"The Sree Mookambikai Institute of Dental Sciences (SMIDS) is one of the best dental college in south India. This institution was established in 1999 by two visionaries Dr. Velayuthan Nair and Dr. Rema V. Nair, and ever since, it has expanded rapidly to become one of the leading dental colleges in India. SMIDS is situated in the lap of nature in the hillscapes of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu and indulges on a sprawling 73 acre green campus that comprises not only a dental college, but also a medical institute and a nursing college, making it a center for health care education.

Apart from their efforts in addressing the existing lack of dental education in the region, the greatest goal of the target group as established by the school’s vision is to achieve the highest quality, local full-service, low-volume practice. SMIDS has been and continues to strive to integrate community service to dental education through the Padanilam Welfare Trust. The college is the only dental institute under The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R Medical University which has the facilities of a medical college on its campus and this makes the students get an edge on interdisciplinary and holistic health care."

SMIDS caters to the educational needs of budding dentists. The undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program meets its educational needs, accepting 60 students annually. The commitment of the institute to postgraduate education in dentistry is demonstrated in its Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) programs which commenced in 2002, and which today include coverage of various fields such as Prosthodontics, Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Periodontics, Surgery of the Face and Jaw, Orthodontics, Medicine and Radiology of the Mouth, and Pathology and Microbiology of the Mouth.

The institute takes pride in its latest infrastructure and technology. Each department is provided with adequate materials and equipment ensuring exposure of students to practical modern dental practices. The faculty members at SMIDS are senior professors as well as qualified assistant professors, readers and lecturers who are keen in mentoring students in the dental profession. The college stands out from its peers due to the high priority placed on research, training and community service programs.

SMIDS’s governing vision does not merely restrict the activity of the institute to the periphery of an education provider. It wishes to emerge foremost in the field of dental research and care provision in attempts aimed at uplifting the oral health of the population and thus the general public health. The institution imparts to the students of core ethics such as patient oriented approach, selfadherence to the standards of quality and ethical conduct, and social accountability. “Through initiating creativity, nurturing professionalism, and leading paving the way towards direction SMIDS prepares dental professionals which are not only competent but also sensitive, ethical and ready to the changes in health care demands of the society.”