Full Form of BDS
Bachelor of Dental Surgery
BDS Full Form is Bachelor of Dental Surgery. This is an undergraduate course in the field of Dentistry. BDS degree deals with handling injuries and surgeries related to the mouth, teeth, gums, and jaws. It also includes the treatment for tooth decay. The course lasts for 5 years inclusive of a 1-year internship.
To enroll into the BDS course, a student must have cleared HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate/12th class) with the main subjects of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The student must also clear the entrance exam that is conducted throughout India. The admissions are generally governed by merit and domiciliary status.
The entire course is offered in two semesters. The course comprises of various aspects of learning including surgical procedures, community dentistry, radiology, oral medicine and more. Some of the main subjects in BDS include Oral Pathology, Orthodontics, Oral Surgery, Oral Anatomy and histology, Oral Microbiology, Periodontics, Oral Medicine and Roentgenology etc.
BDS Full Form – Additional Information
Medical Science is a vast world wherein you can learn different kinds of sciences relating to human health and welfare. Some are extensively studied whereas some are not as frequently studied as others. Nevertheless, each has its own unique relevance and therefore, cannot be weighed against another.
Of those courses in Medical science that generally opt for, the dental course is one of the most common ones, for that matter, Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Bachelor of Dental Surgery, which will hereinafter be referred to as BDS throughout the article, is one of the most established and designated degrees that is awarded to dentists. It is important to note that BDS is the sole professional and educational programme in India that relate to dental surgery.
A typical BDS stands equivalent to a degree in Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (abbreviated as MBBS). Once a student manages to complete BDS, he or she can lawfully use the prefix Dr before his or her name. BDS is extremely popular, considering the fact that BDS is the second most popular choice among medical aspirants after MBBS.
BDS, as mentioned above, is one of the well-founded degree courses in the country and therefore, provides for lucrative career opportunities to enrolled students. The aforementioned paragraphs only highlight the bare minimum about one of the most popular medical courses in our country and therefore, require proper elucidation. It is, therefore, important to explore various facets involved in a typical BDS course. Here are five things about BDS that you must know about:
Course of BDS
BDS is a very challenging course and requires a lot of patience and zeal on the part of the enrolled student. It is a lengthy five-year undergraduate course wherein the first four and a half years are dedicated to academic session in which essentials about dentistry are taught and then followed by a one-year mandatory internship programme in live surroundings for the purposes of gaining practical skills in the field.
There are many colleges and universities that offer BDS degrees and quite a few of them are prestigious. As far as the year 2010 is concerned, there were total 291 colleges and universities that offered BDS programme. Amongst them, about 39 of them are operated by the government and the remaining 252 are operated by private institutions. Now the numbers must have considerably increased, as there is a dramatic rise in the number of enrollments and graduates in dental surgery.
Eligibility criteria in BDS course
A BDS programme, as mentioned earlier, is an undergraduate professional course and therefore, shares similar eligibility criteria with other undergraduate degree courses in medical science. It is mandatory that the interested student has qualified 10+2 examination with the minimum required marks. The minimum requirement is subject to different reservation categories.
If the candidate satisfies this condition, then he or she is to sit at various state level and national level examinations that are periodically organized for the purpose of enrollment in BDS courses by institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Science (abbreviated as AIIMS), Armed Forces Medical College (abbreviated as AFMC), Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU), All India Pre-Dental Test (AIPDT), etc.
Admission in a BDS course will depend on the score obtained in the entrance examination, the cut off placed in such examination, and marks scored in 10+2 examination. Admission also depends on the category to which the student belongs such as Scheduled Caste (Abbreviated as SC), Other Backward Class (abbreviated as OBC), etc. There are many candidates for BDS courses and therefore, the fight is tough for all students.
Syllabus of BDS Course
BDS is a professional undergraduate course and comprises extensive and elaborative syllabus on dentistry. In a typical BDS course, subjects such as physiology, biochemistry, prosthodontics, dental material, microbiology, histology, embryology, pathology, orthodontics, dentistry, periodontics, etc. are taught. In each of the subjects, important aspects are covered in order to impart sufficiently and high-quality knowledge to the enrolled student in the field of dental science. Not only this, the student is also entitled to practical experiences during the one year period of the internship programme, which helps the student to apply whatever he or she has learned in practical situations of life.
Specialization after obtaining BDS degree
While a typical BDS degree entitles the graduate to use the title Dr before his or her name, one may also opt to undertake advanced study in any particular field in dental science. Thus, one can opt for Master of Dental Surgery (abbreviated as MDS), which is a three-year course that trains students in the chosen subject. One can specialize in Community Dentistry, Maxillofacial surgery, Oral surgery, Periodontics, radiology, Oral medicine Diagnosis, Oral Pathology, Endodontics, Preventive Dentistry, Conservative Dentistry, etc. The Dental Council of India is the apex body that is responsible for the regulation of dental education in the country.
Career opportunities for BDS degree holders
It has been repeatedly mentioned that a BDS course is one of the most sought after courses in the country as well as abroad. It is second only to MBBS and caters to a large number of students. Thus, it is natural that there are a good number of career and job opportunities for graduates and post-graduates in this field. In a typical BDS course, you will learn laser surgery, tissue graft, imaging, and implants; all of which are extremely in vogue in the world of dental science. There is a long line of recruiters, who are willing to hire BDS graduates such as hospitals, health corporations, nursing homes, Ministry of Health, and others.
If you want to start your own private practice, you can do it without any second thoughts. After all, it is a lucrative field. The initial salary of a fresh BDS graduate generally falls between the range Rs. 8k to Rs. 15k. After having acquired sufficient skills and experience, the earnings may increase to 4 to 6 lacs per annum. Dentistry is more established in countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom, where one can earn in lacs per month.