The University of Sunderland will open a new dental academy that will offer courses in dental hygiene, dental therapy and dental technology starting in September 2027.
NHS data for 2024/5 suggests just 41% of adults and 55% of children in Sunderland had been seen by an NHS dentist in the past 12 months. The new courses will help to provide free dental care to the underserved local population.
Rachel Elliott, associate head of School for Biosciences and Dental Education at the University of Sunderland, said: ‘We know how difficult it can be for many people in our region to access dental care, especially in areas where NHS services are been limited. That is why our new Dental Academy is so important. By training skilled dental professionals locally, we can help people get seen sooner and improve the focus on preventative care.’
The academy will allow students to train in brand new facilities, graduating in an area with high demand for dental professionals.
Rachel Elliott continued: ‘It also means we’re building a stronger local workforce, with more qualified dental care practitioners ready to meet growing NHS demand. Our programmes are designed to give students real hands-on experience, so they leave ready to deliver high-quality care to patients.’
Is demand for dental training being met in the UK?
The new dental academy is the latest in a series of developments intended to increase dental training capacity throughout the UK.
In 2023, more than 10,000 applicants competed for just 940 dentistry places in UK dental schools. The Dental Schools Council warned the UK faced a critical shortfall in meeting dental need, with growing regional disparities in access to care.
The University of Gloucestershire is also set to launch a dental hygiene programme from 2027, while the University of Lincoln is campaigning to open a full dental school as it puts plans to begin offering dental hygiene and therapy training into action for September 2026.
Meanwhile, the UK’s dental academic workforce has fallen to just 550 full-time equivalent roles, with 40 roles lost within a single year.
Professor Chris Vernazza, head of Newcastle University School of Dental Sciences, said: ‘Without intervention, we risk a profound loss of capacity across research, education and clinical leadership. The future of dental education, the sustainability of our research environment and the quality of NHS patient care depend on a strong and well-supported clinical academic workforce.’
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