Medicine & Health SciencesBDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery)

BDS Syllabus 2024: Subjects, Semester-wise Syllabus PDF, Top Colleges, Books

Updated on Jan 3, 2025 09:06 IST

Parul ThapaSenior Executive Content

The BDS or Bachelor of Dental Surgery is a four-year bachelor's degree programme to become a dentist. It is an undergraduate-level course where students learn to diagnose, prevent, and treat illnesses, disorders, and oral cavity ailments. Students who have studied science stream with biology in classes 11 and 12 can opt for a BDS course. The programme includes four years of classroom study and several practicals, followed by a one-year compulsory internship in hospitals and clinics.

Table of Contents

Syllabus: Important Facts for BDS
List of Subjects in BDS
- 2.1 Typical Core Subjects for BDS
- 2.2 Typical Elective Subjects for BDS
Detailed Syllabus For BDS
Books and Authors Related to BDS
Entrance Exam for BDS
- 5.1 Syllabus for Distance Programme in BDS
Top Colleges for BDS
BDS Syllabus: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Syllabus: Important Facts for BDS

Duration of the course

BDS is a five-year undergraduate course with a four-year classroom study followed by one year of internship. Upon completing the five-year course, students are awarded the BDS degree, which authorises them to practice as dentists.

Syllabus of the course

The syllabus of the BDS course includes core and elective subjects and practical subjects. These subjects are General Pathology, Microbiology, General and Dental Pharmacology, Dental Therapeutics, Preclinical Conservative Dentistry, Oral Pathology, and Oral Microbiology.

Scope

The BDS course allows the degree holders to practice as a dentist. Dentists can pursue their practice through a private clinic or seek employment in private or government hospitals.

Examination Pattern

The examination pattern for BDS includes semester papers, practical examinations, and internships. The scheme of the examination is such that it includes theory papers, internal assessments, viva voce, and practical examinations.

After BDS

Upon completing the programme, students receive their BDS degree. To strengthen their understanding and achieve expertise in a specific field of dentistry, they can opt for a master's course. The MDS or Master’s of Dental Surgery is a three-year course to pursue after BDS.

Also Read: NEET Prep Questions with Solutions 2023: Free PDF Download

List of Subjects in BDS

Typical Core Subjects for BDS

Subject title	Subject Details
Human Anatomy, Embryology, Histology, and Medical Genetics	The subject deals with the introduction of anatomical terms and a brief outline of various systems of the body, Regional anatomy of head & neck with osteology of bones of head & neck, with emphasis on topics of dental importance; The regional anatomy of the sites of intramuscular & intravascular injections, & lumbar punctures are also discussed.
Human Physiology	Students learn about the basic concept of Homeostasis, Feedback mechanisms; Blood and its components; Muscle and nerve; Digestive system; Excretory system; Endocrinology; Reproduction; Body temperature; Respiratory system; Central Nervous System
Biochemistry	Through this subject, students learn about the Biochemical basis of the life processes relevant to the human system and dental/medical practice. They understand the Chemistry of Bioorganic molecules; Macronutrients and Digestion; Micronutrients; Energy metabolism; Enzyme and metabolic regulation
General And Dental Pharmacology And Therapeutics	As future dentists, students understand the general principles of pharmacology; sources and nature of drugs dosage forms; prescription writing; pharmacokinetics; CNS drugs; General anaesthetics; Drugs acting on blood; Endocrines and Chemotherapy
Orthodontics & Dental Orthopaedics	The subject includes the diagnosis, analysis, and processes for treating orthodontic issues. It also includes Morphologic Development of Craniofacial Structures; Functional Development Of Dental Arches And Occlusion; Malocclusion and its classification, Normal And Abnormal Function Of Stomatognathic System
Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry	The subject includes the study of growth and development in Pedodontics, Prenatal and Postnatal factors in growth & development, Study of variations and abnormalities, Development of teeth and associated structures, Chronology of eruption of teeth, Indications and contraindications of extractions of primary and permanent teeth in children, Knowledge of Local and General Anaesthesia
Public Health Dentistry	The subject introduces Health & Disease: Concepts, Philosophy, Definition and Characteristics; Public Health- Definition & Concepts, History of public health; Environmental Health; Public Health Administration; Nutrition in oral diseases; Health-care delivery system
Periodontology	It is a core dental subject that teaches the definition of Periodontology, Periodontics, Periodontia, Brief historical background, Scope of Periodontics; Age changes in periodontal structures and their significance in Geriatric dentistry; Classification of periodontal diseases, Gingival diseases, Epidemiology of periodontal diseases
Prosthodontics And Crown & Bridge	Students understand various aspects of applied Anatomy and Physiology, Diagnosis and treatment planning for patients, Components of a removable partial denture, Survey and design, Mouth preparation and master cast; Principles of tooth preparations, Preparations for full and partial veneer crowns

Typical Elective Subjects for BDS

Subject Title	Subject Details
Aesthetic Dentistry	This elective subject deals with the aspects of the smile, esthetic forms of dentistry, procedures to enhance the overall look of smile and face, and chemical procedures such as beaching to enhance visual characteristics.
Forensic odontology	Introduction to forensic dentistry, Overview of forensic medicine and toxicology, Cause of death and postmortem changes, Toxicological manifestations in teeth and oral tissues; Basis for dental identification, Postmortem procedures, Dental record compilation and interpretation
Ethics	Introduction to ethics, Ethics of the individual – The patient as a person, Right to be respected; Profession Ethics – Code of conduct Contract and confidentiality, Charging of fees, fee-splitting; Prescription of drugs, Over-investigating the patient, Malpractice and negligence; Research Ethics – Animal and experimental research/humanness; Human experimentation Human volunteer research-informed consent Drug trials
Behavioural Sciences	The subject helps in developing the understanding of behavioural factors of dentistry, explaining stress, learning simple counselling techniques, and improving patients’ compliance behaviour; Diagnosing and managing minor psychological problems while treating dental patients.
Oral Implantology	The subject of oral implantology introduces the concepts of implantations in the mouth, various aspects of implantology, and finding and treating related issues.

Detailed Syllabus For BDS

The detailed syllabus for BDS includes core and elective subjects over a period of four years. The fifth year of BDS is an internship that does not have a defined syllabus. The detailed syllabus is given below:

Semester/Year

Core/

Elective

Subject Title

Subject Details

1st Year

Core

General Human Anatomy

Including Embryology,

Osteology and Histology

General Human Physiology,

Biochemistry, Nutrition and

Dietetics

Dental Anatomy and Dental

Histology

This core subject helps students to understand the general anatomy of the human body. The subject emphasises the local areas of the face and neck as they are directly associated with dentistry. Students learn about medical genetics through this subject.

General physiology is of great importance for dentists. Students learn about the basics of cells, nerves, and blood in this subject. They also understand the functioning of nerves, muscles, and hormones in this subject.

The subject includes definitions and nomenclature in Dental Anatomy, Tooth numbering systems, differences between permanent and deciduous dentition, and definition of elevations and depressions on the tooth Different Traits

2nd Year

Core

General Pathology and

Microbiology

Dental Pharmacology and

Therapeutics

Dental Materials

Students are introduced to Pathology and its different sections, The Cell in health, Normal cell structure, The Cellular functions; Cellular adaptations and intracellular accumulations

In this subject, students learn about general pharmacology, the effects of drugs on the autonomic Nervous System, Central Nervous and Cardiovascular and Renal System Antimicrobial drugs

Introduction to Dental Materials; Biocompatibility of Materials; Physical Properties; Mechanical properties; Hydrocolloid impression materials; Gypsum products

3rd Year

Core

General Medicine

General Surgery

Oral Pathology and

Microbiology

Prosthodontics and Crown and

Bridge

General medicine emphasises the need for medicines, the aim of giving medications, and understanding the symptoms and signs to provide the right medication. It also includes the methods of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of various diseases.

Introduction to Surgery (History and Principles), Wounds; Inflammation, Aetiology, Pathology and Management; Carbuncle, Cellulitis, Abscess, Ludwig’s angina, Erysipelas; Tetanus; Gas Gangrene; Shock- Definition, Classification, Pathophysiology and Management

Developmental Disturbances of oral and paraoral structures; Developmental disturbances of hard tissues; Benign and Malignant tumours of the oral cavity; Bone and cartilage; Tumours of the salivary glands

Introduction to Complete Dentures: Components / Parts of a Complete Dentures Steps in the fabrication of Complete Dentures; Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

Clinical History taking; Mouth Preparation in Complete Denture; Pre-prosthetic surgery

4th Year

Core

Elective

Orthodontics and Dental

Orthopaedics

Periodontology

Public Health Dentistry

Definition, Historical Background, aims and Objectives of Orthodontics and Need for Orthodontics care; Morphologic Development of Craniofacial structures

Definition of Periodontology, Periodontics, Periodontia; Microstructural Anatomy and biology of periodontal tissues in detail,

gingiva, junctional epithelium; Defensive mechanisms in the oral cavity; Classification of periodontal diseases

Introduction, Definition, History, Changing concepts, History of Public; Health in India Characteristic method and Technique; Clinical Dentistry and Public Health Dentistry, Survey, Biostatistics

Specialisations Offered In BDS

After completing their BDS programme, dentists can opt for an MDS course. There are several specialisations available for dentists at the PG level. These specialisations are given below:

Specialisation

Specialisation Subjects

Subject Details

Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge

Complete Dentures

Tooth Replacements

Tooth and tissue defects

Esthetic/Smile designing

Prosthodontics and Crown and Bridge is a discipline of dentistry concerned with the recovery and preservation of oral function, health, safety, and aesthetics by the replacement of teeth and surrounding tissues with permanent or removable artificial alternatives.

Periodontology

Applied Anatomy

Physiology

Biochemistry

Pathology

Etiopathogenesis

Periodontology is the discipline that studies the health and disorders of the teeth's developing and sustaining elements, as well as the oral mucous membrane.

Paediatric Dentistry

Applied Anatomy & genetics

Nutrition and Dietetics

Growth & Development

Preventive Pedodontics

Paediatric Dentistry deals with the prevention and treatment of oral and dental ailments that may occur during childhood.

Also Read: Are you preparing for NEET? Click here for Class 11 & 12 NCERT Solutions

Physics 11th NCERT Solutions Click here	Chemistry 11th NCERT Solutions Click here
Physics 12th NCERT Solutions Click here	-

Books and Authors Related to BDS

BDS is a professional course with direct applications in the real world. The books included in the programme are such that they focus on the practical aspects of dentistry whilst explaining the theory topics. The books in the curriculum for BDS include textbooks and reference books. Some of the books for BDS are given below:

Subject	Book Title	Authors
Physiology	Textbook of Physiology Human Physiology for BDS students	Guyton A.K. Jain
Human Anatomy, Embryology, Histology & Medical Genetics	Clinical Anatomy for Medical Students Medical Embryology	Snell (Richard S.) Sadler, Langman’s
Oral Radiology	Principles of Oral Diagnosis Oral Diagnosis & Oral Medicine Oral Manifestations of Systemic Diseases	Coleman Mitchell Jones
Orthodontics & Dental Orthopaedics	Contemporary Orthodontics Orthodontics For Dental Students	William R. Proffit White And Gardiner
Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry	Pediatric Dentistry (Infancy through Adolescence) Occlusal guidance in Paediatric Dentistry Dentistry for the Child and Adolescence	Pinkham Stephen H. Wei Mc. Donald
Public Health Dentistry	Dentistry Dental Practice and Community Principles of Dental Public Health	David F. Striffler and Brian A. Burt James Morse Dunning
Periodontology	Glickman’s Clinical Periodontology Essentials of Periodontology and periodontics Preventive Periodontics	Carranza Torquil MacPhee Young and Stiffler
Prosthodontics And Crown & Bridge	Syllabus of Complete denture Essentials of complete denture prosthodontics	Charles M. Heartwell Jr. and Arthur O. Rahn. Sheldon Winkler
Ethics	Medical Ethics	Francis C.M.
General Psychology	General psychology	S.K. Mangal

Entrance Exam for BDS

For admission to BDS programmes, aspirants must take the NEET-UG examination. The NEET-UG or National entrance-cum-eligibility test is a national-level exam conducted for admission to medical, dental, and ayurvedic programmes in India. It is conducted by the national testing agency (NTA). The test is to be taken using an OMR sheet in pen and paper mode.

NEET-UG is a three-hour-long examination with 180 questions. The test includes four sections, each for one subject from Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. Each section has two subsections; section A has 35 questions, and section B has 15 questions. Each correct answer fetches four marks, while there is a negative marking of one mark for each wrong answer. Students can select their preferred choice of language to take the test. There are a total of 13 languages available to opt for the test.

The difficulty level of the exam is moderate to difficult, with lakhs of aspirants for some thousands of seats. The cutoff for MBBS courses is the highest, followed by the cutoff for BDS courses. Aspirants must have completed a minimum of seventeen years and should not be more than twenty five years of age when writing the test. There is also an eligibility criterion for students to have studied English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology in 12th standard for appearing in the NEET-UG test.

Syllabus for Distance Programme in BDS

The BDS or Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme is only available as a full-time regular course. There is no option of distance or online course for the BDS programme.

Also Read: Click here to practise NEET Mock Tests

Top Colleges for BDS

The best colleges in India for pursuing BDS are selected on the basis of the courses offered, faculty experience, and infrastructure development. Here are some of the top colleges for BDS as per government and private rankings:

College/University/Institution	Syllabus
Manipal College of Dental Sciences	To be Uploaded Soon.
Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi	To be Uploaded Soon.
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune	To be Uploaded Soon.
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences	To be Uploaded Soon.
King George’s Medical University	To be Uploaded Soon.
A.B.Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences	To be Uploaded Soon.
Jamia Millia Islamia	To be Uploaded Soon.
Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research	To be Uploaded Soon.
Nair Hospital Dental College	To be Uploaded Soon.
JSS Dental College and Hospital	To be Uploaded Soon.

BDS Syllabus: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. What is the BDS course?

A. The BDS or Bachelor of Dental Surgery is the undergraduate course in dentistry in India. It is a five-year long course with four years of study and one year of internship.

Q. What subjects are included in the BDS course?

A. Some of the subjects included in the BDS course are General human Physiology, Biochemistry, General Pathology, Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry, and Periodontology.

Q. Which practicals are done during the BDS course?

A. The practical subjects in the curriculum of the BDS programme include Dental Anatomy, Embryology, and Oral Histology, Microbiology, Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, Prosthodontics & Crown & Bridge.

Q. Which entrance exam is given for admission to the BDS programme?

A. The most famous and widely taken medical entrance examination in India is NEET or the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test. NEET-UG is conducted to get admission to private and government medical colleges for MBBS, BDS, and BAMS programmes.

Q. What is the scope of a BDS programme?

A. After completing the BDS programme, the student receives the BDS degree, which entitles them to practice as a dentist in the country. Students can further pursue masters or begin their practice with a bachelor’s degree.

Q. Which course can I pursue after the BDS programme?

A. After the BDS programme, dentists can opt for the MDS or Master of Dental Surgery programme. Students can also opt for a specific specialisation for their MDS course, or study a diploma course instead of the MDS programme.

Q. What are the top colleges to pursue BDS?

A. The top colleges in India to pursue BDS are AIIMS, Manipal College of Dental Studies, King George’s Medical University Lucknow, Government Dental College Bengaluru, and Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth.

Q. Is it possible to pursue BDS without giving the NEET examination?

A. It is mandatory for all BDS aspirants to take the NEET-UG examination to get admission to the programme. Admission to private, government and all categories of medical colleges is done through NEET-UG counselling.

Q. What is the difference between MBBS and BDS?

A. MBBS is the UG course for becoming a doctor, while BDS is the UG course to become a dentist in India. MBBS stands for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, while BDS stands for Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

Q. What is the difference between BDS and BAMS?

A. BDS or the Bachelor of Dental Surgery is the undergraduate course to become a dentist, while BAMS or the Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine, and Surgery is the UG course to become an ayurvedic doctor.

Q. What are the specialisations in dentistry?

A. The specialisations in Dentistry include Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine and Radiology, Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry, Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Periodontology, Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics, and Conservative Dentistry.

Q. Are dentists allowed to use ‘Dr.’ in front of their name?

A. Yes. As BDS includes the word surgery, dentists are allowed to use the prefix Dr. before their names.

Q. What is the age limit for NEET?

A. The lower age limit for NEET-UG is seventeen years. The upper age limit for UR or unreserved aspirants is 25 years, while for reserved category students, the upper age limit is 30 years.

Q. What was the cutoff for NEET 2021?

A. In 2021, the NEET-UG cutoff was 720-138 for unreserved candidates, 137-122 for General-PH candidates, 137-108 for SC, ST, and OBC candidates.

Popular BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Colleges in India

Following are the most popular BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Colleges in India. Learn more about these BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, DelhiDelhi

Admission '25 Placement Cutoff

Medicine & Health Sciences Courses

133 Courses (1584+ Seats)

Exams