England to expand dental training amid NHS crisis

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 16. June 2026

save

LONDON, England: As part of its efforts to secure sufficient dental appointments for many patients in need, the UK government has announced the first sustained increase in funded undergraduate dentistry places in England in nearly two decades. Two new dental schools will provide 50 training places per year in regions where patients have particularly struggled to access National Health Service (NHS) dental care. Following the announcement, the British Dental Association (BDA) said that new dental schools alone will not suffice and called for wider reform of NHS dentistry.

When selecting locations for the new schools, priority was given to rural and coastal areas. The University of East Anglia in Norwich and the University of Portsmouth were selected, each receiving 25 dental training places from 2027. This expansion means that, from next year, all NHS England regions will have a dental school.

In a government press release, Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock commented: “By bringing dental school places to [the University of East Anglia] and the University of Portsmouth for the first time, trainee dentists will put down roots in parts of the country that have for too long been left behind.”

University representatives have welcomed the government’s decision. “The South East has needed its own dental school for decades and today that ambition becomes a reality. We are ready to train the next generation of dental professionals right here in Portsmouth—professionals who will stay in the region and help end the dental desert,” said Prof. Graham Galbraith, CBE, vice-chancellor of the University of Portsmouth.

Prof. David Maguire, vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia, said the university was pleased to support the expansion of dental training to improve oral health. “We have been working on this for several years and look forward to starting our new course in 2027,” he emphasised.

The new training places are part of an ongoing effort to rebuild NHS dentistry. Recent measures by the government include expanding capacity for professional registration examinations for overseas-trained dentists and prioritising highest-need patients.

Measures cannot substitute for fundamental NHS reform

In response to the government’s announcement, the BDA has said in a press release that the new dental training places alone “stand little chance of easing chronic workforce problems or enhancing patient access to NHS dental care without comprehensive reform”. According to the BDA, experience has shown that new schools do not have a significant local impact.

“New dental schools are a step forward but are no silver bullet for ending dental deserts,” warned Dr Eddie Crouch, BDA chair. “Keeping even this tiny number of new graduates in the NHS hinges on making the service a place dentists would choose to build a career. That means real reform, wedded to sustainable funding,” he explained.