Dentistry is the most common option for students after MBBS who want to pursue a successful career in the medical or allied fields and for good reason too. The BDS or Bachelor of Dental Surgery program, which is the undergraduate equivalent of an MBBS (in dentistry as opposed to medicine) has fewer barriers to entry. Whether it is the course fee, the competition in entrance exams, or the difficulty of passing the course, all are less intensive than what someone would find in the MBBS side of things.
After completing their BDS degree, students can look for jobs in various places too. However, most students who study dentistry often get into an MDS program first, before beginning their job search. Why? To cement their learning and also gain knowledge in the latest and greatest in their field, which makes them eligible for higher-paid jobs than they’d be able to get with just a BDS. This blog details all that you’ll learn in an MDS program, and more, in some of the top MDS colleges in India, so read on if you’ve been considering this course for your future career.
MDS Overview
The Master of Dental Surgery program is a specialized medical program that focuses only on the face, teeth, jaw, and other oral and facial structures. This program is usually taken over 3 years in the yearly system. Since this program is at a postgraduate level, the standard of education imparted is also much higher than what you’d find in a BDS program. MDS programs take admission totally on the basis of entrance exams in our country. Here’s an overview of the core features of an MDS course, for your convenience.
| Course Name | Master of Dental Surgery |
| Level | Postgraduate |
| Type | Full-time |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Examination Mode | Yearly |
| Eligibility | Minimum of 50% in BDS + entrance exam score |
| Entrance Exam | NEET MDS |
| Average Course Fee | 6 – 20 Lakhs |
| Average Starting Salary | 2 – 30 LPA |
| Top Recruiters | Hospitals, Clinics, Academia, Research, Administration |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria to get into an MDS program at the best MDS colleges in India, like Kothiwal Dental College & Research Centre is twofold. Students must:
- Have a degree in BDS with a minimum of 50% marks
- Have cleared NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) MDS
Specializations
Specializations or branches of dentistry that students get to focus their study upon in the MDS course hold great importance in this course. This is because you can only choose the area you want to specialize in the MDS course – at the BDS level options for choosing a specialization are non-existent. Some of the most common dentistry specializations that you’ll find in dental colleges in Moradabad, and the rest of India, include the following.
- Prosthodontics: This branch of dentistry is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and maintenance of patients who have conditions associated with missing teeth.
- Orthodontics: This branch of dentistry, on the other hand, deals with the correction of misaligned teeth and jaws.
- Periodontics: It is a branch of dentistry that deals with investigating and treating diseases associated with the supporting structures of the teeth (gum and other tissues) and the oral mucous membrane.
- Conservative Dentistry: Also known as preventive dentistry, this branch focuses on the prevention and treatment of diseases or injuries or defects of the hard tissues and pulp of the tooth with minimally invasive procedures.
- Oral (and Maxillofacial) Surgery: This branch deals with the surgical and post-surgical treatment of jaws, teeth, or other facial structures.
- Paedodontics: Commonly referred to as pediatric dentistry, this branch deals with the dental problem of children.
- Oral Medicine and Radiology: This branch deals with the diagnosis of oral problems through the use of X-rays, and their subsequent treatment.
- Public Health Dentistry: This branch is also known as community dentistry and it focuses on the prevention and control of dental problems through large-sale community efforts.
- Oral Pathology: This branch of dentistry deals with the manifestation of oral diseases, the psychological and anatomic changes they trigger, their effects, cases, etc.
Syllabus
The syllabus taught in an MDS course at the best private dental colleges in India, and also the government ones are more or less the same up to a certain part because it is set by the Dental Council of India. Where the syllabus begins to differ is based on specialization. Here is a branch-wise comparison of the different subjects studied under each specialization for your reference.
| Oral Surgery | Periodontics | Conservative Dentistry | Orthodontics |
| Maxillofacial Surgery | Recent Advances in Periodontics | Dentistry Material | Recent Advances in Orthodontics |
| Minor Oral Surgery and Trauma | Endodontics | Recent Advances in Periodontics | Basics in Orthodontics, Diagnosis, and Radiology |
| Recent Advances in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery | Diagnosis, Treatment, and Preventive in Periodontology and Implantology | Conservative Dentistry Including Preventing Dentistry | BioMechanics & Various Tissue Changes in Techniques and Treatments in Orthodontics |
Best Dental Colleges in India
Now that we’ve discussed all that you’ll learn in an MDS program, perhaps the next thing to do is to find out where to study it. Some of the best dental colleges in UP and the rest of India are listed below.
- Kothiwal Dental College & Research Centre, Moradabad
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
- Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi
- Dr R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata
- Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune.
Conclusion
Depending on the specialization that you choose upon getting into an MDS program, you will focus on different areas of dentistry for your study. Each branch of dentistry has its own syllabus, other than the general common syllabus. Hence, what you study for your MDS program might be different from what another person with a different specialization might study in one of the various MDS colleges in India. What remains a fact though is that density, in general, is a very lucrative career and an MDS degree only opens the path to higher-paid jobs in this field.
FAQs
- What are the MDS specializations available at Kothiwal Dental College & Research Centre?
The MDS specializations available at Kothiwal Dental College & Research Centre are Prosthodontics, Orthodontics, Periodontics, Endodontics, Paediatric and preventive dentistry, Oral surgery, Public health dentistry, Oral pathology & microbiology, and Oral medicine & radiology.
- Are the fees for all the specializations the same?
No. The fees of an MDS program depend on the specialization a student chooses. At Kothiwal Dental College & Research Centre, the fee for the Prosthodontics specialization is INR 5.5 LPA whereas, for Oral Medicine and Radiology, it is only INR 2.5 LPA.
- Are all MDS colleges approved by the DCI?
Yes. All MDS colleges in India have to be approved by the DCI, which is the regulatory body for dentists and dental education.
- What is the average salary of an Oral Surgery specialist?
The average salary of an Oral Surgeon in India is INR 5 LPA and above.
