Patients in so-called “dental deserts” will benefit from the first sustained expansion of dental school places in nearly 20 years.
Backed by £11 million of government funding, an extra 50 dentists will be trained in England from 2027 onwards.
The Office for Students was asked to allocate new training places, prioritising areas that do not currently train dentists, including rural and coastal communities where accessing an NHS dental appointment has long felt like mission impossible.
The University of East Anglia and the University of Portsmouth have now been selected to deliver this expansion, bringing dental training to regions where it is needed most and helping to ensure that the next generation of NHS dentists reflects the communities they will serve.
Each university will host 25 dental places each, as part of the government’s drive to train more home-grown dentists and boost the workforce in regions where there are currently too few and patients are left in pain for months on end.
The allocation of these places will mean that all NHS England regions will now have a dental school.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock, said:
“No one in the 21st century should struggle to access basic dental care or, even worse, forced to take matters into their own hands.
“By bringing dental school places to the University of East Anglia 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.”
Prof David Maguire, University of East Anglia Vice-Chancellor, said:
“By training new dentists here in Norwich, we can strengthen the general practice workforce, improve access to NHS dental services, and deliver better oral health outcomes for our communities.
“This will enable us to offer undergraduate dental training and address the dental challenges across Norfolk and East Anglia, representing the culmination of many years of hard work and campaigning here at the UEA.”
Ed Garratt OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, said:
“This is a hugely positive moment for our region and reflects years of commitment, partnership working and determination from colleagues across commissioning, education and the wider NHS system.
“So many people have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help make this vision a reality, and it is fantastic to now see applications officially open for the first students. Investing in local training opportunities is vital to building a sustainable NHS dental workforce for the future and improving access to care for our communities.”
The new places are part of a wider package of measures to rebuild NHS dentistry. The government has also invested in significantly expanding the number of places on professional registration exams for overseas-trained dentists, with up to 2,400 more dentists expected to be able to join the register annually by 2028 to 2029.
The government is also reforming the NHS dental contract itself, to reward dentists more fairly, prioritise the highest-need patients, and strengthen preventive healthcare.
Recent reforms to the contract – an important first step – will create new long-term treatment pathways for patients with significant dental decay or gum disease with improved payments for dentists, alongside requiring practices to deliver a set amount of urgent care and pay dentists more fairly for this work.
Through the 10 Year Health Plan, the government is investing in prevention, improving access to dental care, and making it fairer for clinicians and patients.
Applications for the UEA BDS Dental Surgery 2027/28 course are now open, with more information on the UEA website.