ISLAMABAD: The Pa­­kistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) has officially announced the extension of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme from four to . The new policy will be implemented across the country from the session 2024-2025. In a statement on Friday, PM&DC president Prof Dr Rizwan Taj highlighted the significant benefits of the change. He explained that the decision was made keeping in view the challenges fa­­ced by the BDS graduates from Pakistan in securing training or jobs across the globe where a five-year BDS transcript is required. He said the PM&DC had decided that the would be a five years progr­am­­me, including the 5th year as a clerkship year followed by one-year structured house job or foundation year and internship. He said the additional year would allow students to gain a deeper theoretical understanding of dental sciences, improving the academic foundation required for excellence in the field. Dr Taj said the initiative would bring Pakis­tan’s dental education system in line with global standards, facilitating grea­ter international recognition of Pakistani graduates. The PM&DC chief said that comprehensive curriculum guidelines had been finalised by the council and will soon be shared with dental colleges.