Master of Dental Surgery curricula in four dental specialties has been revised, a major update in Punjab’s medical education after two decades.
The decision was approved during the 229th meeting of the Advanced Studies & Research Board (ASRB), held at UHS on Thursday under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nadia Naseem.
The revised curricula cover MDS programmes in Operative Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Orthodontics, and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. The changes are intended to bring postgraduate dental education in line with recent developments in dentistry, modern teaching methodologies and the changing needs of specialist healthcare.
Board members described the curriculum restructuring as a long-overdue initiative. The review was conducted by Speciality Advisory Committees comprising experts from the respective fields, in collaboration with UHS’s Department of Medical Education.
The updated curricula have been aligned with guidelines issued by the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council, as well as the UHS Level-III MD/MS/MDS Regulations 2024.
The revised programmes had previously been reviewed by the Board of Studies (Dentistry), which recommended that they be forwarded to the Academic Council through the ASRB for further consideration.
Prof. Dr. Sarah Ghafoor, Convener of the Board of Studies (Dentistry) and Officiating Head of the Department of Medical Education, briefed the ASRB on the revised curricula, including their structure and key features.
During the meeting, the ASRB also reviewed thesis evaluation cases in several postgraduate disciplines, including Microbiology, Nephrology, Pediatrics, Anaesthesia, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Thoracic Surgery, Urology and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.
The Board further considered PhD research synopses along with numerous research synopses for MD, MS, MDS, M.Phil and MHPE programmes.
