MDS · Dental postgraduate

Books for MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry.

MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry trains residents in child growth and development, behavior guidance, preventive dentistry (fluorides, pit-and-fissure sealants, early childhood caries management), restorative and pulp therapy in primary and young permanent teeth, dental trauma management, space maintenance/early orthodontic guidance, and the dental management of children with special healthcare needs. The university exit examination under DCI/NDC MDS Course Regulations 2017 comprises four theory papers, a clinical exam with a comprehensive long-case child work-up (behavior/caries-risk assessment, diagnosis and preventive-cum-restorative treatment plan) plus short cases on child patients, and a viva voce, with a minimum of 50% required separately in theory and in practical/clinical plus oral.

Print chapters from your PDF All nine MDS branches

6Standard texts

5Journals listed

3 yearsReading plan included

50pB&W, per page

What residents actually use

Current editions, and what each one is for

The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is read through, kept as a reference, or opened only for the viva.

McDonald and Avery's Dentistry for the Child and Adolescentcore referenceJeffrey A. Dean (ed) · Elsevier · 11th (2021)The internationally standard comprehensive paediatric dentistry text, used for theory depth and thesis-level reading throughout the course.
Pediatric Dentistry: Infancy through Adolescencecore referencePaul S. Casamassimo, Arthur J. Nowak, Henry W. Fields, Dennis J. McTigue (eds); a 7th edition (2026) is edited by Arthur J. Nowak, John R. Christensen, Matthew Geneser, Janice A. Townsend and Martha H. Wells · Elsevier · 6th (2018); 7th edition released August 2026Still widely known in India by its earlier title 'Pinkham's' (Jimmy Pinkham led the first four editions through 2005); the 6th edition remains the version most residents currently hold, with the newly released 7th edition (2026) yet to see wide uptake.
Textbook of Pediatric Dentistryprimary textNikhil Marwah · Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers · 5th (2024)The most common first/primary Indian paediatric dentistry textbook, written to the Indian curriculum with strong case-based and exam-oriented coverage.
Paediatric Dentistry (2-volume set)primary textShobha Tandon · Paras Medical Publisher · 4th (2026); previously published as 'Textbook of Pedodontics'Alternate widely used Indian text, valued for detailed clinical/case-based coverage and commonly used alongside Marwah's.
Wright's Behavior Management in Dentistry for Childrencore referenceAri Kupietzky (ed) · Wiley · 3rd (2021)The standard dedicated reference for behavior-guidance theory and technique, a fixed theory and viva topic in the specialty.
Handbook of Pediatric Dentistryexam-orientedAngus C. Cameron, Richard P. Widmer (eds) · Elsevier · 5thConcise, well-illustrated quick-reference text used for rapid revision of clinical protocols before university theory and viva exams.

Journals

Journals that matter in Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry

Journal club and the recent-advances questions come from here. Follow one Indian and two international titles properly rather than skimming all of them.

Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (JISPPD) - official journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (ISPPD), Wolters Kluwer/MedknowPediatric Dentistry - official journal of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD)International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry - official journal of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) and British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, WileyEuropean Archives of Paediatric Dentistry - official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD), SpringerJournal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry - Allen Press

Reading plan

What to read, and when

Three years, most of it spent in the clinic and on the dissertation. The order below is what works for most MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry residents.

Year 1

Build the base

Cover child growth and development, behavior-guidance theory and preventive dentistry (fluoride, sealants, diet counseling, early childhood caries) from the opening sections of McDonald and Avery's and Marwah's, register the dissertation synopsis with the ethics committee, and begin supervised behavior-management and preventive procedures on child patients.

Year 2

Go deep, run the dissertation

Build independent competence in restorative dentistry and pulp therapy for primary and young permanent teeth and in basic dental-trauma management while cross-referencing Casamassimo/Nowak's and Shobha Tandon's for technique protocols, collect dissertation data, and present case-based seminars and journal clubs.

Year 3

Revise, drill, submit

Manage complex trauma, special-needs and interdisciplinary (orthodontic-guidance, hospital dentistry/sedation) cases using Kupietzky's for advanced behavior guidance and Cameron and Widmer's for quick-reference protocols, complete and submit the dissertation, and revise Marwah's and Tandon's for the university theory, clinical and viva examinations.

Dissertation

References for your dissertation

Methodology, reporting standards and source material examiners expect you to have used.

ICMR 'MD/MS/DM/MCh/MDS Support' scheme and Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) approval process, with particular attention to research-ethics provisions for minors
ICMR National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, including its provisions on research involving children as a vulnerable population
PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Oral Health Group reviews and Scopus for literature on paediatric restorative materials, fluoride/preventive agents, pulp-therapy medicaments and behavior-guidance techniques
Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry for methodology/reporting-standard benchmarking, and AAPD clinical practice guidelines as a reference standard
Affiliating university's synopsis/dissertation submission format and plagiarism-check requirement
Biostatistics plus SPSS/GraphPad and validated behavior-rating scales (e.g., Frankl Behavior Rating Scale, Venham Anxiety/Behavior scale) for clinical dissertation data collection and analysis

Practical & viva

What the exam actually tests

Cases, procedures and stations that come up again and again.

Long-case presentation: comprehensive child case with growth and behavior assessment, caries-risk evaluation, diagnosis and a preventive-cum-restorative treatment plan
Behavior-guidance technique viva (tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, indications for pharmacologic/sedation approaches)
Instrument and material identification (stainless steel crowns, pulpotomy/pulpectomy medicaments, space maintainers, preformed paediatric restorative kits)
Pulp-therapy technique viva (pulpotomy versus pulpectomy indications, medicaments, primary versus young permanent tooth management)
Dental-trauma case-based problem solving (luxation injuries, crown fracture, avulsion management)
Radiograph interpretation (bitewing/periapical for caries and pulp status, panoramic for developing dentition)
Management-of-special-needs-child scenarios and space-maintainer design/selection viva

About the branch

MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry in context

University-conducted final MDS examination under DCI/NDC MDS Course Regulations 2017: four 3-hour theory papers (two specialty, one applied basic sciences, one essay), a clinical exam with a comprehensive long-case child work-up and short cases, and a viva voce; a minimum of 50% is required separately in theory and in practical/clinical plus oral.

Frequently asked

MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry books — questions

Which books should I read for MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry?

The titles on this page are the ones residents and departments actually use, each with the edition in circulation now. Start with the first one listed and add the references as your reading deepens.

Which book should I start with in MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry?

McDonald and Avery's Dentistry for the Child and Adolescent by Jeffrey A. Dean (ed) is the usual anchor. The internationally standard comprehensive paediatric dentistry text, used for theory depth and thesis-level reading throughout the course.

How is MDS Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry examined?

Do I need to buy every book listed?

No. Most residents own two or three and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.

Can you print these books for me?

We print from a PDF you send us and are entitled to print. Send it on WhatsApp with the page range — colour Rs 1 a page, black and white 50 paise, binding Rs 40 per bound volume, delivered anywhere in India.

We print files you send us. We do not host, sell or supply book PDFs — send us a file you are entitled to print and we print and bind it. Editions move quickly in dentistry: confirm the current edition before you buy or print.