Withhold Plastic Surgery Postings to MDS Oral Maxillofacial Surgery students: Telangana Medical Council tells Medical Colleges
Hyderabad: The ongoing conflict between the Medical and Dental Councils of Telangana has escalated as the State Medical Council, in a recent directive, has ordered the medical colleges to immediately withhold Plastic Surgery Postings to MDS Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) Postgraduate students.
Telangana State Medical Council (TGMC) announced the decision in a letter dated 19.07.2025 addressed to the Director of Medical Education, the Vice-Chancellor/ Registrar of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), and all principals of medical colleges in Telangana.
In the letter, the State Medical Council referred to the earlier clarification sought from the NMC to address the discrepancies about practising Aesthetic & Hair Transplantation procedures by MDS-OMFS students.
"In view of the discrepancy about practicing Aesthetic & Hair Transplantation procedures by MDS-OMFS the Telangana Medical Council sought clarification from the National Medical Commission, for which the TGMC got reply from NMC vide reference 3rd cited above, stating that the public notice issued by Dental Council of India vide reference 2nd cited above, was issued without consulting NMC, which clarifies that MDS-OMFS are not eligible to practice Aesthetic & Hair Transplantation procedures," TGMC mentioned in the letter.
Taking cognisance of the fact that the MDS OMFS students posted in various clinical departments of modern medicine especially Plastic Surgery, the Council called it a contradiction against the letter issued by NMC and mentioned, "The Telangana Medical Council came to know that MDS (OMFS) students are posted in various clinical departments of modern medicine especially Plastic Surgery which deals with Aesthetic & Hair Transplantation procedures in various medical colleges of Telangana, which is against the letter issued by the National Medical Commission."
Accordingly, the state medical council asked the colleges to withhold posting of MDS OMFS students in the Plastic Surgery Departments and further asked to seek NMC clarification regarding other clinical department postings.
"In this connection, we request your kind authority to withhold the posting of MDSOMFS students in Department of Plastic Surgery which specifically deals with Aesthetic & Hair Transplantation Procedures and further requested to seek clarification from the National Medical Commission about other clinical departments postings," the Council mentioned.
Earlier, Telangana Medical Council sought to know the stand of the Apex medical education regulatory body- National Medical Commission (NMC) in this regard.
In response, NMC clarified that the Dental Council of India had issued the notice dated 06.12.2022 without consulting the Ethics Board of NMC. NMC further requested Telangana Medical Council to refer to EMRB, NMC guidelines dated 20.09.2022 to decide the eligibility of medical professionals for conducting hair transplantation and aesthetic procedures.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that referring to the NMC Guidelines on Aesthetic Surgery and Hair Transplant Procedures dated 20.09.2022, Telangana Medical Council pointed out that hair transplant procedures should preferably be undertaken only by those who have surgical grooming like formal surgical training such as MCh/DNB Plastic Surgery, MD/DNB Dermatology with adequate grooming in dermatological surgical procedures. As per the guidelines, these specialists must have Hair transplantation as a core topic in their curriculum.
After the medical council's notice, the Telangana Dental Council offered a contradictory clarification in this regard on 28.06.2025, outlining the scope of training of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The State Dental Council of Telangana clarified that duly registered Oral and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, trained under the standards prescribed by the Dental Council of India, are fully qualified and authorised to perform facial aesthetic procedures and hair transplantation.
The Council pointed out that as per the Dental Council of India's MDS Course regulations, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are trained to perform minor oral surgeries. Specifying the list of surgeries that the MDS OFMS graduates are qualified to perform, the Dental Council had also advised the general public not to be "misled or unduly influenced by statements or communications from any organizations, councils, or bodies other than the Dental Council of India or the respective State Dental Councils concerning this matter."
