Graduates staying in South West 'key' to dentist shortage

A Plymouth dental school hopes to keep its trainees in the region after they qualify to help improve workplace demands

Keeping dental graduates in the South West of England was "absolutely key" to tackling the region's shortage of dentists, health bosses have said.

Prof Zoe Brookes, from Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth, said the South West did not have enough dental specialists "across the board".

In December, Healthwatch England said a lack of NHS dentistry was a particular problem in Devon.

The University of Plymouth trains 58 dental students each year.

Prof Brookes said: "We've got a big shortage of dentists here in the South West... Getting students graduating from the dental school here in Plymouth and keeping them in the South West is absolutely key."

The South West's dental industry hope to keep student dentists in the region once they qualify

Prof Sally Hanks, also from the school, said she hoped actively recruiting students from the South West would encourage them to stay in the region.

"We want to spend a little bit of time looking at how we can optimise local recruitment so we have a lot of widening participating patient activities so that we can get the students who are least likely but probably the most able to study dentistry," she said.

Dentists study for five years and in their final year, students in Plymouth spend four days a week treating patients.

Amy Evans, from Plymouth, who said she had been unable to access an NHS dentist for years, was referred to the trainees at the Peninsula Dental School by the emergency dentist.

"They did work a few weeks ago to remove an abscess and now I'm coming in for other dental work, it's been brilliant," she said.

Final year dentist student Jonathan Gould said he could see himself staying in the South West for a long time.

"The need [for] dentistry down here is so high as well you'd actually make so much of a bigger impact staying down here," he said.