VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital Jr Resident (Non-PG BDS) – Expected Syllabus & Exam Pattern

VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital Junior Resident (Non-PG BDS)
Expected Syllabus & Exam Pattern

The official notification for the Junior Resident (Non-PG) BDS recruitment by VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital does not provide any detailed, subject-wise syllabus breakdown for the written screening test. However, the post itself is meant for candidates who have completed Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), and the examination is designed to test the overall competence expected from a fresh BDS graduate.

Therefore, the likely scope of the paper is the full DCI-prescribed BDS curriculum, with emphasis on clinical dental subjects and essential basic medical sciences. Candidates should treat this as a comprehensive revision test of all four years of BDS.

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I. Basic & Para-Clinical Sciences

These subjects build the foundation on which clinical decision-making is based. Questions from this section typically test concepts, definitions, mechanisms, and basic problem-solving.

1. General Human Anatomy (Including Histology & Embryology)

• Osteology: Bones of the skull, mandible, maxilla, vertebrae, ribs, and limb bones; landmarks and muscle attachments.
• Head & Neck Anatomy: Scalp, face, orbit, neck triangles, cranial cavity, cranial nerves, vessels of head and neck, temporomandibular joint (TMJ), parotid region, infratemporal fossa, pterygopalatine fossa.
• Neuroanatomy (Basic): Parts of brain, brainstem, spinal cord, major tracts in brief, blood supply of brain.
• Embryology: General embryology, development of face, palate, tongue, teeth, and associated anomalies like cleft lip/palate.
• Histology: Basic tissues, histology of oral mucosa, salivary glands, teeth, and supporting structures.

2. General Human Physiology

• General organization and function of the human body.
• Blood: RBC, WBC, platelets, haemostasis, blood groups, ESR, anemia basics.
• Cardiovascular System: Cardiac cycle, ECG basics, blood pressure, shock.
• Respiratory System: Mechanics of breathing, lung volumes, transport of gases.
• Renal System: Formation of urine, acid-base balance.
• Endocrine System: Major hormones (thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, pancreas) and their basic functions.
• Nervous System: Synapse, reflexes, pain pathways, autonomic nervous system.

3. Biochemistry, Nutrition & Dietetics

• Structure and functions of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids.
• Enzymes, vitamins and minerals relevant to oral health and general health.
• Metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in brief.
• Nutrition in health and disease, balanced diet, protein-energy malnutrition, obesity.

4. Dental Anatomy, Embryology & Oral Histology

• Tooth morphology: individual tooth anatomy, traits, and differences between teeth.
• Tooth numbering systems (FDI, Palmer, Universal).
• Development and eruption of teeth.
• Oral histology of enamel, dentin, cementum, pulp, PDL, alveolar bone, oral mucosa, salivary glands.

5. General Pathology

• Cell injury, adaptation, necrosis, gangrene.
• Acute and chronic inflammation, mediators of inflammation.
• Healing and repair, wound healing, bone healing.
• Basic concepts of neoplasia, benign vs malignant tumors.
• Disorders of immune system (in brief, as relevant to dental practice).

6. General & Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics

• General principles: routes of drug administration, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics.
• Drugs acting on:
  • Autonomic nervous system (sympathomimetics, parasympathomimetics, blockers).
  • Central nervous system (sedatives, analgesics, local anaesthetics).
  • Cardiovascular and respiratory systems (as relevant).
• Antibiotics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs commonly used in dentistry.
• Emergency drugs in dental practice (adrenaline, antihistamines, etc.).

7. Microbiology

• General microbiology: sterilization, disinfection, culture methods (basic).
• Immunology: immunity types, hypersensitivity, autoimmunity (in brief).
• Oral microbiology: dental plaque, caries-associated microorganisms, periodontal pathogens.
• Common bacterial, viral, and fungal infections relevant to oral cavity.

8. Dental Materials

• General properties of dental materials: physical, mechanical, biological compatibility.
• Restorative materials: amalgam, composite, GIC, cements.
• Impression materials, gypsum products.
• Denture base materials, casting alloys, dental waxes.

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II. Clinical Dental Sciences

This is the most important component for a Junior Resident (BDS) screening test. Expect a high density of questions from these subjects, especially those testing diagnosis, treatment planning, and common clinical procedures.

1. Oral Pathology & Oral Microbiology

• Developmental anomalies of teeth and jaws.
• Dental caries: etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features.
• Pulp and periapical pathologies.
• Oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer (basic aspects and clinical features).
• Cysts of the jaws, odontogenic tumors (classification and important examples).
• Common oral ulcers and vesiculo-bullous lesions (overview).

2. Oral Medicine & Radiology

• History taking, clinical examination of oral cavity and associated structures.
• Diagnosis of common oral lesions (ulcers, white/red lesions, swellings).
• Radiographic techniques used in dentistry (IOPA, OPG, occlusal, bitewing basics).
• Radiographic interpretation of caries, periapical lesions, cysts, tumors, fractures.
• Basics of radiation protection and hazards.

3. Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics

• Principles of cavity preparation, Black’s classification.
• Instruments and techniques in restorative dentistry.
• Knowledge of restorative materials and their clinical indications.
• Endodontics: access opening, working length determination, cleaning and shaping, obturation principles.
• Diagnosis and management overview of pulpal and periapical diseases.

4. Prosthodontics & Crown & Bridge

• Complete denture: impressions, jaw relations, retention and stability concepts.
• Removable partial denture: components, principles of design.
• Fixed prosthodontics: indications for crowns and bridges, tooth preparation principles.
• Basics of occlusion relevant to prosthodontics.

5. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

• Exodontia: indications, contraindications, principles of extraction.
• Minor oral surgical procedures: impaction basics, alveoloplasty, management of cysts (overview).
• Management of common complications: dry socket, post-operative bleeding, infection.
• Basic principles in the management of maxillofacial trauma (fracture mandible/maxilla in brief).
• Infections of odontogenic origin, fascial space infections (conceptual).

6. Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics

• Normal occlusion and malocclusion (Angle’s classification).
• Etiology of malocclusion (in brief).
• Basics of orthodontic diagnosis: study models, cephalometrics (very basic level).
• Removable appliances and basic principles of fixed orthodontics (awareness level).

7. Periodontology

• Gingivitis and periodontitis: etiology, clinical features, basic classification.
• Dental plaque and calculus, role of local and systemic factors.
• Principles of scaling, root planing, oral hygiene instructions.
• Overview of periodontal surgery (flap surgery in brief).

8. Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry

• Growth and development of jaws and dentition.
• Early childhood caries, rampant caries, nursing bottle caries.
• Restorative procedures in children, pulpotomy and pulpectomy basics.
• Space maintainers (awareness level).
• Preventive measures: fluoride, fissure sealants, diet counselling.

9. Public Health Dentistry (Community Dentistry)

• Concepts of health and disease, levels of prevention.
• Basics of epidemiology: measurements of disease frequency relevant to dental caries and periodontal disease.
• Indices: DMFT, CPITN (awareness level).
• School dental health programs, water fluoridation (in brief).
• Dental health education methods and basic health planning concepts.

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III. General Medicine & General Surgery (Dental Relevance)

Junior Residents often need to coordinate with multiple departments and manage medically compromised patients. Questions are usually applied and scenario-based.

1. General Medicine

• Common systemic diseases relevant to dental care:
  • Hypertension, ischemic heart disease.
  • Diabetes mellitus.
  • Respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD in brief).
  • Thyroid disorders (hyper/hypothyroidism basics).
  • Liver and kidney diseases (awareness, implications for drugs).
• Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis (recognition and basic emergency management).
• Infective endocarditis prophylaxis (conceptual awareness as per standard guidelines).

2. General Surgery

• General principles of surgery: asepsis, antisepsis, pre-operative and post-operative care.
• Wound healing and factors affecting it.
• Shock, hemorrhage, fluid and electrolyte balance (overview).
• Surgical infections and their basic management.

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Examination Pattern for the Screening Test

• Mode: Written screening test (as per official notification).
• Question Type: Objective type Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
• Duration: 1 hour (60 minutes).
• Maximum Marks: 60 marks.
• Marking Scheme: Each correct answer carries 1 mark (as typically implied for 60 MCQs).
• Negative Marking: 1/4th (0.25) mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.

The screening test is qualifying in nature and is used to shortlist candidates for the Junior Resident (Non-PG BDS) posts. Final selection will follow the criteria mentioned in the official notification (such as merit, document verification, and other institutional rules).

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Preparation Strategy & Recommendations

• Revise the entire BDS curriculum with special focus on:
  • Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics
  • Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Oral Medicine & Radiology
  • Periodontology
  • Oral Pathology
• Practice MCQs from standard BDS entrance and PG preparation books, especially topic-wise questions.
• Pay attention to clinical scenarios involving diagnosis and first-line management of common conditions.
• Revise medical emergencies in dental clinic and relevant pharmacology.
• Use your internship experience to recall protocols for extractions, minor surgeries, restorations, and patient management.

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Important Note

This syllabus outline is an expected / indicative syllabus based on the standard DCI-prescribed BDS curriculum and the nature of a Junior Resident (BDS) post. The official notification of VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital does not provide a detailed, subject-wise syllabus. Candidates are strongly advised to:

• Read the latest official advertisement carefully.
• Check the institute’s official website and online application portal regularly for any updates or clarifications.

If required, you can manually visit the official VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital recruitment page to verify current application start date, last date, and exam schedule for the Junior Resident (Non-PG BDS) recruitment.