MIRPURKHAS: Artificial intelligence, clinical innovation and the changing future of healthcare and dentistry took centre stage as Ibn-e-Sina University, Mirpurkhas (ISUM), opened its 28th International Annual Medical Symposium on October 2, bringing medical and dental professionals, researchers, academics, faculty members and students together for a day of scientific discussion, hands-on learning and professional development.
Held at the Muhammad Dental College (MDC) campus under the theme “The Advent of AI: Dawn of Humanization or Dehumanization,” the symposium examined a question increasingly confronting healthcare education and clinical practice: how should rapidly advancing artificial intelligence be integrated without losing the human judgment, ethics and patient-centred thinking at the heart of medicine and dentistry?
The opening programme combined a formal inauguration with parallel clinical and academic workshops, a professional panel discussion and a scientific speakers’ session, giving participants opportunities to explore emerging technology alongside practical aspects of dental education and clinical care.
The opening ceremony brought together university leadership, faculty, invited speakers, clinicians, researchers and students. Prof. Dr. Shamsul Arfeen, Pro-Chancellor, ISUM; Prof. Dr. Zafar H. Tanveer, Vice-Chancellor, ISUM; Prof. Dr. Qadeer ul Hassan, Dean, MDC; Prof. Dr. Noor Ahmed Khoso, Principal, MDC; Prof. Dr. Farzana Majeed, Director Research & CAO, ISUM; Dr. Parmanand Das, Associate Dean, MDC; and Dr. Doha Rajar, Assistant Research Director, ISUM, worked alongside faculty members, visiting academics and organising teams in coordinating the academic proceedings and facilitating professional and institutional engagement.
The symposium's practical component ran alongside the main proceedings, allowing students, dental graduates and faculty members to pursue specialised learning through a series of workshops.
Final-year BDS students and dental graduates participated in “Clear Path,” an advanced orthodontic and aligner session facilitated by Dr. Muhammad Uzair of Baqai Dental College. The session added a practical dimension to the symposium's broader focus on technology-driven changes in contemporary dentistry.
In another academic session, Dr. Ali Maqbool Khuwaja conducted a seminar on medical education for faculty members and early-career dental students, bringing educational development into a programme otherwise strongly focused on clinical technology and artificial intelligence.
Prof. Dr. Abrar of Hamdard Dental College led an intensive hands-on workshop on modern endodontic rotary systems. The session attracted more than 50 participants from Muhammad Dental College, BDMC and Isra Dental College, providing participants with practical exposure to contemporary endodontic techniques and instrumentation.
As part of the academic activities held on October 2, Prof. Dr. Amir Mehmood Butt, Professor and Chairman, Department of Prosthodontics, LUMHS, conducted a hands-on clinical training session for third- and final-year BDS students at the MDC Phantom Lab, focusing on the application of veneers.
The symposium's midday programme shifted from technical and clinical training to the broader professional question of where dentistry is heading.
At the Mrs. Razia Ali Auditorium, final-year BDS students Memoona Siraj and Sayeda Urooj Fatima moderated a panel discussion titled “Beyond the White Coat: The Dentist, the Career and the Future.”
The discussion brought together Dr. Jazib Memon, Dr. Sarang Suresh, Dr. Nida Talpur and Dr. Sana Mirza, who examined the changing professional landscape for dentists and the expanding range of opportunities available beyond conventional clinical practice.
The panel addressed areas including clinical entrepreneurship, digital transformation, healthcare bioethics and the growing influence of artificial intelligence on future clinical career pathways, connecting technological change with the professional decisions students and young dentists will increasingly face.
The afternoon scientific speakers' session returned the focus to innovation and the practical implications of technology in healthcare and dentistry.
Dr. Syed Muhammad Faizan, CEO of Vanguard Dental Clinics, opened the session with a presentation examining the development of healthcare infrastructure beyond the conventional clinic setting.
Dr. Fahad Umer, Founder of MeDentec, followed with an analytical presentation on the diagnostic role of artificial intelligence and its current capabilities in dentistry, addressing how AI is beginning to influence the way dental professionals approach diagnosis and clinical decision-making.
The scientific programme also featured Dr. Salman Shafique, who examined the relationship between technological intelligence and human clinical judgment through “AI vs Human Intelligence in an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) Landscape.” His presentation drew on challenging professional and surgical experiences to consider how artificial intelligence may interact with, rather than simply replace, clinical expertise in complex surgical practice.
Together, the scientific sessions placed the symposium's central AI theme within the realities of healthcare delivery, where technology is increasingly being evaluated not only for what it can do, but also for how it should be used by trained professionals.
A defining feature of the event was the involvement of students in both the academic programme and its organisation. Final-year BDS and MBBS students contributed to a range of academic and organisational activities, working with faculty members and event teams to support registrations, presentations, invited speakers, workshops and on-ground arrangements.
Their role extended beyond that of an audience. Student participation in the planning and execution of the symposium provided opportunities to develop leadership, teamwork and organisational skills while contributing directly to the delivery of a major academic event.
The Scientific Committee, focal persons, faculty coordinators and student teams worked collectively throughout the programme to coordinate the academic schedule, workshops, speakers, registrations, presentations and logistical arrangements.
The collaboration between university leadership, faculty, visiting academics and students helped create an interdisciplinary setting in which clinical education, research, professional development and emerging technology could be considered alongside one another.
The inaugural proceedings concluded with university leadership presenting souvenirs to invited speakers and guests, followed by a formal vote of thanks.
The opening day of the 28th International Annual Medical Symposium 2026 ultimately brought together several dimensions of contemporary healthcare education—from hands-on dental techniques and endodontic systems to orthodontic aligners, veneers, medical education, career development and artificial intelligence.
By placing AI at the centre of discussions about clinical practice, professional identity and the future of healthcare, Ibn-e-Sina University used the symposium to examine not simply what emerging technologies can offer medicine and dentistry, but how those technologies can be incorporated responsibly while preserving the human judgment and professional values that underpin patient care.
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