Following today’s announcement of the Government’s Dental Recovery Plan, the University of East Anglia (UEA) has urged the Government to start a new dental school in Norfolk.

The Government’s latest plan includes a commitment to more training places “in a way that is targeted to improve provision in areas of the country where it is most needed.” It commits to exploring “the creation of new dental schools in currently under-served parts of the country.” 

My comment to UEA on their proposal to start a new dental school reads as follows:

“I took my constituents’ concerns about failing local dental services to the top at Prime Minister’s Questions. I have repeatedly raised the alarm about dentistry approaching a breaking point in our city.”

“We need more dentists, and we need them as quickly as possible, so I fully support UEA’s proposal for a Norwich Dental School admitting students as soon as possible.”

UEA’s Vice Chancellor, Professor David Maguire said the following:

“We are pleased that the Government’s Dental Recovery Plan includes the opportunity for new dental schools in England to provide the next generation of dentists.  We will continue to press the Government to allocate new undergraduate dental places to those areas, like Norfolk, where the NHS dental access need is most acute and where a new dental school can have the greatest impact.”

Read more about UEA’s latest proposal here.