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Future dentistry students in for five-year BDS programme

KarachiA national-level seminar on dental education held at the Governor House on Wednesday recommended an increase in duration of the Bachelors of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme from four years to five years.The ‘Dental Education 2015’ seminar chaired by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad was attended by stakeholders including vice-chancellors, experts

By our correspondents
February 26, 2015
Karachi
A national-level seminar on dental education held at the Governor House on Wednesday recommended an increase in duration of the Bachelors of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme from four years to five years.
The ‘Dental Education 2015’ seminar chaired by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad was attended by stakeholders including vice-chancellors, experts and educationists associated with medical and dental education institutions of the country and its regulatory body, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
The resolutions discussed and approved at the seminar included a call for increased duration of the BDS degree programme, as well as a change in the BDS nomenclature to DDS. A handout issued by the Governor House regarding the conference, however, did not elaborate upon the full form of the proposed DDS nomenclature.
The resolutions called for implementation of a new five-year curriculum for BDS education, as approved by Higher Education Commission and PMDC, from the next academic session at all medical and dental education institutes.
It was suggested that the five-year programme should first be introduced at public sector institutions before being implemented at private medical and dental colleges. Another resolution adopted on the occasion called for inclusion of new and emerging subjects related to clinical and biological sciences in the BDS programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Governor Ebad said educationists, experts and academicians from all provinces had unanimously agreed upon a one-year extension in the BDS programme duration. He said efforts for updates of the BDS curriculum had been afoot since 2003 and it was heartening to see the consensus and results achieved. “All stakeholders including PMDC and HEC officials agree over the revision and we will work to introduce the changes from the next academic year onwards,” said Ebad, while particularly praising Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Vice Chancellor Dr Naushad Sheikh for his efforts in this regard.