New Lincoln training centre aims to boost dental appointments
University of Lincoln facility aims to train local dental professionals and improve access to appointments across the county.
A new dental institute has launched in Lincoln with hopes it will help tackle the shortage of dental appointments across the region.
The facility at the University of Lincoln will train the next generation of dental hygienists and therapists — with 30 students starting the three-year course from September.
Professor Jamie Read, Dean of the Lincoln Medical School, says the aim is to improve access to dentistry by growing the workforce locally.
He said: “We really hope through the training of new dental practitioners that’s really going to impact on making it easier to get a dental appointment, which is something I think everyone agrees is definitely good news.”
“They’re also going to be providing treatment during their training, so we won’t have to wait three years for the impact to be seen.”
Professor Read added: “What we’re really trying to do is focus our recruitment on people from within the Greater Lincolnshire footprint.”
He said that people who already have “family or links to the local area” are much more likely to stay and work locally once they qualify.
The institute has been funded through the Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority using the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.