r2i forum

Posting for a friend from India whos looking at matrimonial prospects in US.

What are the options in US for study/practice for someone who has done BDS in India and is practicing as a dentist in her own clinic in India? The visa type would be H4.

As I vaguely understand, US does not accept Indian medical degrees and person has to get a degree again in US -- is that a bachelors or a masters degree ?? Also how difficult is it to get into dental school? Are there any financial aid - TA/RA type stuff there too? Does it involve .. like other medical schools here.. 48 hr type rotations as well??

Also, are there any other related fields that someone with BDS can leverage.. something like clinical research or some other degree -- maybe one cannot practice as a dentist -- but in same field where previous knowledge can be leveraged.

My wife was also a BDS from India. She is about to finish her DDS degree.

Yes, the US does not recognize a dental license from India. The person must complete DDS here and be licensed through one of the boards (eastern, california, etc..) to be able to practise here.

Foreign dental students can get into the Advanced Placement program of DDS wherein they join in the 2nd year of the program (locals do full 4 year degree). They must pass the NBDE board 1 exam to be eligible for admission to an accredited dental program. There are very few (around 10) schools in the US that offer the advanced placement program and competition is intense. The scores in this exam need to be in the upper 85% to even have a chance. There is no financial assistance from the school for the DDS program (TA/RA, etc..). The student must obtain loans for the entirety of the program which will range from $150-$200K. Usual lenders are Sallie Mae and Citibank. These loans are available only to people with permanent residence or citizenship. So the H-4 person must get a GC holder or citizen to cosign the loan application.

After graduating from the program, the student can take one or more of the dental licensure board exams (NERB, WREB, etc..) to be licensed in whichever state they want to work in.

The other option is to go to school for dental assistant or dental hygienist. These are much less expensive and quicker to finish but pay considerably less than the dentist positions.

I have done BDS from India and then did my master's in dental public health from UK (King's College London). I am planning to settle down in USA. I want to know on my public health dentistry degree what are my options to work in USA apart from practising.

The EIS program from CDC is a paid training program for medical doctors, nurses and people holding PhD's. I am not sure if BDS qualifies for the program. They have made exceptions in the past- so no harm asking them if you'll qualify. Check out their website for more info.

Good Luck!!