As we all know Dentists are the Doctors who do the treatment of teeth. It means that Dentists are basically the surgeons who operate on teeth. To become a Dentist lot of hard work and commitment is required. It takes at least 5 years to become a full-fledged Dentist. So the students who are aiming to become a dentist need to study hard and have to spend a lot of time reading books. Dental Students have to attend theoretical lectures, practicals in laboratories, seminars, and internships.
Dentists are different from Dental technicians. As mentioned above the Dentists are the degree holders who treat teeth whereas Dental Technicians are the persons whose responsibility is to construct the dental appliances.
How to Become a Dentist in Himachal Pradesh (HP)
Any student of Himachal Pradesh who is planning to choose a Dentist as his career must have a focused mind and the ability to study hard. Becoming a Dentist is as tough as becoming a Doctor of any other specialty and it requires a lot of passion. Anyone who aspires to become a Dentist must make up his mind while doing schooling. Only those students who choose Physics, Chemistry and Biology as the main subjects in their 12th class can apply for the course or degree of Dentist in Himachal Pradesh. In other words, students must be 12th passed in Science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
The eligibility for applying for a Dental Course in any college of Himachal Pradesh is summarised as below:
- 12th pass from Science streaming with PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
- The applicant must have obtained at least 50% marks in the 12th
- Should have passed NEET entrance exam.
- The minimum age for NEET entrance exam is 17 years and the maximum age limit is 25 years.
Private and Govt. Dental Colleges in Himachal Pradesh
To become a Dentist in Himachal Pradesh, the aspirants must have to graduate from any reputed Private or Government Dental College of the state. Many colleges of the HP run a graduate degree program to become a dentist in the state. This Graduate Degree program is known as BDS which is short of Bachelors Degree of Dentistry. BDS is a five years course. During this period of five years, fours years are for the study and the final year is the compulsory internship in some reputed hospital.
To apply for BDS course in Himachal Pradesh, the applicant must have to clear NEET entrance test which is conducted on a National basis regularly. Depending upon the rankings and merit level in this entrance test, the applicants can choose the college for BDS Course.
Anyone who completes five years Degree program of BDS including the compulsory internship will become a Dentist and is fully eligible to apply for a job as a Dentist in any Govt. Hospital or can start his private practice.
To become a good Dentist, the most important thing is to choose the best college. There are a lot of best and reputed private and Government colleges in Himachal Pradesh from where you can have your Dentistry Degree. The list of some of the best Dental Colleges in Himachal Pradesh (HP) is given in the below table:
| Govt./Non Govt. Dental Colleges | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sr.No. | Name of the College | Subject/Courses | Tel. No | Year of Establish | |
| 1. | H.P. Dental College Shimla, Distt. Shimla H.P. | BDS, MDS | Not Available | 0177-2658838 | 1994 |
| 2. | Himachal Dental College Sundernagar, Distt. Mandi, H.P. | BDS, MDS | [email protected] | 01907267165 | 1992 |
| 3. | M.N.D.A.V. Dental College Tutul P.O. Oachghat, Distt. Solan, H.P. | BDS | [email protected] | 01792-252809 | 1995 |
| 4. | Bhujia Dental College, Budh(Baddi), Chandigarh Nalagarh Road, Solan, H.P. | BDS, MDS | Not Available | 01795-244721 | 1998 |
| 5. | Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences Poanta Sahib Distt. Sirmour H.P. | BDS,Providing MDS courses in 7 different specialities since 2011 | info[at]hids[dot]ac[dot]in | 01704-223726, 098160 48155 | 2003 |