BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery): Course, Fees, Duration, Syllabus, Colleges, Career Options

BDS full form is Bachelor of Dental Surgery is a professional undergraduate degree in dentistry. BDS degree duration is 5 years, of which four years will be for theory, while one year will be for a rotatory internship. In 2024, there are 28,088 BDS seats available in more than 320 government, private, and deemed universities in India.

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This Story also Contains

1. What is BDS Full Form?
2. BDS Course Details
3. BDS Course Duration and Fees
4. Why Choose BDS?
5. BDS Eligibility Criteria
6. Top BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Exam
7. BDS Cut Off
8. BDS Syllabus
9. BDS Scope
10. Careers Opportunities after BDS
11. Salary after BDS Degree
12. Employment Areas

Candidates can apply for the course after completing their 10+2 in Science stream from a recognised board of India. BDS curriculum is regulated by the Dental Council of India (DCI). Candidates who wish to advance their careers in healthcare and dental surgery can get all the BDS course details from this article.

What is BDS Full Form?

BDS full form is Bachelor of Dental Surgery, it is a five-year undergraduate programme. Candidates who want to pursue a career as a Dental surgeon can opt for this course. Students should have PCB in their 10+2 to be eligible for the degree programme. Many higher education institutes offer BDS courses. In this article, we will be discussing the BDS subjects year-wise.

BDS Course Details

BDS Course Duration and Fees

The BDS course duration is five years, which is divided into four years of theory and one year of rotatory internship programme. BDS fees vary depending on the medical college or university in which students take admission. Before enrolling in any particular BDS college, students should check the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) fee structure. BDS fee in both the private and government colleges is Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1,200,000 lakhs.

Why Choose BDS?

Pursuing BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) offers students rewarding career opportunities. BDS graduates provide medical assistance on people’s oral health, by offering them essential dental care. This course offers a stable career with wide opportunities in the private and government or public sector. Graduates can also join the academics as professors or lecturers in medical colleges.

BDS graduates with the required certification perform anaesthesia to calm the patient and avoid extreme pain during the extraction of the tooth. Graduates of Bachelor of Dental Surgery usually get the opportunity to work in dental clinics and perform all such tasks. They can work full-time in a hospital or can practice in their personal dental clinics. BDS graduates can opt for numerous careers such as dental technician, prosthodontist, dental hygienist, dental consultant and numerous other roles.

BDS Eligibility Criteria

Aspiring applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for admission in the BDS course. They need to be aware of the basic BDS eligibility criteria required for pursuing a bachelor's degree in bachelor of dental surgery, including the course understanding. These are the necessary eligibility requirements that the students must follow to obtain admission to the degree programme. The eligibility criteria for as per NEET are given below.

• Candidates have to pass a recognised Higher/Senior Secondary Examination or the Indian School Certificate Examination equivalent to 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology.
• Students from Foreign/International Boards are eligible if their qualified exam meets the equivalency determined by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as per regulations of the Dental Council of India and the concerned University.
• Unreserved candidates and OCI, NRI, and foreign candidates must have secured at least 50 per cent in their qualifying exam in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/ Biotechnology.
• Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes (OBC) must have secured 40 per cent
• PwD candidates must have secured 45 per cent in their qualifying exams.
• Candidates must have completed 17 years at the time of admission or before December 31 of the year of admission.

Skills Required for BDS Degree

Candidates who want to pursue a BDS degree programme must possess certain skills. After earning a BDS degree programme, students need the following skill sets to advance in their career:

• Empathy
• Patience
• Critical Thinking
• Physical Strength
• Attention to Detail
• Communication Skills

BDS Application Process

NEET is the only entrance examination that offers admission to the BDS course in the country. Admission to this degree will be done only on the basis of NEET scores. In order to pursue a BDS degree, aspirants are required to appear and qualify for the National Eligibility Entrance Test. The admission process for the BDS degree comprises filling out the application form for NEET, followed by admit card, conducting the exam, results, and counselling.

• Candidates are required to fill out the NEET BDS application form by paying the requisite amount within the due dates.
• Registered candidates will be issued the admit card for a BDS degree, which needs to be carried at the exam center for verification purposes.
• The result of BDS will be released in online mode in the form of a scorecard.
• Aspirants can download the BDS result-cum-scorecard by logging in using the required credentials.
• Aspirants who will secure the BDS cutoff will only be considered qualified and eligible for the counselling process.
• Qualified candidates are required to participate in the counselling process by registering themselves for successful granting of BDS admission within the due dates.

Top BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Exam

NEET is the entrance examination that is required for admission to the BDS course programmes. NEET is the national-level entrance examination for the MBBS and BDS degrees in India.

BDS Cut Off

Bachelor of Dental Surgery or BDS cut-off is required to determine the student's merit for admission in the BDS degree programme in various medical colleges in India. For BDS degree programmes, NEET cut-off is the main criteria that every medical college accepts for the BDS admission process. BDS cutoff is based on the number of students appearing for the NEET examination, the previous year’s cutoff, NEET question paper.

BDS Syllabus

Candidates can go through the below-mentioned syllabus of the BDS degree, which an aspirant has to go through while completing the degree. In the table below, we have mentioned BDS subjects year-wise. In the tables below, we have mentioned the syllabus of Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education.

After passing the examination, all candidates are required to do a one-year mandatory rotating internship programme in all the departments for the duration indicated against each department as given below:

BDS Internships Department and Period of Posting:

Note: Any student who does not clear the BDS course in all the subjects within a period of nine years, including a year mandatory rotatory paid internship from the date of admission shall be disqualified from the BDS course.

BDS Specialisations

BDS specialisations are available for dentists to choose the area in which they would like to mark their career. They have a choice of nine specialisations to choose from while pursuing their masters as given below.

• Pedodontics
• Prosthodontics
• Public Health Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Oral Pathology and Microbiology
• Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
• Oral Medicine, Diagnosis, and Radiology
• Periodontal Surgery and Oral Implantology

BDS Scope

In today's world, where oral health is one of the primary concerns for everyone, the scope of BDS in India and abroad is very high. People like to visit the dentist for their oral checkup in a month or two. The scope of this course in India is vast and increasing at a rapid speed day by day. It depends on the respective aspirant’s skills, knowledge, calibres, and the place they are practising.

Clinical Practice: After completing BDS, dentists can create their own clinics or work in hospitals. This enables them to treat patients and obtain practical experience in the field.

Higher Studies: MDS programmes allow students to specialise in fields such as orthodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery after graduation. Specialisation allows them to focus on advanced treatments and gain experience in a particular field of dentistry. Dentists can also pursue a management course like MHA (Masters in Hospital Administration) or MPH (Masters in Public Health). This will allow them to step into the management side of health organisations or hospital chains.

Teaching Profession: BDS graduates can pursue a career as lecturers in dental colleges. This enables them to train future dentists and contribute to dental education.

Research and Public Health: Students can contribute to research and public health organisations by raising awareness and improving dental care policy.

Careers Opportunities after BDS

A plethora of career options are available after the BDS degree programme. A career as a dentist is the most sought-after career option available after BDS course. However, that in itself has choices of where for whom, and as what. An important point is that students must register with the Dental Council of India to be able to practice as a dentist. Some of the career options are mentioned below:

Dentist: Dentists are doctors who diagnose and treat teeth diseases and oral cavities. Dentists recognise and then treat the diseases of teeth, gum, and other oral diseases and make dentures. They guide the patients by providing information on how to maintain healthy teeth and gums and how to take care of oral hygiene.

Lecturer: Lecturers in the medical colleges are senior doctors who have completed their MD degree and have work experience. Mostly the doctors attached to the Govt hospitals also work as consulting professors to the students at the attached colleges. However, teaching is an option for dentists who have an inclination for it, after gaining some experience working as a dentist.

Top Recruiters

Some of the top recruiters that hire BDS graduates are mentioned below:

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences
• Apollo Group
• Indian Nursing Council
• Fortis Hospitals
• Manipal Group
• Medica

Salary after BDS Degree

The salary of dental graduates depends upon their calibre and experience. Aspirants can earn a handsome salary both in the private and government sectors. Below, we have mentioned the salary after BDS degree:

Employment Areas

BDS graduates can join hospitals, other healthcare facilities, and universities. Students who have pursued BDS or Bachelor of Dental Surgery can also practise individually. Some of the employment areas after graduating from BDS are mentioned below

• Dental Clinics
• Government hospitals
• Dental Institutions
• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Dental Products Manufactures
• Private Practice

Top Private BDS Colleges in India with Fees

In India, there are a number of private BDS colleges. Private university education is significantly more expensive than public university education. Some of the greatest private BDS colleges and also BDS fees are discussed below:

Top Government BDS Colleges in India with Fees

Attending a government-run college is less expensive than attending a private college. These colleges are well known for their high academic standards throughout India. The following are some of the best government BDS colleges and also BDS fees:

BDS is a popular undergraduate degree in dental which provides knowledge on dental anatomy, embryology oral histology and dental materials. After completing four years of studying, candidates need to complete one year of a rotatory internship programme.