Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Monday announced it would revert the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme to four years after extending it to five years two years ago. PMDC officials told the Senate Standing Committee on Health that the BDS would remain a four-year programme, and the previous notification regarding the duration of dental education had been withdrawn.

The Senate committee directed the PMDC to issue a formal notification regarding the four-year duration. In November 2024, the PMDC had mandated extending the BDS programme to five years, effective from the 2024-2025 academic session, upon the recommendations of a committee of dental experts to align Pakistan's standards with international practices.

However, private dental colleges across the country expressed their inability to implement the changes, citing insufficient infrastructure and logistical challenges. An official noted that most private colleges lacked the resources and faculty for an additional year at this stage.

Although the PMDC had postponed the conversion for one year in January 2025, it has now formally withdrawn the decision. The reversal aims to resolve administrative hurdles faced by educational institutions while maintaining the established standards of dental education across Pakistan.