Plans to open a new dental school in Norfolk have advanced, supported by £1.5 million in funding.
The new dental school will be built at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital (N&N) as part of the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Norwich council leaders granted the funding following calls for the UEA to address the ‘dental desert’ in Norfolk. This comes as a report found that Norwich had the second lowest acceptance rate for NHS dentistry in the UK, with just eight out of the 50 practices (16%) accepting patients.
Currently, East Anglia is the only region in the country without a dental training school. The university hopes the dental school, which is expected to cost a total of £3 million, will result in more dentists practising in the county.
Sue Holland is leader of Broadland District Council and chairman of the Greater Norwich Growth Board. She said: ‘The lack of access to a dentist is a real concern for too many of our residents. Training dentists locally will provide much needed resources for existing dental practices.’
New dental school is ‘an important step’
Named the School of Oral Health, the new dental training facility will be created on the second floor of an extension on the N&N’s Edith Cavell Building.
The university is set to provide the remaining £1.5 million from its capital budget for equipment. This includes nine dentist chairs and specialist teaching facilities.
At first, the school will enrol 40 students per year, though this is expected to increase to 65 students per year following another expansion.
The university is now in discussions with the General Dental Council (GDC) to advance the required registration process so the school can start the dental training courses.
Kay Mason Billig, leader of Norfolk County Council, said: ‘The county council has been working hard to support UEA’s ambitions for a new School of Oral Health, which is why we brought this proposal to the Greater Norwich Growth Board. We are delighted, therefore, that this investment now has the support of district partners.’
Norwich City Council leader Mike Stonard added: ‘I really strongly support this. We have a shortage of dentists, particularly NHS ones in Norfolk and the nearest training facility is a long, long way away.’
David Maguire, vice chancellor of the UEA, also said: ‘This is an important step in our bid to deliver undergraduate dental training at UEA, building on the success of the Norwich Medical School.’
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