Community Uplift: New Dental Training Facility Will Provide NHS Care for Thousands
In a significant boost to both dental education and patient access, a new, world-class dental training clinic has been greenlit for Barking town centre, East London. The facility, a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London and the Barking and Dagenham Council, is set to be a national-level dental training hub that will concurrently deliver much-needed NHS dental care to the local community.
This initiative is a direct response to the deepening crisis in NHS dental access and the critical shortfall in the UK’s dental workforce, which currently faces nearly 3,500 vacant NHS dentist positions.
The Dual Impact: Training and Treatment
The project, which received a substantial £4.1 million investment, is designed to serve a dual purpose with massive benefits for the community:
Training the Next Generation: The facility will help train 130 new Queen Mary dental students each year, preparing them to enter the workforce at a time when one in eight UK dentists is nearing retirement.
Providing NHS Access: The clinic will transform two floors of Maritime House into treatment facilities, providing NHS dental care to over 5,000 patients annually.
Professor Sir Mark Caulfield of Queen Mary University of London highlighted that this represents a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to transform oral health and wider wellbeing for local residents, noting that it will remove "long-standing barriers to access."
Addressing Health Inequalities
The location of the new hub in Barking and Dagenham—an area often facing high health inequality—is strategic. By bringing world-class dental education directly into the community, the partnership aims to:
Increase Local Access: Ensure that residents who need care the most can receive it free of charge, close to home.
Support Government Plans: Directly support the government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England and the priorities of the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) to tackle entrenched health disparities.
Community Regeneration: The initiative is also expected to bring added economic benefits through job creation and place-making in the town centre.
The new academic dental centre is expected to open its doors to students and patients in September 2026, promising a major step forward in building a sustainable NHS dental workforce and improving access in one of London's high-need areas.
Original Article Details
Original Title: New dental training facility will provide NHS care for thousands
Source: Dentistry.co.uk
Publication Date: November 14, 2025