Journal of Shalamar Medical & Dental College - JSHMDC

Aligning with global standards requires a 5-year dental curriculum in Pakistan

2025-12-27T01:04:20+00:00

The practice of dentistry is rapidly evolving, with continuous advancements in technology, materials, and clinical techniques. In Pakistan, the existing four-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) curriculum has remained largely unchanged for decades and is increasingly unable to accommodate the expanding scope of dental education. Limited time within the current program restricts the inclusion of contemporary courses such as dental implants, lasers in dentistry, digital dentistry, forensic odontology, and emerging research methodologies. Consequently, graduates often face challenges in meeting international standards and adapting to modern patient care requirements. A five-year dental curriculum is urgently needed to address these gaps by offering a more comprehensive educational framework. The additional year would allow integration of advanced clinical training, evidence-based practice, inter-professional education, and research opportunities without compromising foundational knowledge. It would also reduce student stress from overloaded schedules and enhance competency-based learning. Aligning with global trends, a five-year curriculum would ensure Pakistani dental graduates are better equipped to provide high-quality care, contribute to research, and compete in the international healthcare arena. Thus, extending the BDS program to five years is a critical step towards strengthening dental education and safeguarding the future of dentistry in Pakistan.

Towards a culture of ethical engagement of artificial intelligence in research

2025-12-27T01:03:59+00:00

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the research process by reshaping how knowledge is generated, analyzed, and communicated. While AI enhances efficiency and opens new possibilities, it also introduces ethical challenges of authorship, accountability, bias, and trust. This paper emphasizes the need to move beyond compliance with policies toward building a culture of ethical engagement. Such a culture integrates ethics within scholarly identity and institutional practices through awareness, reflexivity, transparency, and inclusivity. Researchers must disclose and reflect on their use of AI tools, while institutions, journals, and funders share responsibility for ensuring literacy, fairness, and accountability. Embedding ethical reflection into training, peer review, and reward systems can help shift behavior from rule-following to genuine commitment. Developing a culture of ethical engagement ensures that the use of AI in research remains grounded in human integrity, critical judgment, and social responsibility.

COVID-19 as a catalyst for change: Challenges and innovations in medical education

2025-12-27T01:04:44+00:00

This study details the challenges faced by medical schools in Pakistan during the pandemic, including training faculty in online teaching and assessment, ensuring practical and clinical training, and proctoring online assessments. Opportunities that arise from it include the use of digital technology platforms such as LMS, webinars, Google Meet, and SurveyMonkey, as well as their integration into the curriculum. The use of virtual training tools and simulations has become an integral part of undergraduate clinical training. The study suggests investing in digital technology and artificial intelligence, faculty training, the introduction of calculus and physics, and curricular flexibility and diversity to prepare doctors for 21st-century needs.

Unseen struggles: The psychosocial toll of raising a child with functional neurological disorder

2025-12-27T01:05:04+00:00

Background: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is characterized by neurological symptoms that are inconsistent with structural or known pathophysiological causes.

Objective: To explore the psychosocial experiences of parents raising a child with FND, focusing on emotional distress, social challenges, and financial burdens.

Methods: The phenomenological approach to exploratory qualitative research was used, with a nonprobability purposive sampling strategy to collect the data. The parents of children (n=12) having FND were recruited from a private hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. A demographic sheet and semi-structured interview guide were used to collect data. Braun & Clarke's (2009) 6-step approach to thematic analysis was used for data analysis in NVivo.

Results: There were six fathers and six mothers of children with FND, varying between 25 and 45 years of age, with a mean age of 35±2 years, from Lahore. The themes that emerged from the thematic analysis were psychological stressors and socioeconomic and caregiving burdens. The subthemes were emotional stressors, anxiousness and depression, lack of social support, financial burdens, difficulties in time management, and social isolation and stigma.

Conclusion: Having special children can affect parental interpersonal connections and psychological well-being. Healthcare leaders and authorities need to consider the special needs of affected parents.

Estimating stature from hand and foot anthropometry: A pilot study

2025-12-27T01:04:10+00:00

Background: Stature estimation is a critical component of forensic identification, particularly when dealing with incomplete human remains. While global anthropometric models exist, population-specific data for Pakistan remain scarce.

Objective: To determine the correlation of hand and foot length with stature in medical students and to derive sex-specific regression equations for stature prediction, using hand and foot lengths.

Methods: A pilot cross-sectional study was conducted from August 21 to September 20, 2025, in the Forensic Department of Shalamar Medical & Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan. Both male and female MBBS students (n=100), aged 20 to 25 years from a medical college, were included in the study. Standardized anthropometric techniques were used to measure hand and foot lengths and stature. Pearson's correlation test and multiple linear regression were employed to develop predictive models.

Results: Significant positive correlations were found between stature and both hand and foot lengths of both sides (r = 0.688–0.773, p < 0.001), with left foot length showing the strongest correlation (p<0.001). Gender-specific regression analyses revealed that, for males, the model with left-hand and foot length explained 36.0% of the variance in stature, with foot length as the significant predictor. For females, the similar model explained 33.2% of variance, with both hand and foot length as significant predictors.

Conclusion: Stature was significantly correlated with hand and foot lengths, with left foot length showing the strongest association. Sex-specific regression analyses indicated that left foot length was the main predictor in males, while left hand and left foot lengths significantly predicted stature in females.

Problematic mobile phone use and sleep quality in medical students: A cross-sectional study

2025-12-27T01:05:25+00:00

Background: Mobile phone usage has increased significantly, with estimates of more than 1.5 billion users worldwide.

Objective: To assess the level of problematic mobile phone use and its association with sleep quality among medical students.

Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, from August 2021 to February 2022. Medical students in the MBBS program who were using a mobile (smart) phone between 21 and 23 years of age, male or female and involved in clinical rotations were included in the study. A convenience sampling technique was used. A structured questionnaire was administered, comprising demographic data, the Problematic Use of Mobile Phones (PUMP) scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data was analyzed using SPSS 21. The Chi-square test was used to examine the associations between PUMP and PSQI.

Results: Out of the 256 participants, 181 (71%) scored <62 on the PUMP scale, indicating non-problematic mobile phone use. In contrast, 75 students (29.3%) had PUMP scores ≥62 and were classified as problematic mobile phone users with a statistically significant difference in PUMP scores between problematic and non-problematic users (p < 0.001). Regarding sleep quality, 163 participants (63.6%) had a PSQI score above 5, reflecting poor sleep quality, whereas 93 (36.3%) demonstrated good sleep quality. Problematic mobile phone use did not differ significantly across demographic groups, while sleep quality differed significantly by residence, with poorer sleep quality observed among hostel residents (p = 0.037). The association between PUMP and PSQI was statistically non-significant (p = 0.134).

Conclusion: It was concluded that problematic mobile phone use was not associated with poor sleep quality among medical students.

Protective role of omega-3 fatty acids against energy drink–induced structural changes in the testes of adult albino Wistar rats

2025-12-27T01:04:31+00:00

Background: Energy drinks (EDs) are widely consumed beverages that enhance alertness and performance but may cause adverse histological and structural testicular changes in males. Omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3 FA) possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may protect against such tissue damage.

Objective: To evaluate the protective role of omega-3 FA against energy drink-induced histological and morphological changes in the testes of adult male albino Wistar rats.

Methods: This experimental study was conducted at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, and Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI), Lahore, Pakistan, for 12 weeks from June 1 to August 31, 2020. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into three groups (n=10 each). Group A (Control) received distilled water, Group B (ED) received ED (120 mg/kg body weight), and Group C (ED+ Omega-3 FA) received ED (120 mg/kg) plus omega-3 FA (300 mg/kg) orally for 40 days simultaneously. On day 41, rats were sacrificed, and testes were dissected, fixed, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s trichrome for histological evaluation. Data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test using SPSS version 25, with a p-value ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Sertoli cell vacuolization was observed in 70% of animals in Group B (ED), 20% in Group C (ED + Omega-3 FA), and was absent in the control group (Group A) (p = 0.002). Interstitial fibrosis occurred in 70% of Group B and 30% of Group C, with no cases in Group A (p = 0.004). Abnormal sperm head morphology was most frequent in Group B (80%), compared to 30% in Group C and 10% in Group A (p = 0.008). These findings indicate that omega-3 FA supplementation substantially reduces ED-induced testicular damage.

Conclusion: Omega-3 FA significantly protected against energy drink-induced histological and morphological changes in the testis.

Association of hand grip strength and laboratory markers with frailty in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

2025-12-27T01:05:15+00:00

Background: Frailty is a common yet under-recognised problem in end-stage renal disease.

Objective: To assess the association between frailty and hand grip strength and to evaluate laboratory parameters as predictors of frailty in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Methods: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital, Lahore, from January to February 2025, among adolescent and adult patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing maintenance haemodialysis. Key exclusion criteria included physical disabilities, poor functional status, acute kidney injury, and unwillingness. Before the start of the mid-week haemodialysis session, hand grip strength was tested on both sides three times using a handheld digital dynamometer, and the best value was recorded. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was also administered to all patients, with scores <10 indicating frailty. Blood samples were also collected to check haemoglobin, serum calcium, phosphate, albumin, creatinine, potassium, C-reactive protein, and bicarbonate levels. Statistical analyses were performed using Spearman's rank correlation test, binary logistic regression, and receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results: A total of 105 patients with a mean age of 55.00 ± 14.96 years were included. The mean hand grip strength was 14.32 ± 6.80 kg, below the normal reference values (>28 kg for males and >18 kg for females). Mean hand grip strength was 15.11 ± 6.95 kg on the right side and 13.52 ± 6.96 kg on the left side. The median (IQR) SPPB score was 8.00 (4.50–10.00). SPPB score showed a significant correlation with hand grip strength (r² = 0.311; p < 0.001). A hand grip strength cutoff of ≥16.95 kg demonstrated a sensitivity of 65.71% and specificity of 81.43% for discriminating non-frail status (SPPB ≥10) (AUC = 0.781; p < 0.001). None of the laboratory parameters were independent predictors of frailty (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Hand grip strength is associated with frailty and can discriminate non-frail status, while laboratory parameters are not independent predictors of frailty.

Medical student syndrome: Health anxiety in medical and allied health sciences students

2025-12-27T01:04:54+00:00

Background: Medical Student Syndrome (MSS) is a phenomenon in which medical students develop fears and symptoms related to the diseases they are studying, compromising their mental health and clinical performance.

Objective: To compare the presence of medical student syndrome among the students of medical sciences (MBBS and BDS) and Allied health sciences (Pharm-D and DPT).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Islam Medical and Dental College, Sialkot, Pakistan, from September to November 2024. The study population comprised first- to final-year medical sciences (MBBS and BDS) and Allied health sciences (Pharm-D and DPT) students, excluding those with a history of psychological or endocrinological disorders. MSS was assessed using the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI), a validated tool evaluating health-related anxiety specifically measuring components of hypochondriasis (excessive preoccupation with illness) and nosophobia (fear of developing serious diseases). A printed questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21.

Results: Among 625 students, medical sciences students had significantly higher total SHAI and hypochondriasis scores compared to allied health sciences students (p = 0.031 and p = 0.046, respectively), with MBBS students having the highest scores (overall discipline effect: p = 0.006). The frequency of MSS was 20% and was not associated with socio-demographic variables, although students with MSS had significantly higher hypochondriasis and nosophobia scores (p < 0.001). Year of study showed contrasting trends: a non-significant negative association among medical sciences students and a significant positive correlation among allied health sciences students for SHAI total, hypochondriasis, and nosophobia scores (p ≤ 0.01).

Conclusions: Both medical and allied health sciences students demonstrated a comparable frequency of MSS. However, medical sciences students, particularly males, exhibited higher levels of hypochondriasis, while progression with year of study was more pronounced for health anxiety among allied health sciences students.