World-class dental training hub set to open in east London

Barking and Dagenham Council, in partnership with Queen Mary University of London, has announced a £4.1m investment to establish a cutting-edge academic dental centre in Barking.

The project will help train 130 new dental students a year and provide NHS dental care to over 5,000 patients annually, at a time when nearly 3,500 NHS dentist positions in the UK are vacant and one in eight UK dentists are within five years of retirement.

Within this part of east London, the effects of this national shortage have been huge.

Shockingly, 65% of three to five year olds, and almost 80% of 18-34 year olds, currently have no access to NHS dental services, and two in five children have tooth decay.

With significant evidence to show clear links between oral health and general health – particularly around obesity, smoking, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes – the deal has the potential to transform lives in one of the country’s most-deprived areas.

Funded through the council’s Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy funding programme, the partnership will see two floors of Maritime House in Barking town centre transformed into a national-level dental training centre and anchor institution, expected to open its doors to students and patients in September 2026.

Queen Mary’s Institute of Dentistry, ranked number one in London and 15th in the world, is leading the initiative.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students at the university, who come from the London and around the world, will deliver care through a community-based outreach model, expanding access to primary dental services and tackling complex oral health needs.

The initiative supports the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England and the priorities of the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) to tackle entrenched health inequalities. It also forms part of the council’s commitment to investing in the health of its rapidly-expanding community and to regenerating Barking town centre.

The centre will also have an economic impact locally by creating around 44 jobs, from apprenticeships to roles in reception, sterilisation, security, cleaning, and dental nursing.

It will also open up new opportunities for learning and research, helping to build long-term skills and knowledge in Barking and Dagenham.

This hub is part of a wider, long-term partnership between the council and Queen Mary.

Last month, the two organisations signed a landmark 10-year Memorandum of Understanding through the university’s SHAPE Institute, creating the UK’s first societal partnership between a local authority and a Russell Group university focused on tackling health inequalities aimed at developing research-led, community-driven solutions to improve wellbeing across the borough.

Not only will we be helping more people in this community, and across north east London, get the dental care they need, we will also be training the next generation of much-needed dentists to help reduce dental inequalities across the UK

The collaboration also supports Barking and Dagenham’s inclusion in the NHS’s National Neighbourhood Health Programme, one of just 43 areas selected to pioneer new models of care rooted in prevention and local engagement.

Councillor Dominic Twomey, leader of the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, said: “Through this investment we are bringing a world-class health facility into the borough that will benefit our residents.

“For too many people, access to good health care has become a postcode lottery and access to a dentist for too many people is a privilege rather than a given.

“The extension of Queen Mary University of London’s Institute for Dentistry will bring added benefits beyond health including place-making, jobs and more.

“It will also mean Barking & Dagenham is home to a national training facility. This is something we can all celebrate.”   

Professor Colin Bailey, CBE, president and principal of Queen Mary University of London, added: “Throughout its 240-year history, Queen Mary has been committed to tackling inequalities and improving the lives of people in East London and beyond.

“In partnering with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to open this new community dental clinic, we are doing just this.

“Not only will we be helping more people in this community, and across north east London, get the dental care they need, we will also be training the next generation of much-needed dentists to help reduce dental inequalities across the UK.” 

The overall project costs are estimated at £5.8m. Queen Mary University of London is investing £600,000 of capital funding and has secured £1.1m from Health Education England (part of NHS England) to fund the dental facility alongside the £4.1m in SCIL funding allocated by Barking and Dagenham Council.

Ongoing operational and staff costs will be funded through revenue collected through student fees and alternate funding.

As part of the project, Queen Mary University of London will enter a lease agreement with the council for the 9th and 10th floors of Maritime House in Barking for a term of up to 15 years.