The University of East Anglia has been provisionally allocated 25 funded places per year to train dentists, joining a select list of prestigious universities delivering dental training.
The region has some of the lowest NHS dental access rates nationally and training local students – and increasing the number who live and work in the region – is key to helping practices recruit and retain the dentists they urgently need.
Dental training places are capped by the Government, with universities requiring allocation from the Office for Students (OfS) to offer programmes.
UEA has been pressing for additional dentistry places for several years to help address the region’s longstanding shortages.
Now the OfS has provisionally allocated UEA 25 of the 50 new training places nationally, with the Norwich-based university set to pull out all the stops so it can welcome its first dental students in September 2027.
Professor David Maguire, vice-chancellor of UEA, said: “It is tremendous news that UEA has been provisionally awarded half of the country’s new dental training places. 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 university.
“The region is currently significantly under-served by dentists, with Norfolk described by the Secretary of State for Health as the ‘Sahara of dental deserts’. By training new dentists locally, we can strengthen the general practice workforce, improve access to NHS dental services, and deliver better oral health outcomes for our communities.
“This development reflects UEA’s deep-seated civic responsibility and our longstanding tradition of supporting the region’s health services. Building on more than 20 years of our Norwich Medical School – as well as strengths in nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions – these training places reinforce our purpose: to educate the key workers who underpin healthcare and wellbeing across East Anglia.”
Professor Phil Baker, pro-vice-chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, added: “UEA’s success in provisionally securing undergraduate training places reflects the strength of our existing medical and healthcare provision.
“We are home to one of the top medical schools in the country, with exceptional national exam pass rates and graduates who are highly prepared for medical careers. Our School of Health Sciences also delivers outstanding training across a range of healthcare professions. Together, these strengths highlight how UEA is well placed to train a cadre of high-calibre dentists.
“Just as importantly, Norfolk and East Anglia are widely recognised as a dental desert, with the nearest dental schools a considerable distance away. Being able to offer dental training in Norwich is therefore a vital step in tackling workforce shortages and improving dental care provision for patients and communities across the region.”