Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences
To be a dentist, the first thing you need to have is average scientific and logical reasoning skills and the ability to memorize and recall scientific facts. But above all, you need lot of patience and a cool temperament. You would have to qualify premedical test (PMT) at national or state level.
But qualifying the exam is not an easy job. Perseverance is necessary since thousands of aspirants appear in the exam. The papers basically consist of Zoology, Botany, Physics, & Chemistry.
The minimum qualification is 10+2 standard whereas minimum age of the candidate should be 17 years but no upper age limit is fixed till date for most of the PMTs. Anyway, once you secure a seat, you'll undergo four years of pre-clinical (theoretical) and clinical (working in clinics) training followed by one year of rotatory internship so as to make BDS a 5-years course. Rotatory internship means you will be posted for 1-2 months in each of the specializations.
After BDS you can either directly start working or prepare for PG Entrance Examination. PG seats in India are contested for by thousands of candidates each year. MDS (Masters of Dental Surgery) is a 3 yrs. course, which obviously improves your carrier prospects manifold.
There are about 292 dental colleges in India and according to latest estimates, nearly 25,000 people graduate with a BDS degree every year. Apart from graduate and post graduate courses, some institutes also offer diploma courses of 2 years in dental hygiene and dental mechanics.
The work of the dental hygienist is to assist the dentist during his clinical work and to cleanse the teeth and give oral hygiene instructions to the patients while work of the dental mechanic is to fabricate dentures and appliances etc. in laboratory.
Career Overview
The dentist assumes an important position in the health-care system because he alone can diagnose, intercept, treat, cure or prevent any disease or abnormality of the oral cavity. The primary job of dentist is to educate and motivate the patients to maintain oral hygiene because most of the dental & periodontal diseases are caused by poor oral hygiene.
There are various branches of dentistry in developed nations. The prominent ones are - Orthodontics, Periodontics, Pedodontics, Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Cosmetic & Esthetic Dentistry, Oral Pathology, Forensic Dentistry, Oral Medicine, Crown & Bridge Dentistry, Preventive Dentistry, Operative Dentistry, Implant Dentistry, Community Dentistry.
But in India one may specialize only in the following branches by doing MDS after BDS:
Orthodontics: A specialized branch of dentistry that corrects malocclusion and restores the teeth to proper alignment and function with the help of different types of appliances which may be removable or fixed. The correction enhances the beauty of face.
Periodontics: The branch of dentistry that deals with diseases of supporting structures of the teeth, including the gums, and bones.
Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry: is concerned with dentistry related to dental problems in children with their prevention. It involves application of all measures which can effectively be used to prevent, intercept, control the progressive advance of already existing dental abnormalities, and to promote optimum oral & general health through education.
Prosthodontics: A specialty of dentistry that involves diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of artificial parts to replace missing teeth and their associated structures.
Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics: Operative Dentistry deals with the defects of teeth such as abrasion, erosion, attrition, dental caries, hypoplasia, and discoloration. It is estimated that today's general dentist spends 60-80% of his time dealing with such defects. Endodontics deals with injuries or diseases of the pulp or nerves of the tooth by treating them with Root Canal Therapy (RCT).
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: is concerned with the extraction of the teeth, surgery of the oral structures, injuries, deformities of the teeth, jaws, and associated structures.
Oral Pathology: deals with the pathology of the oral cavity. It analyzes the oral tissue samples, salivary secretions, blood and other related structures to identify causes of oral diseases.
Oral medicine and radiology: Deals with the diagnosis of dental and oral diseases, medicines used in dental practice and medicinal treatment of diseases. It also provides indepth training in Maxillofacial radiology and imaging.
Community Dentistry: The science & art of preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting dental health through organized community effects. It is concerned with dental health education of public with the help of dental health programs & researches.
Dentist can also be involved in researches like finding out the correlation between oral diseases and heart problems, diabetes, and respiratory ailments, causes of oral cancer, etc. Another area of research could be the synthesis and analysis of new dental materials for oral applications or electrical stimulation of the muscles of mastication.
One of the most important requirements of the dental profession is that as a dentist, you keep yourself constantly updated with the latest technologies, treatment methods and materials. It will be must for you to read the latest journals, books, scientific updates etc. and attend CDE (Continuing Dental Education) programme, seminars, workshops and conferences throughout your life.
Job Opportunities in India
Due to sudden outburst of private dental colleges in India especially in northern states like UP, a large no. of dentists are being produced every year. With that, the demand of MDS has shot up sharply. Till early 1990s, there was only one Faculty of Dental Sciences, K.G.M.C. in UP, which was producing around fifty BDS and twenty four MDS per year only.
But in the recent past the number of colleges has gone up tremendously. Therefore, demand of MDS has increased manifolds to teach graduates.
Almost all the colleges are producing as many as 100 BDS graduates every year. Some colleges have also started postgraduate courses in different specialties producing 10-15 postgraduates every year with a capitation fee of around Rs. 20-40 lakhs.
Till date Ph.D. in dentistry is not recognized by DCI (Dental Council of India) nor is NET qualification required for lectureship. After becoming dentist you can choose any one of the following fields: You can Set up a private clinic.
- Work in a government hospital or a private institution.
- Work as a lecturer in any reputed dental college.
- Start a dental lab.
- Work in the research and advisory departments of a pharmaceutical or any other company producing oral care products and medicines like toothpastes, mouth washes, gum paints etc.
- Solve great mysteries by entering the realm of forensic dentistry.
- Work as dental consultant to models, film actors, artists and prominent figures etc.
- Carry out research on subjects like Oral cancer.
- Can go abroad
Colleges Offering Dental Courses: As we have already mentioned there are almost 300 colleges in India. Some offer both B.D.S. and M.D.S. courses while other only either of the two.
Financial Concerns
If you think that you will start earning heavy amount right from the very beginning, you are wrong. Dentistry in one of the fields in which experience matters. As a fresh dentist, you'll be able to earn Rs. 5,000 - Rs 10,000 only. You'll be held a trainee and will get the basic or easy cases to handle.
Now it all depends on you how far and how fast you go from being apprentice to a master. An experienced dentist can earn a lucrative income or more in private practice. If your idea is minimum work and maximum profit, then you would have to do MDS in any specializations.
The best way to prepare you for life dedicated to dentistry is to prepare yourself for a lot of hard work, slow dividends in the beginning and a lifelong hunger for new, latest knowledge. If you are able to do that, then you can not only make financial gains but also produce good citizens of tomorrow giving them healthy dentition and better smile.
The dental mechanics can set up their labs and can earn thousands to lakhs per month.
Dentistry Abroad
Dentistry is a highly respected profession in all countries of the world. In many developed countries, dentists are one of the richest professionals. In some places, patient waits up to 2-3 months for a dental appointment and pay as much as ten- hundred times the cost of the same treatment in India. However, may nations do not recognize the Indian degree i.e. BDS.