SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital

What SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital does

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital is a non-profit dental educational institution and teaching hospital located in Dharwad, Karnataka, India, operating as a constituent unit of Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara University. The institution delivers dental education across the full qualification ladder — a five-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program, a three-year Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) program spanning nine specialties (Conservative Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Periodontics, Orthodontics, Pedodontics, Oral Surgery, Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine & Radiology, and Community Dentistry), a one-year Fellowship Programme in Forensic Odontology (8 seats, ₹35,000 fee), and continuing-education Digital Dentistry courses for practicing professionals. Teaching is integrated with clinical service delivery on a 23-acre campus containing 2,50,000 sq.ft. of built area, 91+ dental chairs distributed across departments, a 50-bed Craniofacial Surgery and Research Centre covering 50,000 sq.ft., and a hi-tech mobile dental bus serving rural Dharwad.

The clinical operation treats approximately 130,000 patients per year through a tiered service model: subsidized undergraduate and postgraduate teaching clinics where charges cover only material costs; the Ekadanta Faculty Practice offering private group-practice services at market rates comparable to other Hubli-Dharwad practices; the Craniofacial Unit providing emergency and super-specialty surgical care; and free services for military personnel, freedom fighters, senior citizens, and physically handicapped patients in collaboration with the Indian Dental Association. Over 2,400 cleft lip and palate patients have been treated free of cost through a long-running partnership with Smile Train USA.

The business model is a hybrid of regulated tuition income (BDS/MDS fees set by government/regulatory bodies), modest course fees for the Fellowship and Digital Dentistry programs, nominal patient-service revenue from teaching clinics, and market-rate revenue from the Faculty Practice channel. The institution is differentiated by being the only Indian dental college accredited three times by NAAC, its first-in-India Forensic Odontology department, international linkages with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow and Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, BDS degree recognition by the Government of Malaysia, and a top-10 / top-3-private ranking among Indian dental colleges. SDM is privately held under the SDM Educational Society with no public shareholders, venture capital, or private equity involvement evidenced in the source data.

Name

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital

Legal name

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital

Website

https://sdmcds.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital is a non-profit dental college and teaching hospital in Dharwad, Karnataka, offering BDS, MDS, and Forensic Odontology Fellowship programs while treating approximately 130,000 patients annually as a unit of SDM University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Education and Healthcare Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Offices of Dentists (621210)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dental Schools (EDAHAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hospital-Based Emergency Dental Services (HLABALAE)

Keywords

• Dental education
• Dental healthcare services
• Oral surgery specialties
• Forensic odontology training
• Craniofacial surgery centre

Headquarters

HQ city

Dharwad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dental Treatment Services: The institution provides dental care services at undergraduate and specialty clinics. Treatment charges are nominal and usually cover material costs only. Extremely economically weak sections may be provided free treatment. Faculty Practice offers private group practice services at rates comparable to other private dental practices.
2. BDS and MDS Tuition Fees: Revenue from undergraduate (BDS) and postgraduate (MDS) dental education programs. Fellowship Programme in Forensic Odontology fees: ₹35,000 for 1 year with 8 student intake.
3. Digital Dentistry Course Fees: Revenue from continuing education programs in digital dentistry for dental professionals.
4. Sister Institution Referrals: Cross-referrals and discounted services with SDM Medical College & Hospital and SDM College of Medical Sciences for advanced diagnostics and inpatient care.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital delivers dental education (BDS undergraduate degree, MDS postgraduate specializations across nine disciplines, Fellowship in Forensic Odontology, and Digital Dentistry continuing education courses) and comprehensive dental clinical services through undergraduate teaching clinics, postgraduate specialty clinics, a Faculty Dental Practice (Ekadanta), and a dedicated Craniofacial Surgery and Emergency Centre. The institution serves approximately 130,000 patients annually across its Dharwad campus, peripheral urban and rural centers, and mobile dental bus outreach.

Product overview

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital operates as a comprehensive dental educational institution and healthcare facility offering undergraduate (BDS) and postgraduate (MDS) dental education across nine specialties, alongside a Fellowship Programme in Forensic Odontology and Digital Dentistry continuing education courses. The institution provides patient care through multiple clinical service tiers including undergraduate/postgraduate teaching clinics, specialty clinics, the Faculty Dental Practice (Ekadanta) for private care without student involvement, and the Craniofacial Unit for complex surgical cases. Community outreach is delivered via a hi-tech mobile dental bus and tobacco cessation services. The institution is a unit of Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 130,000 patients treated annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal College of Physician and Surgeons, Glasgow, UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational linkage and accreditation with Royal College of Physician and Surgeons, Glasgow, UK. The department of orthodontics was the center for MDORCPS examination and hosted IMORTHRCS examination for Royal College of Physicians Glasgow and Royal College of London in 1999-2000.
• Smile Train, USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Smile Train, USA for free cleft lip and palate treatment. Since July 2001, over 2,400 cleft patients have been successfully treated totally free of cost including food and medicines.
• Tufts University Schools of Dental Medicine, USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU with Tufts University Schools of Dental Medicine, USA for academic collaboration and exchange.
• Government of MalaysiaminorOthersBDS degree offered by the institution is recognized by Government of Malaysia, allowing graduates to practice in Malaysia.
• Colgate Palmolive LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Oral Health survey of India in collaboration with Colgate Palmolive Ltd
• Hindustan Unilever LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on efficacy of tooth brushing with new dentifrice and chalk-based toothpaste. Amount: Rs. 180,000, Duration: 3 months.
• Dr. Reddy's LaboratoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDouble blind study on the effect of Senquel F toothpaste on plaque, gingivitis and dentinal hypersensitivity. Duration: 56 days.
• Indian Dental Association (IDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Prosthodontics collaborates with IDA for conducting free denture programmes for poor and needy patients.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere: Karnataka-based private dental college with established BDS/MDS programs and hospital operations. Directly comparable tier-2-city, southern-India private dental college model and is referenced in SDMCDS's own management bios (Dr. Niranjan K.C. did his BDS at BDCH).
• Christian Dental College, Ludhiana: Not-for-profit Christian missionary dental college offering BDS/MDS plus charity-focused dental hospital services, including community outreach. Closest peer on the non-profit operating ethos and community-service orientation that SDMCDS emphasizes.
• SRM Dental College, Chennai: Large private dental college under SRM Institute of Science and Technology with full BDS/MDS offerings and hospital operations. Comparable scale and institutional setup to SDMCDS within a similar private-university ecosystem.
• Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore: India's flagship private dental college under Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Operates the same integrated BDS/MDS + dental hospital model with multiple specialties, strong international linkages, and competes with SDMCDS directly in admissions rankings.
• Saveetha Dental College, Chennai: One of the highest-ranked private dental colleges in India, operates a dental hospital with heavy clinical throughput and extensive research output. Closest peer to SDMCDS in terms of infrastructure scale, ranking ambition and specialist depth.
• KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences, Belagavi: KLE Society's flagship dental college in Karnataka offering BDS, MDS and clinical services across specialties. Same regional, private-society-operated model and is cited in SDMCDS management bios for postgraduate training.

Others

• Smile Train: Global NGO that funds free cleft lip and palate surgeries in partner hospitals including SDMCDS. Not a peer but a structural partner with overlapping mission (cleft treatment access) that SDMCDS's social-impact profile is anchored on.

Emerging players

• Axiss Dental: Multi-city Indian dental service brand focused on technology-enabled dental care. Comparable to SDMCDS in the digital-dentistry adjacent space and a relevant benchmark for organized, branded dental service delivery.
• Clove Dental: India's largest dental clinic chain offering general and multi-specialty dental care across metros. Not a direct dental-college peer but a comparable dental-care delivery brand competing for patient footfall that SDMCDS's faculty practice and outreach programs target.
• MyDentist (Mydentist Healthcare): Dental service chain in India operating multi-chair clinics across urban centers. Relevant peer for understanding how organized dental service delivery competes with the SDMCDS teaching-clinic model for routine dental patients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/zWqQ55hGlbI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdm-college-of-dental-sciences-&-hospital

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital