A centre for dental improvement is being created at the University of Suffolk, to help increase access to dentistry in the area.
The lack of NHS dentists has been a point of concern for many Suffolk residents in recent years, which has led to the formation of a campaign group called Toothless in Suffolk. Their Facebook page states that Suffolk communities are ‘suffering’ from dentist closures and the ‘widespread’ lack of accessible NHS dentistry provision.
Toothless in Suffolk’s aim is to hear testimony and ‘urge the NHS provider to reinstate local dentistry provision.’
Attract and train
The centre at UoS will be run as a social dental enterprise in order to ‘attract and train newly qualified dentists.’ They hope that this will ‘supply additional much needed NHS dental provision across Suffolk as well as enabling leading edge education and training for the current and future dental workforce.’
Dr Ed Garratt, chief executive at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said that the centre is ‘an incredibly positive step forward.’ He stated that improving dental workforce and provision is a ‘priority’ for the new NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board.
‘We know that poor oral health adversely affects physical and mental health. It’s also so important our children get a good start in life with regular dental check-ups to help them develop strong and healthy teeth into adulthood. We recognise that this is a medium term solution that will not fix the immediate challenges around dental access. However, we believe that our brilliant University of Suffolk will lay the foundations for improvements in the future and we thank them for their partnership,’ Garratt said.
Meanwhile, Professor Helen Langton, vice-chancellor of the university, stated: ‘This plan will be a game-changer in terms of future dental health provision in Suffolk and East Anglia.’
When asked about his reaction to the news of the centre’s development, Steve Marsling from Toothless in Suffolk said: ‘It’s very good news for the future. Of course, no benefit to Suffolk will come for at least six years, and we’ve got a dental desert right now.’
Marsling said it would be key for the university to retain dentistry students and keep them within Suffolk. The uni must urge the government to give incentives for dental graduates, Marsling explained on BBC Radio Suffolk.
‘If there’s no incentive to stay, they’ll just go into the London centres,’ he said of the future students.