The MDS Orthodontics at Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) is a three-year postgraduate dental specialty under Kathmandu University. Orthodontics focuses on the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws. Entry requires a BDS or equivalent dental degree recognized by Kathmandu University, one year of clinical experience after obtaining Nepal Medical Council registration, and registration with the Nepal Medical Council.
Admission follows the postgraduate medical education entrance framework, including MECEE-PG and applicable Medical Education Commission selection procedures.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Course | MDS Orthodontics |
| Level | Postgraduate dental specialty |
| Institution | Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences |
| University | Kathmandu University |
| Location | Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Specialty | Orthodontics |
| Academic focus | Diagnosis, prevention, and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws |
| Qualifying degree | BDS or equivalent degree recognized by Kathmandu University |
| Clinical experience | 1 year after Nepal Medical Council registration |
| Professional registration | Nepal Medical Council registration required |
| Entrance | MECEE-PG |
| Selection | Merit-based entrance and applicable admission process |
| Reference seats | 3 |
| Degree award | Kathmandu University |
MDS Orthodontics is one of the postgraduate dental specialties offered within Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS).
KUSMS is the School of Medical Sciences of Kathmandu University in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok. Its academic portfolio covers undergraduate and postgraduate medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy, and other health-science programs.
Within postgraduate dental education, Orthodontics is one of the MDS subjects associated with KUSMS and the Kathmandu University medical and dental education structure. The MDS course duration is three years.
Orthodontics is the dental specialty concerned with diagnosing, preventing, and correcting misaligned teeth and jaws.
The specialty therefore has a more focused academic direction than the undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree. BDS provides the qualifying dental education required for entry, while MDS Orthodontics develops postgraduate specialization within Orthodontics.
Students entering this program have already completed their primary dental qualification and gained the professional registration and clinical experience required for postgraduate dental study.
Duration: 3 years
The MDS program at KUSMS has a duration of three years, and Orthodontics is included among the listed MDS subjects.
This three-year period represents postgraduate specialty education following completion of BDS or an equivalent recognized dental qualification.
The academic curriculum, assessment, examination, and degree requirements operate under Kathmandu University rules and regulations.
Orthodontics is one of several postgraduate dental specialties included within the MDS structure.
The MDS subjects identified within the KUSMS academic setting are:
Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral Pathology
Orthodontics
Periodontics
Prosthodontics
These are separate dental specialties rather than different names for the same postgraduate qualification.
MDS Orthodontics specifically centers on the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws, while the other MDS disciplines have their own areas of dental study.
Eligibility: Applicants must hold a BDS or equivalent degree recognized by Kathmandu University.
The MDS eligibility framework also requires:
One year of clinical experience after obtaining Nepal Medical Council registration
Registration with the Nepal Medical Council
These requirements apply to applicants entering the MDS program, including Orthodontics.
The eligibility structure means MDS Orthodontics is intended for qualified dental graduates rather than students entering directly after school-level education.
A BDS or equivalent dental qualification recognized by Kathmandu University is the academic foundation for admission.
This requirement places MDS Orthodontics after undergraduate dental education. A student must first complete the qualifying dental degree before becoming academically eligible for the postgraduate specialty.
The qualifying degree and recognition requirement should be read together. Holding a dental qualification alone does not replace the requirement that it meet the recognition conditions applicable to Kathmandu University postgraduate admission.
Clinical experience: One year after obtaining Nepal Medical Council registration
The timing of the clinical experience is part of the eligibility condition. The required year follows Nepal Medical Council registration.
The sequence leading toward postgraduate Orthodontics therefore includes:
Completion of BDS or an equivalent degree recognized by Kathmandu University.
Nepal Medical Council registration.
Completion of one year of clinical experience after registration.
Participation in the applicable postgraduate entrance process.
Selection and admission under the prevailing framework.
Enrollment in the three-year MDS Orthodontics program.
This sequence separates undergraduate dental education, professional registration, clinical experience, and postgraduate specialty training.
Registration with the Nepal Medical Council is part of the stated MDS eligibility requirements.
Applicants therefore enter MDS Orthodontics with an existing professional dental background. Nepal Medical Council registration is not treated as an optional addition to the academic qualification.
Professional regulation and university education have different functions. Kathmandu University governs the postgraduate academic program, while professional practice remains subject to the applicable Nepal Medical Council requirements.
MDS Orthodontics admission follows the postgraduate medical education admission system administered through the Medical Education Commission (MEC).
Entrance: MECEE-PG
The broader postgraduate admission framework covers entrance, eligibility, selection, matching, seat allocation, scholarship provisions, and admission procedures.
The MDS selection criteria also identify merit in the entrance examination and counseling as part of candidate selection.
MECEE-PG belongs to the admission stage. It should be distinguished from the academic examinations students complete after enrollment in the Kathmandu University MDS program.
MDS Orthodontics admission involves academic, professional, experiential, and entrance requirements.
| Admission component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Qualifying education | BDS or equivalent degree recognized by Kathmandu University |
| Professional registration | Nepal Medical Council registration |
| Clinical experience | 1 year after obtaining NMC registration |
| Entrance | MECEE-PG |
| Selection basis | Merit in entrance and applicable counseling/admission process |
| Academic enrollment | Kathmandu University MDS program |
Applicants who satisfy the academic and professional eligibility conditions proceed through the applicable postgraduate entrance and selection system.
After admission, they become part of the Kathmandu University academic framework for postgraduate dental education.
Reference seats: 3
The finalized KUSMS program context carries three reference seats for MDS Orthodontics.
The figure should be treated as a reference intake rather than permanent annual capacity. Seats in regulated medical and dental education are determined under the Medical Education Commission framework and can change between admission cycles.
Seat allocation, scholarship distribution, matching, and admission procedures also operate according to the prevailing MEC system.
The continuation of MDS Orthodontics as an academic program does not mean its seat allocation must remain identical every year.
The MDS Orthodontics curriculum follows Kathmandu University rules and regulations.
Kathmandu University governs the academic components of the postgraduate program, including:
Curriculum
Academic requirements
Examinations
Progression
Completion requirements
Degree award
The Medical Education Commission has a separate role in entrance and admission.
| Stage | Governing framework |
|---|---|
| Postgraduate entrance | Medical Education Commission / MECEE-PG |
| Selection and admission | Applicable MEC framework |
| Curriculum | Kathmandu University |
| Academic examinations | Kathmandu University |
| Degree requirements | Kathmandu University |
| Degree award | Kathmandu University |
| Professional regulation | Nepal Medical Council |
This distinction helps separate the process of obtaining admission from the process of completing the academic degree.
The defining subject area of the program is the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws.
This academic focus separates Orthodontics from the other MDS specialties offered within the Kathmandu University dental education structure.
For example, Oral Pathology focuses on diseases affecting the oral cavity and surrounding structures, Periodontics addresses diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth, and Prosthodontics is concerned with restoration and replacement of teeth. Orthodontics has its own specialty direction centered on tooth and jaw alignment.
These distinctions are relevant when dental graduates choose a postgraduate discipline because each MDS specialty follows a different area of advanced dental study.
BDS and MDS Orthodontics belong to different stages of dental education.
BDS is the undergraduate dental qualification. MDS Orthodontics is postgraduate specialty education that requires a BDS or equivalent recognized qualification before admission.
The difference can be summarized as follows:
| BDS | MDS Orthodontics |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate dental degree | Postgraduate dental specialty |
| Provides primary dental education | Develops specialization in Orthodontics |
| Precedes professional postgraduate entry | Requires prior BDS or equivalent |
| Broad dental education | Focus on misaligned teeth and jaws |
MDS Orthodontics therefore represents specialization after general dental education rather than an alternative route to the BDS qualification.
KUSMS is based in Dhulikhel and operates within the institutional relationship between Kathmandu University and Dhulikhel Hospital.
The school also has a basic-science site at Chaukot in the Panauti area. Its wider academic facilities include laboratories, lecture halls, Problem-Based Learning classrooms, audio-visual facilities, and library resources.
KUSMS offers dentistry alongside medicine and other health-science disciplines, with BDS at undergraduate level and MDS specialties at postgraduate level.
The academic and clinical activities specific to MDS Orthodontics follow the requirements of the postgraduate dental program under Kathmandu University.
Academic examinations for MDS Orthodontics follow Kathmandu University rules and regulations.
MECEE-PG and university examinations serve different purposes. MECEE-PG forms part of the admission process, while the examinations undertaken during the three-year program form part of postgraduate academic study.
Degree award: Kathmandu University
Students must satisfy the academic and examination requirements applicable to MDS Orthodontics before completing the postgraduate qualification.
MDS Orthodontics applicants already require Nepal Medical Council registration before admission under the stated eligibility framework.
The postgraduate MDS qualification develops specialty-level dental education, while professional practice remains subject to the applicable rules, registration provisions, and professional requirements of the Nepal Medical Council.
The pathway should therefore be understood through three connected but separate elements:
Dental qualification and professional registration before postgraduate admission
Completion of the Kathmandu University MDS Orthodontics program
Continued compliance with the professional regulatory framework applicable to dental practice
MDS Orthodontics is intended for qualified dental graduates who meet the academic, clinical experience, professional registration, and postgraduate entrance requirements and want to specialize in Orthodontics.
The program may align with dentists whose postgraduate academic interest is centered on:
Diagnosis of misaligned teeth and jaws
Prevention of orthodontic problems
Correction of tooth and jaw misalignment
Postgraduate specialty study in Orthodontics
Advanced dental education after BDS
Applicants should choose the specialty based on their intended area of dental study rather than on the fact that several MDS programs share the same postgraduate degree level.
MDS Orthodontics is a three-year postgraduate dental specialty under Kathmandu University. It focuses on diagnosing, preventing, and correcting misaligned teeth and jaws.
The MDS program has a duration of three years.
Applicants need a BDS or equivalent degree recognized by Kathmandu University.
Yes. Applicants need one year of clinical experience after obtaining Nepal Medical Council registration.
Yes. Registration with the Nepal Medical Council is part of the MDS eligibility requirements.
Admission follows the MECEE-PG postgraduate entrance framework administered through the Medical Education Commission.
The MDS selection framework includes merit in the entrance examination and the applicable counseling and admission process.
The reference intake is three seats. Seat allocation remains subject to the applicable Medical Education Commission determination.
Orthodontics focuses on the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws.
No. BDS is an undergraduate dental qualification. MDS Orthodontics is a postgraduate specialty requiring BDS or an equivalent recognized dental degree before admission.
Kathmandu University governs the curriculum, academic examinations, degree requirements, and degree award.
Kathmandu University awards the postgraduate degree through Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences.
