A facility where aspiring dentists and dental therapists will treat patients in urgent need of dental care is set to be established in Plymouth city centre.

Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE), a subsidiary of the University of Plymouth, has taken a 20-year lease on Plymouth City Council’s former First Stop Shop in New George Street.

Subject to planning permission, it will be revamped through a £5m project and become home to the new Peninsula Dental Education Practice.

Robert Witton, PDSE chief executive and professor of community dentistry at the university, said, “We are proud of our record of providing first class clinical experience to our undergraduates in a community setting by treating thousands of patients who otherwise would not receive NHS treatment, but we know there is an urgent need for more dental care services. That is particularly the case here in the South West, and this new clinic – our fifth in Devon and Cornwall – could be a real game-changer. It will provide our students with hands-on experience that bridges the gap between their training and going into practice. It could also transform the lives of the extra people we are able to treat, with the real possibility that many of them have been waiting months or even years to see a dentist.”

Two floors of the building will be remodelled into treatment and consultation spaces, complete with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and employing sustainable practices, such as digital dentistry.

The clinic will offer appointments and an oral surgery service. This will enable up to 16 final-year students from the University’s Peninsula Dental School to work alongside specialists and other qualified clinicians to provide urgent care to patients who do not have a regular NHS dentist and have presented with pain, infection, and trauma.

The practice will help address the demand for dental care in Plymouth, with long waiting lists across all NHS providers and a lack of practitioners to meet the demand.

Richard Davies, a professor and vice-chancellor of the University of Plymouth, said, “As well as providing students with the skills and confidence to succeed, a huge part of our focus is on helping them thrive once they graduate. Practical experience is particularly important for our trainee dentists and dental therapists, and this clinic – at the heart of our city and community – has the added benefit of providing a real and much-needed service to society. It is a win-win for everyone involved.”

PDSE, as the University’s student clinical placement provider, operates from four clinics across Devon and Cornwall (two in Plymouth and one in Truro and Exeter).

The new practice will provide a fundamentally different teaching experience to the current facilities by expanding clinical teaching in a setting that simulates a real dental practice as opposed to a large teaching facility.

Luke Pollard, member of parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and a member of the Plymouth Dental Taskforce, said, “A new city centre dental clinic will be transformative for Plymouth. It also reinforces the health village I have been campaigning for with more health services on the high street. We should be very proud of our dental school, already the best in England, and now making an even bigger contribution to improving dental health in Plymouth.

“Fixing Plymouth’s dentistry crisis is a priority for me. Alongside this clinic, I am determined to deliver the extra NHS dentists and appointments Plymouth needs.”

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