A new Dental Education Practice in Plymouth opened its doors yesterday (9 February), providing training to dental students and urgent care for patients in need.
Led by the University of Plymouth, the new clinic allows trainee dentists and dental therapists to provide care to patients without an NHS dentist who are suffering with pain, trauma or infection. The university said this has massively increased local dental access, providing up to 12,000 additional NHS dental appointments per year.
Magda Farrant was one of the first patients seen in the new practice. She said: ‘I came to the dental school a few months ago in desperate need of help and had one of my follow up appointments today. The days of being able to have two NHS check ups a year just don’t happen now, so to have something as accessible as this is amazing. The students have been wonderful too, and I’m really pleased to be able to support their education.’
Ellie Orum, a newly-qualified dentist working at the Dental Education Practice as part of her foundation training, said: ‘It really feels like I’m coming full circle, back to treat patients on behalf of the organisation where I learned my skills.
‘I went into dentistry as I wanted a career staying in the south west, and I’m really passionate about offering urgent care. I’m proud to be associated with a university that’s making a difference for local people, and hope the new facility will go some way to helping more of those who really need it.’
‘A long-held aspiration to provide significantly more urgent dental care’
Professor Ewen McColl is head of the Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth. He said: ‘Our state-of-the-art Dental Education Practice is the result of many years’ hard work and a long-held aspiration to provide significantly more urgent dental care and oral healthcare in the heart of our home city.
‘Plymouth graduates are renowned in the workplace, not only for their caring manner and high-quality training, but also for the levels of hands-on clinical experience they have when they qualify.
‘Our new world-class practice allows specialist and qualified dentists to work with undergraduate and postgraduate students; together they will provide outstanding patient care in an accessible high street setting. And, by working with some of the patients who are in most need of treatment, all of them will broaden their experience across a wide range of clinical disciplines, such as oral surgery and emergency dental care.
‘I would like to sincerely thank colleagues across the whole University of Plymouth and its Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise for all of their hard work and commitment in bringing this important health care innovation to fruition.’
‘A tangible difference’
The five-million-pound development of the clinic began just over a year ago. It was prompted by calls from MPs in Plymouth to increase the number of dental training places in the city.
Jason Wong, chief dental officer for England, said: ‘This is a really positive step for Plymouth. The practice will make a tangible difference for patients who need care quickly, while giving students are trainees the real-world experience they need to become confident, skilled dental professionals.
‘It supports the government’s neighbourhood health ambitions by bringing care closer to communities and helping build a stronger dental workforce for the future.’
In 2024, the GP Patient Survey found that one in four patients who had tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the preceding two years were unable to do so. A dental task force was set up by Plymouth City Council to address these access problems.
Councillor Mary Aspinall, chair of the Plymouth dental task force, said: ‘This is a big day for the city centre and for the dental task force. This new facility will enable trainee dentists to get hands-on experience right in the heart of the city centre and will hopefully encourage them to join the NHS once they have finished their course.
‘One of our key priorities as a council is to work with our partners to provide better access to dentistry and to start tackling the dental desert. Training more dentists here in Plymouth is a huge step in the right direction.’
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