The Army Dental Corps is celebrating its 80th Raising Day today on February 01, 2021. The Corps was raised on this day in 1941.
On this occasion, Director General Dental Services & Colonel Commandant Army Dental Corps Lt General N K Sahoo laid down a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi to honour the fallen heroes. In his message to the Officers and Men of the Army Dental Corps, the Director General commended and complimented them for providing great service during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the personnel of the ADC have shown exceptional commitment and courage beyond the call of duty while catering to the Oral Health Care needs of the soldiers and their families during these challenging times.
Lt General Sahoo said that it should be the endeavour of the corps to blend latest & best of contemporary technologies and treatment protocols while providing state-of-the-art treatment to the men in uniform. On this occasion a Sainik Sammelan was held and awards were given to the COVID warriors of Delhi Garrison.
Chief of the Army Staff Gen M M Naravane in his message congratulated the personnel of the Corps and praised them for providing yeoman services in war & peace and wished the ADC the very best in all future endeavours.
From a humble beginning in 1941 with eight Dental Officers, the Army Dental Corps is now an elite service of the Indian Armed Forces with nearly one thousand officers and two thousand other ranks dedicated to looking after the oral health requirements of our soldiers, their dependents and Ex Servicemen. The dental treatment facilities of the Corps are based on a model where prevention of oral and dental disease is given top most priority.
In sync with the structure of the Armed Forces, the Army Dental Corps too is a multi-cultural society with the largest proportion of lady officers adding value to the profession. The Corps has carved a niche in the field of Military Dentistry and has undergone rapid transformation in technology, training and physical infrastructure in consonance with the evolving requirements of the patients as well as the changing operational scenario.
All You Need To Know About The Army Dental Corps
TRAINING
The newly commissioned Dental officers join dental units and prior to their being detailed for institutionalized training at Officers Training College, AMC Centre & College, Lucknow are given pre-course training at the unit level by teaching them basics of military grooming, customs and etiquettes, greeting senior officers, addressing subordinates, uniform drills, physical trg etc. This trg prepares them for the formal nine (09) weeks of Medical Officers’ Basic Course at Lucknow.
As Captains they begin their journey into a world totally different from their known environment; a world of pride, loyalty, integrity, leadership, commitment admixed with delivery of the highest standards of professional care. These young men and women undergo basic military training at Officers Training College, AMC Centre & College (OTC, AMC C&C), Lucknow, where a ‘Dental Surgeon’ metamorphoses into a highly trained, motivated and committed ‘Dental Officer’.
They also undergo basic training relating to organization, administration and functioning, military law, documentation and military dentistry at OTC, AMC C&C, Lucknow and Command Military Dental Centres(CC) to be ready to take on duties at any place in the country, in land, sea or air. The Course at OTC, AMC C&C Lucknow prepares them to take on the challenges of administration, middle level management and planning for the services followed by Senior Dental Officer’s Course at Dept. of Dental Surgery & Oral Health Sciences, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune which is a professional refresher course and acquaints the officers in latest advances in the professional field.
After two (02) years of service, desirous and eligible Short Service Commissioned(SSC) officers undergo selection for Permanent Commission(PC), to take up Armed Forces as a career. PC Officers are eligible for post-graduate training in Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Periodontology, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics and Orthodontics & Dentofacial orthopedics after putting in four (04) years of regular service. They undergo Advance Specialist Training at one of the most prestigious institution in the country, Dept of Dental Surgery & Oral Health Sciences, Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune and Army Dental Centre, Army Hospital (R&R). Provision to avail Study leave in selected subjects also exists for the PC officers to undergo PG studies in Civil Institutions.
Military Dental Surgeons are trained to be always available and responsive with courtesy, respect and highest standards of military bearing with unquestioned credibility. The ingrained philosophy of compassion has made them great ambassadors of the country abroad. Military Dentistry is practiced in near ideal conditions viz every dental officer is authorized with a dental assistant and a hygienist as dental auxiliaries and all dental units are almost always co-located with a medical support system to handle any unforeseen medical emergencies.
Research
Dental Officers with an analytical bent of mind are offered research opportunities with adequate funding from Govt. resources and ample freedom to pursue research within the stream or in collaboration with the medical fraternity.
Army Dental Corps can boast of a number of research projects which are unique to the country and research articles published by the AD Corps Officers in both national and international journals. The AD Corps officers have won many laurels in scientific papers and presentations at various IDA Meets in the country.
How to join Army Dental Corps
1. Short Service Commission
Entry open for Indian Nationals Only
Procedure for entry to Short Service Commission (SSC) in Army Dental Corps is as follows:-
(a) Eligibility:
(i) BDS/MDS Candidates with at least 55% marks in final BDS from an institute recognized by the Dental Council of India, for the batch in which the candidate obtained his degree.
(ii) Should have completed one year rotatory internship recognised by the Dental Council of India as per the date prescribed by NBE.
(iii) Should be in possession of a valid Dental Registration Certificate.
(iv) Should be less than 45 years of age as on 31 Dec of the year of application.
(v) Should be medically fit in all respects for service in the Defence Forces.
(b) Procedure for Applying:All eligible candidates desirous of applying for grant of SSC will have to appear in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NEET – MDS conducted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare every year, through National Board of Examinations (NBE) for admission to various Post Graduate courses.
(c) Screening for Calling for Interview: The merit list of the aforesaid examination will be utilised for screening of candidates to be called for interview for the purpose of grant of SSC in AD Corps for that year. The number of candidates short listed for interview will be ten times the number of vacancies.
(d) Interview: Candidates will have to apply along with the score card of NEET – MDS, in response to the advertisement published by the Directorate General Dental Services every year (Thus, candidates are requested to preserve their Admit card and Score card for later use). Short listed candidates will be called for interview before a duly constituted Selection Board, at New Delhi. The final merit list for Grant of SSC for all candidates who have appeared for the interview will be based on the performance in the interview alone.
(e) Medical Examination: All the candidates who are provisionally placed on the merit list will have to undergo a detailed medical examination for ascertaining of medical fitness.
Service period for SSC officers: The tenure for SSC officers is an initial contractual period of 05 years, which is further extendable by 05 years and another 04 years based on laid down criteria.
2.Departmental Permanent Commission
A maximum of three chances are given to serving SSC officers for grant of Departmental Permanent Commission which can be availed as under:-
(a) Two chances can be availed between 2-4 years of active service and the third chance can only be availed between 5-8 years of service.
(b) Age of candidates applying for Departmental Permanent Commission (DPC) should not be more than 30 yrs for BDS and 35 yrs for MDS candidates as on 31 Dec of the year of application for DPC.
You can prepare for SSB interview and defence entrance exams such as NDA, AFCAT, INET, and CDS by taking Written Online courses as they will not only give you access to full-length quality lectures but will also provide the facility to take standardized mock tests for better study and strategic growth in the exam. You can take multiple quizzes after each lesson to ensure the full understanding of the subject along with creating your customized lesson plans. You can check out the course content along with other important specifics at SSBCrack exams.
You can also access them through the SSBCrack Exams app available in the google play store.
Jai Hind
