The University of East Anglia (UEA) has been selected to deliver an expansion of dental training, as part of £11 million of Government funding to improve access to NHS dentists in so-called ‘dental dessert’ areas.
Alongside the University of Portsmouth, the new training places at the UEA will see 50 new dentists trained from 2027 onwards. It means more dental services will be available in regions where they are needed most.
The Office for Students was asked to allocate new training places, prioritising areas that do not currently train dentists. Each university will host 25 dental places each and the allocation of these places means that every NHS England region will now have a dental school.
Applications for the Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the UEA for the academic year 2027/28 are now open.
Improving access to NHS dentists
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.”
“A hugely positive moment”
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.”
Find out more about the BDS Dental Surgery course on the UEA website here.