M.D.S. in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a pg program for doctors who have graduated in Dental Science and want to perform as dentists in India or abroad. They do it after completing their B.D.S. (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Dental Council of India. It should have obtained permanent registration with the State Dental Council.

The duration of this Postgraduate program is three years. It concentrates on the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects of the human jaws and associated oral and facial structures.

The course is a full-time program pursued at various accredited institutes nationwide. Some accredited institutes/hospitals offering this program include PGIMER Chandigarh, Smt. Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, New Delhi; New Delhi; Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, Karnataka, and many more.

Admission to this program is made through the NEET-MDS Entrance exam conducted by the (NBEMS) National Board of Examinations in Medical Science, followed by counseling based on the exam scores that DGHS/DCI/State Authorities conduct. 

The fee for pursuing M.D.S. differs from accredited hospital to hospital and may range from Rs. 15,000 to Rs.30 lakhs per annum. The fees in government dental institutes are low when compared to private dental colleges.

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Eligibility Criteria

• A candidate for admission to M.D.S. should have a recognized degree of B.D.S. awarded by an Indian University in respect of a recognized Dental College under Section 10(2) of the Dentists Act, 1948 or an equivalent qualification acknowledged by the Dental Council of India and should have acquired permanent registration with the State Dental Council.
• Students who possess a P.G. diplomas recognized by the DCI with a duration of 2 years (proposed) in a particular specialty are eligible for admission to M.D.S. in the same specialty. The duration will be two years. The curriculum for the two years will follow the concerned university policies.

• Selection Of Postgraduate Students:

(1) Students for postgraduate dental courses (M.D.S.) shall be selected strictly based on academic merit.

(2) For determining the academic merit, the university/institution may adopt any one of the following procedures both for P.G. Diploma and M.D.S. degree courses:

(i) based on merit as determined by a competitive test conducted by the State Government or by the competent authority appointed by the State Government or by the University/group of universities in the same state; or

(ii) based on merit as determined by a centralized competitive test held at the national level;

or

(iii) based on the individual cumulative performance at the first, second, third & Final B.D.S. examinations, if such examinations have been passed from the same university; or

(iv) a combination of (i) and (iii); (iii)

• Provided that wherever the entrance test for Postgraduate admissions is held by a State Government or a university or any other authorized examining body, the minimum percentage of marks for eligibility for admission to postgraduate Dental courses shall be 50% for general category candidates and 40% for the candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Provided further that in non-Governmental institutions, fifty percent of the total seats shall be filled by the competent authority and the remaining percent by the institution's management based on merit.

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Admission Procedure

• National Eligibility Entrance Test for M.D.S. is a national-level pg level examination conducted by the N.B.E. for admission to M.D.S. courses in approved Dental Colleges/ Deemed Universities.
• The Dental Council of India decides these eligibility criteria with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The basic needs to appear for NEET MDS can be checked below: -

· Students must hold a B.D.S. degree from a recognized institute to fulfill NEET MDS eligibility criteria 2023.

· Provisional/permanent registration with State Dental Council (S.D.C.) or DCI by July 31, 2023.

· Completing a one-year compulsory rotatory training by July 31 of the academic year a candidate is seeking admission is mandatory.

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