Ranchi: In a major boost to dental education and specialist oral healthcare in Jharkhand, Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) has received the approval of the Center to launch Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) courses in nine specializations from the 2026-27 academic session.With this, the Rims Dental Institute will become the first govt institution in the state to offer postgraduate dental education. A total of 27 seats have been sanctioned across nine departments, including oral surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontology and public health dentistry.Officials said the approval is expected to address a long-standing gap in the state’s dental education system and reduce the need for students to move outside Jharkhand for postgraduate studies.“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,” said Shishir Kumar, Rims PRO.“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.Doctors at Rims said the move will also strengthen specialist dental treatment facilities at the institute, especially for patients needing advanced procedures.“With MDS courses starting, specialized 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,” said Hirendra Birua, medical superintendent.The approval has been granted initially for one academic year. Renewal will be done annually, subject to compliance with Dental Council of India norms. The development is expected to improve both specialist training and access to advanced dental care in the state’s premier government medical institution.
