BDS Admission 2024: Eligibility, NEET, Fees & Career

Dental-related diseases are spreading fast in the country, but the proportion of dentists needed to keep teeth and gums healthy is not. Even today, dentists are mainly available in large cities and towns. If you become a dentist, it can be a profitable and rewarding career. This is a great option for youth interested in the medical field. In today's competition to look beautiful and healthy, people want beautiful faces and shiny teeth.

What is Dentistry?

Dentistry is the branch of Health Services related to the shape, functioning, protection, and improvement of teeth, the inner part of the mouth, and the interconnection of these organs with the body. All mouth-related diseases, oral diseases, wounds, defects, repair of teeth damaged by diseases or accidents, and artificial teeth come under this. The field of dental treatment is almost as big as eye or skin therapy. Its social importance and the opportunity to serve are also high. The dentist's profession is independently organized and is an important department of health services. For the art and science of dentistry, proper knowledge of the structure of the mouth, the origin of teeth, their development and functioning, and other organs and tissues inside them is necessary. Medicinal, surgical, and mechanical treatment knowledge is also required. Only then can you succeed in this field.

History of Dentistry in India

The first dental clinic in India opened in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1920. A second clinic opened in Karachi in 1926. Nair Dental School opened in 1933. Regular education for the BDS degree began at the Day College of Dentistry in Lahore. Studies for the MDS Degree began in 1945. In 1949, a dental school in Uttar Pradesh opened in Lucknow, affiliated with King George Medical College.

Eligibility to Become a Dentist

To become a dentist, you should have at least 50 percent marks in 12th grade with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. You can then get admission to a dental course based on an Entrance Test. Expertise can be achieved by doing different courses in this field too. After specializing in dental care, doors to employment in the government or private sector open.

Selection Process

For MBBS and BDS admission, NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has administered it since 2019. See the NTA NEET UG 2026 bulletin. The test has 180 objective-type questions from Botany, Zoology, Physics, and Chemistry. Only after success in this examination does a candidate get the opportunity for admission to a Dental College for the four-year BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery). Check the BDS programme's recognition separately from the examination and counselling process, using the regulator information linked by NTA. State/UT counselling for BDS also uses NEET-UG results; it is not a separate state entrance examination. Check the applicable counselling rules. After completing the degree program, a one-year internship is held in the fifth year. This is an essential part of the course.

Fees

The fees for doing BDS courses in government dental colleges are about Rs 1 lakh, but the problem is that the number of dental colleges in the country is very few. Four years' fees in private colleges are above Rs 10 Lacs. MDS course fees are also very low in government colleges, but private colleges differ across various specialized departments. It starts at 12 Lacs and goes up to 20 lacs rupees. For poor students who come on merit, government medical colleges have scholarship arrangements.

About NEET

AIIMS and JIPMER MBBS admissions also use NEET-UG. AFMC requires NEET-UG plus its prescribed screening and eligibility process. MCC and State/UT authorities administer different seat pools; check the exact institutional and quota rules in the NTA 2026 counselling chapter and MCC 2026 bulletin. Do not apply a single 15%/85% split to every institution.

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Types of NEET Examination

NEET-UG covers undergraduate MBBS and BDS admission. Postgraduate dental admission has a separate NEET-MDS examination: NBEMS's 2026 notice identifies the examination authority and directs applicants to its information bulletin. Check that bulletin for the applicable programme and exceptions. These examinations are not interchangeable.

Specialization

After completing the BDS course, an MDS is essential for a higher degree of knowledge and intensive care. Admission tests are also organized for the Master of Dental Surgery course. There are different types of specializations in MDS. These include areas such as Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Pedodontics, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics. You can be an expert in one of these areas. To achieve specialization in dentistry, there are practice programs related to it where you get information about new experiments, research, and treatments in the country and the world. After obtaining a degree, many types of certificate and diploma courses can also be done. Information about dental treatment can be updated from these.

Internship

The internship is a process where you get a chance at practical knowledge of what you have studied during theory classes. It's practical experience of book knowledge. You get the freedom to work with open hands before starting your actual career-a chance to refine your skills.

Eligibility for Internship: BDS students can do internships in Dental Sc. after completing a degree. There is a one-year internship in the fifth year. This is an essential part of the course. MDS students can also do internships for specialization and deep knowledge. MDS has different types of specialization. It includes areas such as oral surgery, pedodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology and prosthodontics.

Process: The candidate does not need to apply themselves anymore, because the Institute sends the students for internships.

MDS and Other Courses After BDS

The basic qualification for the MDS course is a BDS degree. One must have a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery or a provisional passing certificate in BDS or an equivalent qualification from any Indian dental university recognized by the Dental Council of India (DCI). Also, one must have completed or be in the process of completing the one-year internship or practical training. This training or internship done in the respective dental college should be approved or recognized by the Government of India.

Branches of MDS

To do MDS, first of all, you have to select the branch, i.e., specialization, based on which you are given a subject. Following are the main branches of MDS, from which you can select the discipline of your choice.

Oral Maxillofacial Surgery: Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS or OMS) specializes in surgery of the face, mouth, and jaws. These are dentists who treat conditions, defects, injuries and esthetic aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws and face through surgery. They are commonly referred to as oral surgeons.

Prosthetic Dentistry or Prosthodontics: Prosthetic dentistry or Prosthodontics is also known as Restorative dentistry which deals with the procedures and management that are performed to keep your mouth healthy and functional. These procedures include making dentures, putting in dental implants, filling cavities, and crowns, etc.

Where are the Opportunities?

There is a lot of demand for dental surgeons in both the public and private sectors in the country. Today, the entire country has a network of private hospitals, and dentists are being appointed with better packages and facilities. Similarly, private nursing homes and a large number of government doctors are being appointed as dentists. Apart from government hospitals and medical colleges, there are appointments of dentists in hospitals operated by railway and defense sectors. Toothpaste and other such product manufacturing companies appoint these dentists as experts. Apart from this, private clinics can also be opened as self-employment. After getting higher education in dentistry, teaching can be joined as a professor in a dental college. Dental research can also be done here.

Dentistry in the Army

The Army Dental Corps is a collaborative branch of the Army Medical Corps. The Chief of the Dental Corps gets the rank of Colonel and is also called the Deputy Director of Dental Services. The Navy and Air Force have separate departments of dentistry. There are five specialists for diverse branches of dental care. For the training of dental mechanics and dental protectors, they are taught at the Armed Forces Medical College, Poona. Recruitment is in the form of the first short service commission. A permanent commission is given to some selected executives.

Earnings

The starting pay scale of a dentist in a government hospital is more than Rs 50,000. As experience increases, the salary increases. The salary for a senior doctor is above 1.5 lakh. Apart from this, earnings from a clinic in the private sector depend on walk-ins. It can be from one lakh to 10 lakh rupees per month, but it requires a lot of hard work and recognition.