Community Access: New Dental Training Centre to Open in Barking and Boost NHS Care
In a significant move to tackle the dental access crisis in East London, a new, state-of-the-art dental training center is set to open in Barking town centre. The facility is a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London and the local council and is expected to serve a dual purpose: to train the next generation of dental professionals and to provide much-needed NHS dental care to thousands of local residents.
This development is a strategic response to the critical shortage of NHS dentists, which has left many communities, particularly those in high-need areas, struggling to secure routine care.
Addressing Workforce and Access Shortfalls
The new academic dental center will be housed in two floors of Maritime House in Barking, transforming the space into a hub for both education and essential public service delivery.
Training Capacity: The facility is designed to train 130 new Queen Mary dental students each year. This boost in training capacity is vital for replenishing the UK's dental workforce, where thousands of NHS positions remain vacant.
Patient Care: The clinic is projected to provide accessible NHS dental services to over 5,000 patients annually from the local area.
Professor Sir Mark Caulfield of Queen Mary University of London emphasized that the project represents a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to improve oral health and wider wellbeing for local residents by dismantling "long-standing barriers to access."
Strategic Location for Health Equity
The decision to locate the training center in Barking and Dagenham is intentional, as the borough experiences some of the highest levels of health inequality in the country. By embedding a teaching clinic directly within the community, the initiative aims to:
Reduce Barriers: Make high-quality, free-at-the-point-of-use NHS dental care easily available to residents who are currently underserved.
Support Local Plans: Align with the strategic goals of the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) and the government’s wider health agenda to address deep-rooted health disparities.
Local Benefit: The center is expected to contribute to local regeneration through the creation of new jobs and increased foot traffic in the town centre.
The new facility is anticipated to welcome its first cohort of students and begin treating patients in September 2026, offering a beacon of hope for improving both dental education and patient access in the region.
Original Article Details
Original Title: New dental training centre to open in Barking and boost NHS care
Source: Dental Tribune
Publication Date: November 25, 2025