Students at Portsmouth Dental Academy will be offering free treatment to local residents.
The new academy will open in September for final year dental and dental hygiene students, who will be supervised by qualified staff.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents are invited to register with the academy, especially those who are not currently under the care of a dentist, who may not have seen one for years or who have very poor dental health. People can register for treatment through the website at www.port.ac.uk/dentalpatients.
Dental academy director Sara Holmes said: ‘This is a great opportunity for people who have been without a dentist for some time to have free, quality, dental work in modern, relaxed, state-of-the-art facilities.
‘Patients should not be worried that treatment is carried out by students – they are all highly trained, work under close supervision and many are within months of embarking on careers in professional practice.
‘Patients who register will be screened to assess their suitability for treatment, which will take place from September onwards.’
Treatment includes promotion of oral health, fillings and preventive treatment, gum treatment, crowns and bridgework, dentures and root canals. It will not include more complex or cosmetic treatments.
The academy says it is not running in competition with local dentists but working with them and the local primary care trust to improve oral health.
