In the US, the four-year ‘Doctor of Dental Surgery’ (DDS) or ‘Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry’ (DMD) degree is very popular. Both courses have almost the same study and are equivalent to India’s ‘Bachelor of Dental Surgery’ (BDS). However, for the study of DDS or DMD in the dental colleges of America, admission is given only to those students who have obtained a four-year bachelor’s degree from a US or Canadian university.
How can Indians get a dentist job in US?
If an Indian student has done BDS from India, then he/she can also go to America and work as a dentist. However, he/she will have to enroll in a two-year ‘Advanced Standing Doctor of Dentistry’ program in the US. 30 universities across the country provide admission in this program. After completion of the program one has to apply for the license. This license is available only when ‘National Board Dental Examination’ (NBDE) is cleared.
What are the eligibility criteria to become a dentist in America?
- Earn a four-year bachelor’s degree from the US or Canada.
- Pass the ‘Dental Admission Test’ (DAT).
- Enroll and complete DDS/DMD in medical college.
- Pass the NBDE test and become licensed and eligible to practice as a dentist.
- Also pass the dental licensing exam of the US state where you want to work.
- Work as an intern or assistant to a senior dentist.
Thus, if an Indian wants to study dentistry in America, he/she will first have to obtain a four-year bachelor’s degree. This degree should be in subjects like Biology, Chemistry and Physics. After this, like NEET, admission in medical college can be taken by clearing DAT exam. Then one has to complete DDS/DMD studies for four years in college. After completion of the course, one has to pass the NBDE license test to practice at the national level. If you want to work in a particular state, you also need to obtain a dentist license from that state.
What is the salary of a dentist?
In America, the salary package of a dentist is in crores of rupees. On an average a dentist earns $1.55 lakh (approximately Rs 1.30 crore) annually. According to the report of US News, the minimum annual salary of a dentist in the US is $ 1.05 lakh (about Rs 90 lakh). If we talk about maximum salary then it is 2.12 lakh dollars (Rs 1.80 crore).
