A Brief Introduction
The lifestyle of people have now changed dramatically with the growing economy, leading to shifts in dietary habits and changes in daily routines.
Dental issues are now increasing due to factors such as poor diet, lack of proper oral hygiene, and increased consumption of sugary foods and drinks. This has led to a higher demand for dental services and professionals.
So, if you are the one who is interested in oral healthcare, a career as a Dentist is a perfect fit for you!
Let’s get started and learn in more detail about the career scope, salary range, roles and responsibilities, and the eligibility criteria to kickstart your career as a Dentist.
Who is a Dentist?
Dentists are the main healthcare providers who specialises in oral care. They check and treat various dental issues, perform routine exams, and offer treatments like cleanings, fillings, root canals, and tooth extractions. Some Dentists specialise in areas like braces (orthodontics), surgery (oral surgery), or children’s teeth (paediatric dentistry).
Many Dentists work as general or family practitioners and help a wide range of patients. Others focus on specific groups or treatments. They often work with other specialists, like orthodontists, oral surgeons, and periodontists, to give complete care to their patients.
1. Types of Dentistry Specialization
Dentistry is a diverse field with various specialisations, each focusing on different oral health and dental care aspects. Here are the main types of dentists:
General Dentist:
- Provide primary dental care, including routine check-ups, cleanings, fillings, and preventive education.
- Address common dental issues such as cavities, gum disease, and minor tooth repairs.
Pediatric Dentist (Pedodontist):
- Specialise in dental care for children from infancy through adolescence.
- Address issues such as cavity prevention, early orthodontic assessment, and management of dental anxiety in children.
Orthodontist:
- Focus on the alignment of teeth and jaws using braces, retainers, and other corrective devices.
- Treat issues such as overbites, underbites, and misaligned teeth.
Periodontist:
- Specialise in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of gum disease.
- Perform procedures such as scaling and root planing, gum grafts, and dental implants.
Endodontics:
- They focus on the treatment of dental pulp and root canal therapy.
- Handle complex cases of tooth pain and infection that affect the inner tooth structure.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon:
- Perform surgical procedures related to the mouth, jaw, and face.
- Address issues such as impacted wisdom teeth, jaw misalignment, facial trauma, and oral cancers.
Prosthodontist:
- Specialise in restoring and replacing teeth with artificial devices.
- Create and fit dentures, bridges, crowns, and dental implants.
Oral Pathologist:
- Diagnose and study diseases of the oral and maxillofacial regions.
- Analyse biopsies and oral tissue samples to detect conditions such as oral cancer and other abnormalities.
Public Health Dentist:
- Focus on community dental health and preventive programs.
- Work on improving dental health policies, education, and access to care for underserved populations.
Cosmetic Dentist:
- Enhance the appearance of teeth, gums, and smile.
- Perform procedures like teeth whitening, veneers, bonding, and cosmetic reshaping.
Geriatric Dentist:
- Specialise in dental care for older adults.
- Address age-related dental issues, such as tooth wear, dry mouth, and denture care.
Career Scope as Dentist
The career scope for Dentists in India is very promising. They are always in high demand as more and more people are now aware about taking proper care of their teeth and mouths.
Also, dental care in the country has improved a lot in recent years as people have more money to spend, and the economy is growing.
For BDS graduates in India, there are many opportunities. As people become more aware of oral health, the demand for dental services will keep growing.
There are job opportunities in both cities and villages, and Dentists can specialise in different areas to match their interests. BDS graduates can also take on multiple roles and keep learning throughout their careers.
Role & Responsibilities of Dentist
The primary responsibility of a Dentist is to take oral care of their patients. This involves diagnosing, treating, maintaining and improving oral hygiene and health of the patients.
Some of the other key responsibilities include:
- Performing procedures to treat dental issues like cavities, gum disease, and tooth infections.
- Providing restorative care such as fillings, crowns, bridges, and root canals.
- Conducting examinations of teeth, gums, and other parts of the mouth.
- Educating patients on proper oral hygiene practices to prevent dental problems.
- Conducting minor oral surgeries such as teeth extraction as and when needed
- Referring patients to specialists for more complex surgical procedures.
- Regularly reviewing and updating patient dental records.
- Staying updated about the latest developments in dental research and treatment techniques.
Employment Scope Career Options for Dentists
There is a vast scope of employment for Dentists in India. They can start their own clinic and practice.
Another option is to work in hospitals. Many hospitals recruit Dentists for private practice. They can also work as teaching faculty in a dental university or college.
Some top hospitals that hire Dentists are Clove Dental, Max Superspeciality Hospital, Medirin Pharma, Apollo Hospitals, Dentafix Multispeciality Hospital, etc.
Career scope for Dentist in Govt & PSU sector
The career scope for Dentists in the government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) is quite promising.
There is a constant requirement for Dentists in Government hospitals like AIIMS, Fortis Hospital, Sir JJ Hospital, Dental Life, Safdarjung Hospital, etc.
Besides, government research organisations also hire Dentists for further research and development in Dentistry. Additionally, there is a constant need of Dentists in government health departments as well as in Indian Army, Navy, and Airforce.
Salary Range
The salary for Dentist in India can vary as per the specialisation, work experience, location, and employer.
However, the average salary a Dentist earn initially in his/her career is around 3 to 6 lacs per annum. As the experience and the number of patients increases, Dentists can earn significantly high.
Also, specialisation and advanced skills can further enhance their prospects of earning a lucrative package.
Eligibility Criteria to Become a Dentist
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) is a full-time 4 year medical course. So, there are certain educational qualification and eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled before enrolling for the undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
Below listed is the eligibility criteria:
BDS Course
The first and the foremost criteria before enrolling for a undergraduate dentist course is to complete the senior secondary education (10+2) with PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) as the main subjects and from a recognised board. Also, the minimum aggregate marks obtained in PCB must be 50% and above.
Aspiring students also need to clear the NEET-UG entrance exam with the specified cut-off marks.
MDS Course
Students that have completed the Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery (BDS) recognised by the Dental Council of India (DCI) can apply for the MDS degree.
In addition, students need to secure high marks in their BDS exams and need to be clear the NEET-PG exam with the required cut-off marks. Apart from clearing the entrance exams, students also need to complete a minimum of 1-year internship as required by the DCI before applying for the MDS course.
Diploma and Certificate courses
Several colleges in India offer short-term diploma and certificate courses in dentistry to students who cannot pursue full-time degree courses.
The minimum criteria for these students is to pass the 10+2 exam with biology as the main subject. Those who wish to pursue a postgraduate-level diploma or certificate program need to have a Bachelor’s degree in Dentistry.
Steps to Become a Dentist
Bachelor in Dentistry (BDS) is a full-time 5-year undergraduate course, including 1 year of internship. So, interested candidates need to carefully choose the institution from which they wish to pursue dental education.
The steps to become a dentist in India are listed below.
- Complete 10+2 Education: The first step towards becoming a Dentist is to pass grade 12 from the Science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as the main subjects.
- Clear the NEET entrance exam: After passing the grade 12, the next step is to sit for the NEET exam. Aspiring candidates must clear these entrance exams to be admitted into the dental college.
- Select the College/University: Several colleges provide education in dentistry. Candidates can select the college depending on their preference and marks of the entrance exams.
- Complete the Course: Candidates need to complete the 4-year undergraduate course to gain a dental degree. Those interested in further education can also do their Master’s or PhD in dentistry.
- Internship: After completing the formal education, a 1-year internship is compulsory to gain the degree. Internship helps the candidates to gain practical experience and enhance one’s skills and knowledge.
- Register with the Dental Council of India (DCI): Candidates need to register with the DCI once they complete the Bachelor’s degree and internship. Registration with the DCI is compulsory in India to practice as a Dentist.
- Obtain Specialised Certification: While many Dentists begin working right after finishing their undergraduate degree, you have the option to specialise in a particular area of advanced dentistry as per your interest and area of expertise.
Skills Required to Become a Dentist
Dentistry is a medical course that teaches you all about the oral healthcare. So, knowledge about the medical terms is essential.
Besides, Dentists also need to be good at communication skills, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, patience, attention-to-detail, organisational skills, and fine motor skills. Manual dexterity and fine motor skills are required while replacing fillings, creating dentures, and while conducting teeth cleaning treatment.
Entrance Exam for Dentist
In India, the NEET entrance exam is conducted to get admission to the BDS course. NEET is a nationwide test in India that candidates need to take to get into government or private medical colleges for undergraduate courses like MBBS or BDS.
Certain states also conduct their own medical entrance exams before giving admission to students. These entrance exams may vary from state to state.
Also, many private institutes and universities have their own entrance exams. If you want to apply to these universities, make sure to get all the information about them, including their recognition and the quality of their courses.
Candidates are given admission to the dentistry course based on the entrance exam marks.
Note: Candidates need to ensure that they complete their BDS course from colleges that are recognised by the Dental Council of India (DCI) for private practice. DCI is the recognised apex body that approves dental education in India.
Syllabus for BDS Course
The syllabus at the BDS course mainly consists of medical and dental subjects. Along with the theoretical knowledge, Dentists also need to be good at clinical experience and handling patients.
Some of the main subjects and topics covered in dentistry course includes:
- Human Anatomy, Embryology, Histology, and Medical Genetics
- Human Physiology
- Biochemistry
- General and Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Chemotherapy
- Oral Pathology
- Orthodontics and Dental Orthopaedics
- Public Health Dentistry
- Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge
- General Surgery
- Pedodontics
- Endodontics, etc.
Top Universities for Dentist
Several universities in India offer dentistry course. There are at least 10 to 12 university in each state of India. So, candidates have numerous options to choose a university based on their location preference and fee structure.
Some of the top universities that offer dentistry course are DY Patil College – Mumbai & Pune, Bharti Vidyapith – Pune, Government Dental College & Hospital – Pune and Nagpur, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapith – Karad, Government Dental College – Jamnagar and Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Government College of Dentistry – Indore, JIPMER – Puducherry, etc.
Fees for Dentist Course
The fees for a dentistry course mainly depends on the institution and whether you are pursuing the course in a government or private college.
The fees of a government college is much lesser and affordable as compared to the private colleges.
The fees in Government colleges is around 80k to 1 lac per year, while that of private colleges is 2 to 5 lacs per year.
Final Thoughts
A career as a Dentist offers many opportunities and is rewarding. Dentists help people maintain good oral health and can work in various settings, including cities and villages. They can specialise in different areas and continue to learn and grow throughout their careers. As awareness of dental health increases, the demand for dental services will keep rising, making it a promising field.