amount of salary package.
Overview of course curriculum in dentistry
- General Human Anatomy
- Osteology, Histology & Medical Genetics
- General Human Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Dental Anatomy, Embryology, and Oral Histology
- General Pathology
- Microbiology
- General and Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Dental Materials
- Preclinical Conservative Dentistry
- Pre-Clinical Prosthodontics
- General Medicine
- General Surgery
- Oral Pathology & Microbiology
- General Medicine
- General Surgery
- Oral Pathology & Microbiology
Career prospects in dental surgery
| Employments in dentistry |
| Dental Cosmetology department |
| Dental departments of government/private hospitals |
| Dental hospitals |
| Pharmaceutical and research centers |
| Research organizations |
| Oral medicine & radiology |
| Nursing Homes |
| Teaching department of college/universities |
| Medical Insurance Firms |
| Oral Care product companies |
| Own private clinics |
Jobs opportunity in dentistry
| Jobs profile |
| Dentist |
| Pedodontist |
| General practitioner |
| Medical consultant |
| Prosthodontist |
| Dental hygienist |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon |
| Dental Cosmetologist |
| Endodontist |
| Army Dental Corps |
| Dental Officer |
| Medical coordinator |
| Lecturer/Professor |
Salary insights and market demand
Due to the rising problems of oral health, the practice of dental surgery has risen in great demand. Statistics have shown a growth rate of 20-30% of overall growth in dental care service in India and reached up to US $2.2 billion by the year 2020 and is continuously growing at a rapid rate. Salary of private clinic owners depends on the patient crowd they receive, mostly, starting consultation price starts from 250 INR per patient and additional payment depending on the treatment, that makes an average of 50,000-60,000 INR per month for approximately 20 patients, whereas salary in government and private health institutions depend on the working experience and expertise in the field. Graduated Dentists can expect an average remuneration of 4-5 LPA in the beginning of their career while highly practised dental surgeons can earn up to 15-20 LPA easily. There are also upstanding job opportunities in this field abroad, one might receive a handsome package of $13,000-$20,000 per annum.
Eligibility criteria and course duration
Bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) is a 5-years bachelor’s program including an internship period. To be eligible to pursue BDS, aspirants need to pass their 12th board examination with physics, chemistry and, biology in the science stream with a minimum 0f 50% marks. After that, they need to appear for any state or national level entrance examinations, most of the colleges or universities prefer NEET score or Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Entrance Exam while some conduct their own entrance exams, merit-based admissions are also considered based on the college requirements.
After successful completion of their bachelor’s, candidates are eligible to opt for specialization courses in dental surgery which is generally a 2-year postgraduation program. Some of the specialization courses in dental surgery are
- Masters in dental surgery
- Masters in conservative dentistry and endodontics
- Masters in oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Masters in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
- MDS in prosthodontics
- MDS in pedodontics
- Masters in periodontology
- Masters in oral medicine and radiology
- Masters in public health dentistry
- Masters in oral pathology and microbiology
- Masters in preventive dentistry
Although admissions for masters are merit-based, students can directly apply for MDS courses after graduating from an MCI recognized college, however, some colleges consider PG NEET marks for MDS admissions.
Top colleges in India for dental surgery
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
- Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh
- King George’s Medical University, Lucknow
- Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi
- Kothiwal Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad
- PT Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak
- Institute Of Medical Sciences, Varanasi
- Manipal Colleges of Dental Sciences, Manipal
- Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai
- Christian Dental College, Ludhiana
- Faculty Of Dental Sciences, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore
- Sri Ramchandra Dental College, Chennai
- Panjab University, Chandigarh
- Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
- SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
Best dental surgery colleges of the world
- Karolinska Institute, Sweden
- University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- University of Michigan, USA
- KU Leuven, Belgium
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan
- University of Otago, New Zealand
- Harvard University, USA
- University of North Carolina, USA
- University of California, USA
- New York University, USA
- Columbia University, USA
- Boston University, USA
- University College London, UK