Compared to previous years, there has been a surge in the demand for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses in Karnataka, and no seats have been vacant for the last two years. All the 2,709 BDS seats available in 2025 and 2,650 in 2024 have been taken.
This is a departure from earlier years when dental seats would remain vacant. Out of the 2,709 seats available in 2023, 199 seats were not taken. In 2022, out of 2,810 seats available, a massive 1,398 seats had remained vacant.
Sharan Prakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education, acknowledged that there was a growing interest in the dental course. Compared to other professional courses, there is traditionally a higher demand for seats in medical and dental courses. However, in recent years, due to shrinking job opportunities and other factors, the dental course had lost its charm. The dental course was the second choice for medical seat aspirants who did not make it to medicine.
Changed scenario
However, due to changed circumstances, including new dental colleges not being opened and number of seats not going up, the available seats are getting filled.
