Farhan Raza Khan.
A proposed curriculum for 5-years bds programme in pakistan and its comparison with the curricula suggested by pmdc and hec.
J Pak Dent Assoc Jan ;29(4):169-71.

In Pakistan, whether to enforce a 4-year BDS course versus a 5-year course, is a matter of debate that warrants multiple deliberations. In USA and Canada, dentistry is 4-year long course but students can apply for admission into dental school only when they have already done 16 years of schooling (i.e. a 4-years of graduate university education is the pre-requisite). On the other hand, In UK & Ireland, students can apply for admission into dental colleges with 12-years of high school education. However, they follow a 5-years BDS programme. Similarly, there is much difference on the emphasis on various subjects taught in the dental programmes. This paper critically appraises the PMDC and HEC advised BDS curricula in Pakistan and suggests an alternative curriculum that is more balanced in terms of subject distribution, assessment and above all contemporary to cater the evolving needs of the dynamic discipline of dentistry.

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