LAHORE: The University of Health Sciences Lahore has officially notified the implementation of the Five-Year Modular Integrated Bachelor of Dental Surgery curriculum for all constituent and affiliated dental colleges under its jurisdiction.
The notification, issued by the office of the Vice Chancellor, UHS Lahore, states that the new curriculum will apply from the Academic Session 2025–2026 onward and will govern admissions made in the BDS programme from that session.
The move marks a major academic shift for dental education in Punjab, placing stronger emphasis on integrated modular education, competency-based dental training, early clinical exposure, evidence-based dentistry, professionalism, ethics, research, patient safety and quality care.
UHS role and jurisdiction in dental education
The University of Health Sciences Lahore was established in 2002 as Punjab’s dedicated health sciences university. According to UHS, almost all public and private medical and dental colleges in Punjab are affiliated with the university.
UHS plays a central academic role in the province by regulating and coordinating medical education, training and research in healthcare across Punjab. It also functions as the provincial admitting university for public sector medical and dental colleges.
This means that, while the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council sets national standards and regulatory requirements for medical and dental education, UHS is responsible for implementing, examining, monitoring and maintaining academic standards within its affiliated institutions in Punjab.
According to the UHS, the notification has been issued in line with PMDC’s prescribed policies, standards and requirements for undergraduate dental education. PMDC’s official regulatory publications include the Medical and Dental Undergraduate Education Admissions, Curriculum and Conduct Policy and Regulations 2025 and assessment-related regulations for undergraduate medical and dental institutions.
Who will the new BDS curriculum apply to?
According to the notification, the BDS Integrated Curriculum 2K25 will apply to:
- All constituent dental colleges of UHS Lahore
- All affiliated public sector dental colleges
- All affiliated private sector dental colleges
- Students admitted to the BDS programme from Academic Session 2025–2026 onward
Students admitted under previous BDS regulations will continue to be governed by the curriculum and regulations applicable at the time of their admission, unless otherwise notified by the competent authority.
BDS programme now formally structured over five academic years
The notification confirms that the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme shall comprise five academic years.
The five-year structure will include integrated modular teaching, pre-clinical education, clinical training, skills laboratory training, community-based learning, professionalism, research and competency-based assessment.
What is changing under the BDS Integrated Curriculum 2K25?
The new curriculum formally adopts the document titled “BDS Integrated Curriculum 2K25 Version 2.0” as the official curriculum, scheme of studies and academic framework for the BDS programme in UHS-affiliated dental colleges.
All constituent and affiliated dental colleges have been directed to implement the curriculum in its entirety.
The curriculum philosophy is based on:
• Integrated modular education
• Competency-based dental education
• Outcome-based learning
• Early clinical exposure
• Evidence-based dentistry
• Community-oriented dental practice
• Professionalism and ethics
• Patient safety and quality care
• Lifelong learning and research
Major components of the new BDS curriculum
The curriculum will include basic biomedical sciences, pre-clinical dental sciences, clinical dental sciences, community dentistry and oral health promotion, research methodology, professionalism, ethics, communication skills, skills laboratory training, simulation-based training, clinical clerkships, workplace-based learning, student portfolios, logbooks, electives, continuous internal assessment and university assessment.
Graduate competencies expected from dental students
Under the new curriculum, UHS expects BDS graduates to become competent in comprehensive oral healthcare delivery, prevention, diagnosis and management of oral diseases, evidence-based clinical decision-making, communication and teamwork, professional and ethical practice, research and scholarly activity, community engagement, oral health promotion, leadership and lifelong learning.
This competency-driven approach is particularly important for dental institutions because it links academic teaching with patient outcomes, clinical judgment, workplace behaviour and professional accountability.
Assessment and examinations
The notification states that assessment shall be conducted in accordance with PMDC regulations, UHS examination regulations, UHS assessment policies, approved scheme of studies and notifications issued by the university from time to time.
Assessment methods may include:
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Structured written assessments
• OSPE/OSCE
• Clinical assessments
• Viva voce
• Workplace-based assessments
• Portfolio assessment
• Logbook evaluation
The inclusion of OSPE, OSCE, workplace-based assessment, portfolios and logbooks indicates a stronger shift towards evaluating what students can actually perform, document and demonstrate in clinical and simulated environments.
Responsibilities of dental colleges
All constituent and affiliated dental colleges have been directed to ensure full implementation of the approved curriculum.
The notification places responsibility on dental colleges for establishing curriculum committees and module committees, ensuring qualified faculty, infrastructure and clinical facilities, maintaining student portfolios, logbooks and competency records, arranging faculty development and training programmes, complying with university regulations and submitting required reports and information to UHS on time.
This means dental colleges will not only have to teach the new curriculum but also create the internal academic systems needed to support modular learning, clinical competency tracking and quality assurance.
Curriculum monitoring and academic audits
The Department of Medical Education at UHS Lahore will monitor implementation of the curriculum, conduct academic audits and monitoring visits, organize faculty development programmes, review educational outcomes and performance indicators, and submit recommendations for continuous improvement.
Quality assurance and compliance
The notification says implementation of the curriculum shall be monitored through institutional academic audits, curriculum monitoring visits, student and faculty feedback, assessment outcome analysis, PMDC accreditation standards and university quality assurance mechanisms.
It also states that failure to comply with the approved curriculum may attract action under relevant affiliation regulations, statutes and rules of the university.
This clause gives the notification regulatory weight and signals that affiliated dental colleges will be expected to demonstrate compliance, rather than treating the curriculum as a general academic guideline.
The notification has come into force with immediate effect and will apply to admissions made in the BDS programme from Academic Session 2025–2026 onward.
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