BDS stands for Bachelor of Dental surgery. it is a clinical field of surgery associated with mouth and dealing with the injuries related to teeth, jaw, and gums. It is a 5 year undergraduate degree program in dentistry to prepare students for successful career as a dental health practitioner.

Masters of Dental Sciences [MDS] in Oral Medicine and radiology is a 3-year full time postgraduate course, the eligibility for which is having a bachelor’s degree in dental sciences with a minimum of 55% marks. Certain universities offer a direct entrance test for admission in the college while others require you to have already given any of the standard tests for MDS in Oral Medicine and Radiology such as NEET MDS.

M.D.S. Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics or Master of Dental Surgery in Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics is a postgraduate Dentistry course. Conservative Dentistry deals with prevention and treatment of disease and injuries of the teeth, here, diseased or fractured teeth are restored with restorative materials that are biologically acceptable and aesthetically pleasing. Whereas Endodontics deals with prevention and treatment of pulp and periarticular diseases and this specialty particularly strives to save an infected tooth and maintains its integrity in the dental arch. The course is an important one that offers many career scopes for the candidates after its successful completion.

M.D.S. Public Health Dentistry is a 3 year postgraduate Dentistry course.  The Course focuses on preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting dental health through organized community efforts. Public health dentists promote oral health by assessing the oral health needs of the community, developing and implementing oral health policy, and providing programs and services that address oral health issues. The course is an important one that provides jobs in many fields after the completion of the course.

MDS in Periodontology is a 3-year post graduate program. Periodontics is the branch of dentistry that involves the concepts and processes of rearrangement of teeth suffering from ailments of the supporting and contributing structures of the teeth including the gums, cementum, periodontal layers, and alveolar bone. Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections that destroy the attaching fibers and supporting bones that hold the teeth in the mouth. The course has been designed to address the need for skilled professionals to help prevent the occurrence of, and curb the spread of damage already caused by the infection.

M.D.S. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is a 3 year postgraduate Dentistry program. Oral and Maxillofacial surgery deal with the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects of the human jaws and associated oral and facial structures. It is also a surgery to treat many diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral (mouth) and maxillofacial (jaws and face) region. The course helps to develop skilled professionals in diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of disease, injuries, defects of the human jaws and associated oral & facial structures.

MDS in Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge is a 3 year specialty course which deals with restoration of oral function developing restoration as well as maintenance of oral function, making comfortable denture and substitution of natural teeth as well as related tissues by settled or removable artificial substitutes.

M.D.S. Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry is a 3 year postgraduate Dentistry course. Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry is an age-defined specialty that provides both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs. Course helps to Identify and differentiate between normal and abnormal somatic dentofacial and psychological growth and development and to promote physical, mental, psychological and dental health of the child, to note any aberrant alterations in development of child, to improve the dental health in accord to the general health and to encourage the dental profession at all levels to ensure that the younger generation in the future will require less dental treatment. 

M.D.S. Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics is a 3 year postgraduate Dentistry Course.  The Course helps to educate orthodontists who are proficient at treating the broad scope of occlusal and dento-facial malocclusions. Special emphasis is placed on diagnosis and treatment planning, growth and development, biomechanics, and occlusion, using research to help develop critical thinking and writing skills while making a significant contribution to the scientific literature. The course helps to focus on the alignment of the teeth and the dental arches: the maxilla and the mandible. The practice of this specialty includes diagnosis, prevention, interception, and correction of malocclusion and other abnormalities of the developing or mature oro-facial structures.

M.D.S. Oral Pathology & Microbiology is a 3 year postgraduate Dentistry course. The Course includes the study which deals with the nature, identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. It is the science which investigates the causes, process and effects of these diseases. Oral pathology department is to provide basic knowledge of Normal Dental Anatomy and Histology and its pathological form for improved understanding of the oral diseases and increased skill in its diagnosis. The course is career providing in nature that opens many opportunities for them after its completion.

PG Diploma in Dental Materials is a 2 year PG level dental education program. This program has been designed to enhance the skill of dental education graduates. PG Diploma in Dental Materials course will train you in different areas of dental materials, dental science and oral medicine. The program covers topics such as – different types of dental materials, their chemical composition, working with dental materials, patient education, oral medicine etc.

The PG Certificate Course in Aesthetic Dentistry is a one year course offered by the Manipal College of Dental Sciences at the Manipal campus. This extensive certificate course is designed to provide a wide-ranging experience in all aspects of aesthetic/cosmetic and contemporary restorative dentistry. It will be a modular program spread over a period of 12 months with 4 contact sessions. The course will provide experience that will include review of aesthetic and related literature, didactic presentations, laboratory and clinical experience.

The Post graduate Certificate Programme in Oral Implantology is a programme of one year duration. It is aimed at BDS/MDS doctors. This programme is specially designed to improve the skill of learners in Oral Implantology. In this course the knowledge is imparted through the subject matter written by the top clinicians of the country, who are sharing their experiences about their own cases with you. Oral Implantology is a clinical science, the more you practice, the more you come across situations which test your skill. The programme will brief you about all the aspects of Oral Implantology which are imperative to know while practicing.

Diploma in Dental hygienist is a 2 year program which provides oral healthcare advice and performs strategies for example polishing, scaling, taking of radiographs, placement of fissure sealants and administering of local anaesthetic. They also teach patients on approaches to enhance and maintain great oral health.

Diploma in Dental Mechanics is a 2 year Diploma level Dentistry course. Dental Mechanic is an important one and has a creative response to design dental structures and make patients more knowledgeable about their dental health. In general, this professional works behind the scene along with the dentist to give the patients a perfect set of teeth. A Dental Mechanic works primarily towards diagnosing the dental problems of a patient. The basic job revolves around assisting a dentist in making dental ceramics and being responsible for the establishment of better dental care facilities in a clinic.

Diploma in Dental Operating Room Assistant (DORA) is a 2 year course. Dental Operating Room Assistant not being a Dentist or a Medical Practitioner who assists a Dental Surgeon in sterilizing and at the chair side by supplying instruments, handling various dental materials and medicines as required by Dental Surgeon.  Course includes Theory and Practical sessions with basic Nursing Training, General Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Microbiology, Basic Life Support, Bio Medical waste management, Food and Nutrition, Dental Materials.  Basic knowledge of Computers, Office Assistance Patient record management is included.