Norwich Uni 'very close' to getting new dental school- Norfolk MP
The University of East Anglia's is submitting a fresh bid for one, with the region long been described by ministers as a 'dental desert'
A local MP tells us the University of East Anglia is 'very close' to getting a long-awaited dental school there.
It comes as the Government's announced that 50 new training places of this kind are come.
The UEA have welcomed this and intends to submit a bid for new dentistry training places when the Office for Students (OfS) opens the process.
The East of England remains the only region in England without a dental school and consistently records some of the lowest NHS dental access rates in the country.
Norfolk's ratio of 36 dentists per 100,000 people starkly contrasts with the national average of 53 per 100,000.
"Dentists who qualify from UEA's new dental school will stick around"
Steff Aquarone represents North Norfolk in Parliament
"This is a really important step towards improving provision, here. As I and others believe that dentists who qualify from UEA's new dental school will stick around.
"A lot people who graduate from the Uni do that already and that would be a very welcome step in a wider plan.
"MPs need to put more pressure not just on the ministers, but on the regulator as well, to get the approval done to on-board new students in the next couple of years".
"We can open applications for students to begin training with us in September 2027”
Prof David Maguire, Vice-Chancellor of UEA, said: “Training dentists locally is proven to help recruit and retain them in the region - and this region needs them urgently.
“We are grateful for the strong, cross‑party support of our local MPs, whose sustained advocacy has helped bring this issue to the forefront in Westminster.
“Our plans are ready and our NHS partnerships are established. If places can be allocated swiftly, on a needs‑based allocation, we can open applications for students to begin training with us in September 2027.”