RIMS Ranchi gets Centre's approval to launch MDS courses across 9 specialisations

The approval, initially granted for one academic year, is expected to address long-standing deficiencies in the state's dental education system and reduce the need for students to leave Jharkhand for postgraduate studies.

It will be renewed annually, provided that the regulations of the erstwhile Dental Council of India (DCI) are adhered to.

With this, the RIMS Dental Institute will also become the state's first government institution to offer postgraduate dental education.

A total of 27 seats have been approved across nine departments, including Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontology, and Public Health Dentistry.

Speaking to TOI in this regard, Shishir Kumar, Rims PRO said, “Rims currently has 60 BDS seats, while nearly 500 BDS seats are available across Jharkhand. Despite that, there was no govt institution in the state offering MDS courses till now."

“As a result, students had to migrate to other states for higher studies or rely on costly private colleges. This approval fills a major gap in dental education infrastructure in Jharkhand,” he said.

“With MDS courses starting, specialised treatments such as advanced oral treatments will expand further at Rims. Students pursuing higher dental education will receive structured clinical training under specialist departments, while those who earlier had to leave the state for MDS studies will now have opportunities within Jharkhand itself,” added Hirendra Birua, medical superintendent.

Meanwhile, doctors at RIMS stated that this step would also strengthen specialised dental facilities at the institute, particularly for patients requiring advanced procedures.