Future uncertain over dentistry school plans

More than 1,000 people had to go to Norfolk’s casualty departments due to severe dental problems last year

Doubts have been raised over plans for a new dentistry school as MPs enter talks with government officials.

The University of East Anglia (UEA) has been wanting to open a facility in Norwich, which could help end the county’s "dental desert" after people have been unable to access NHS treatment.

As discussions get under way with the new government, however, Norwich South MP Clive Lewis has said the project was "not a done deal".

The Norfolk and Waveney area has some of the highest rates of dental problems in the country.

The University of East Anglia wants to open a new dentistry school in Norwich

It has the worst ratio of NHS dentists to patients in England, with just one for every 2,776 people.

Last year more than 1,000 people had to attend Norfolk’s casualty departments because their dental issues were so serious.

Despite the scale of the crisis, a recent analysis showed £17m - more than a quarter of Norfolk and Waveney’s allocated NHS dental funding - was not being used this year.

Officials said this was partly because there were no dentists available to do the work required.

Supporters of the UEA scheme have said this furthered their case and the unspent funding could help progress the plans for the dental school.

Five Norfolk MPs met to discuss the proposals for a new UEA dental school with Care Minister Stephen Kinnock this week.

The meeting was attended by Lewis, Alice Macdonald, the Labour MP for Norwich North, Jerome Mayhew, the Conservative MP for Broadland and Fakenham, George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, and Steffan Aquarone, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk.

Lewis wrote on social media: "Local dental services are in crisis, partly due to a shortage of dentists.

"The new dental school at the UEA is not a done deal yet, and I’ll continue to prioritise fixing local dentistry."

A UEA spokesperson said :“UEA continues to make the case for undergraduate dental training in the East of England.

"We are grateful to the Norfolk MPs who represented UEA’s interests at last week’s meeting with the Dental Minister.

"We are advancing discussions with the General Dental Council and the Office for Students and continue to work relentlessly with our regional partners on dental development activities, including post graduate training to tackle the oral health crisis in Norfolk and continue to be an important provider of health skills for our region.”