I came across a question on Yahoo! Answers the other day, from apparently a school student/ pupil, enquiring about the length of education one requires in order to become a ‘Prosthodontist’.
(A Prosthodontist is a dentist specializing in restoration and replacement of teeth. Patients visit them for dentures, dental implants, dental caps/ dental crowns and dental bridges.) Since the blog of the best dentist in Delhi, Dr. Deepak Bhutani (Oral & Maxillofacial Prosthodontist and Implantologist), who also provides dental courses in Delhi to improve your working skills & boost confidence, is a resource on all things dental education, I decided to address the query here.
Please note, this blog post is in context to the Indian education system.
To start, a career in dentistry requires school graduation with a medical sciences background. For CBSE students, this means, physics, chemistry, biology, and English. The 5th subject is Math but can be substituted with an option like Physical Education, or Informatics Practices. (IP) Post class 12th, one needs to apply for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). It is a 5-year course, including a 1-year rotary internship.
Then, in order to become a Prosthodontist, the BDS graduate can pursue Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) in Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge. Likewise, if one wants to be an Endodontist (Endodontists are specialists in treating dental pulp. Patients usually see these experts for root canal therapy.), MDS in Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics is to be chosen.