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Plymouth university dental clinic opens for urgent treatment
Summary
A £5m Dental Education Practice run by the University of Plymouth has opened and will provide up to 12,000 NHS urgent and follow-up appointments a year.
Content
A new multimillion-pound Dental Education Practice run by the University of Plymouth has opened in Plymouth city centre. The £5m facility is intended to provide up to 12,000 NHS appointments a year for urgent treatment and follow-up care. Students from the Peninsula Dental School will work alongside specialists at the clinic, which occupies the former First Stop Shop on New George Street under a 20-year lease. The centre is partly funded by the NHS and opened against a background of reported difficulties accessing NHS dental care in England.
Key details:
- The University of Plymouth is operating the Dental Education Practice, described as a £5m facility.
- The clinic is expected to offer up to 12,000 NHS urgent and follow-up appointments each year.
- Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, a university subsidiary, has taken a 20-year lease on the New George Street site.
- Students from Peninsula Dental School will provide care alongside specialist staff; care provided by student dentists is reported as free, while some clinical care may involve charges.
- The GP Patient Survey in 2024 found about one in four patients who tried to see an NHS dentist in the past two years in England were unable to do so.
- Jason Wong MBE, chief dental officer for England, called the clinic a "really positive step for Plymouth," and local council members noted its potential to support trainee experience.
Summary:
The new centre adds local capacity for urgent NHS dental treatment while serving as a training site for dental students and recent graduates. Officials and early patients described the facility positively, and the practice will begin providing appointments from the New George Street location; further details on long-term patient uptake and service changes are undetermined at this time.
