After major reforms in the dental education system in Punjab, students applying for admission to the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course will now be entering a five year degree as opposed to the previous four year course.
The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has announced the implementation of the new Integrated BDS Curriculum 2025 from the Academic Session 2025-26 in all public and private dental colleges affiliated with UHS.
The decision brings Pakistan’s dental education system in tune with the world’s educational practices, where 5-year dental undergraduate courses are common. The revised curriculum has been approved by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) and is competency based with an emphasis on early clinical exposure, simulation learning, research, community dentistry, and continuous assessment of students.
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The four-year BDS programme had previously disadvantaged students in Pakistan from getting their degrees recognised abroad, from being admitted to higher studies and passing their professional licensing exams in other countries like the UK, Australia, Canada and some EU and Gulf countries because of the differences in the duration of the degrees and the clinical training received by them.
The new 5-year program is anticipated to further raise the visibility of dental degrees from Pakistan around the world and bring more opportunities for Pakistani dental graduates to get jobs or further education in other countries, the authorities said.
UHS has offered a bridging programme to be completed by a graduate student after completion of the four year BDS programme and approved by PM&DC. The programme will offer eligible graduates opportunities to conduct further coursework, advanced clinical training, research and competency assessment to fulfil the requirements of the new curriculum.
Prof. Waheed Rathore, Vice Chancellor of UHS explained that the aim of the reforms is to produce graduates with a solid academic knowledge, clinical skills and professional skills to be able to compete at an international level.
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