Vijayawada: The Dental Council of India (DCI) has granted permission for 15 additional MDS seats in five disciplines at the Government Dental College, Vijayawada, which is good news for postgraduate dentistry aspirants in Andhra Pradesh.

The Union Health Ministry (dental education) informed the GDCH principal in a letter about the approval of these 15 extra seats for the next academic year, 2023–2024.

According to TNIE, these seats include three each in the departments of orthodontics, prosthodontics, paediatric dentistry, oral medicine, and oral pathology for speciality courses like orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics, prosthodontics and crown and bridge, orthodontics and dentofacial pathology, and preventive and paediatric dentistry.

Nine MDS places were formerly available at the institution, with three each in the departments of periodontology, conservative dentistry, and oral surgery starting in 2010.

According to the most recent media report by the New Indian Express, DCI approved after examining the college’s facilities back in September 2022. Following the inspection, the DCI authorities acknowledged their pleasure with the college’s facilities and approved the college for 15 MDS seats.

The head of the dental college, Dr. Kolasani Srinivasa Rao, congratulated the director of medical education (DME), Dr. Vinod Kumar, and the principal secretary of health, MT Krishna Babu, for the news.

“The DME has promised to provide equipment, such as dental chairs and machinery, on behalf of the government. We currently treat 300 outpatients per day. With the addition of 15 MDS seats, we will be able to treat 150 more patients per day,” he stated.

He also thanked members of the Dental Council, Dr. Mehboob Sheikh and Dr. Satish Kumar Reddy, for their assistance throughout the process.

More students from the state will now be able to pursue a specialisation in the two government colleges of the state rather than getting admitted to the private dental colleges, says Dr. Mehaboob Shaik, YSRC Doctors Wing zonal in-charge of Krishna, Guntur, and NTR districts, who also welcomed the approval of additional seats.

CM Jagan Mohan Reddy was thanked by the president of the YSR Congress Medical Wing, Dr. Ambati Naga Radhakrishna Yadav, who also indicated that 50% of the new PG dental seats would remain open for the benefit of BC, SC, ST, and minority students’ economic and social growth.