The Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed a significant change to NHS dentist surgeries in England, set to take effect from 2027. Patients will benefit from the first sustained expansion of dental school places in nearly two decades, aimed at improving access to NHS dental care in underserved areas.
New Training Places at UEA and Portsmouth
Under the government plan, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Portsmouth will each receive 25 new dental training places. This means nearly 50 extra dentists will be trained in the regions that need them most, starting from 2027. The Office for Students was tasked with allocating these new places, prioritising areas that currently lack dental training facilities, including rural and coastal communities where accessing an NHS dental appointment has been extremely challenging.
Government and Expert Reactions
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock stated: "No one in the 21st century should struggle to access basic dental care or, even worse, be forced to take matters into their own hands. By bringing dental school places to UEA and the University of Portsmouth for the first time, trainee dentists will put down roots in parts of the country that have for too long been left behind. These new places will help train NHS-ready dentists in the communities that need them most, meaning patients can get the care they need faster and closer to home."
Dr Katie Petty-Saphon, Chief Executive of the Dental Schools Council, commented: "We recognise the challenges faced by patients in Portsmouth and Norfolk in accessing NHS dental care. The Dental Schools Council welcomes and supports the government’s commitment to expanding dental training places by 50. The dental school community is already working closely with colleagues establishing new programmes, sharing expertise in estates, admissions and education. We hope that the new dental school in Norfolk and the new programme in Portsmouth will strengthen regional research capacity and drive innovation in dental education and patient care. Expansion to the highly oversubscribed programme will only succeed with support from partners at both local and national levels, including adequate postgraduate training opportunities and continued investment in the clinical academic workforce."
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, added: "These two new dental schools will help to expand dental training capacity in areas that have historically faced challenges in access to NHS dental care. This is an important step towards increasing the future dental workforce and improving access to care for patients across England."
