In response to the ongoing dental crisis, three Plymouth MPs – Luke Pollard, Fred Thomas and Rebecca Smith – wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, calling for an increase of 25% in the number of students admitted to the Plymouth Peninsula Dental School from the current 58 to the national average of 72.
Pollard, who represents the Devonport area where the dental school is located, said: “The dental crisis has plagued us for decades and there is no way to solve it without increasing the number of dentists trained. Plymouth has performed well in dental training and we should train more dentists for the southwest.”
Patients who have long lacked dental services have also called for action. Resident Wookie Turner shared his experience: since 2018, he has not been able to make an appointment with an NHS dentist and has had to deal with severe tooth decay himself.
“I used pliers to break off my own tooth and then pulled the root out of the gum. I even wanted to find a student dentist, but they were also fully booked.” He admitted in an interview with BBC Radio Devon: “The cost of seeing a dentist is too high and has become a luxury.”
Faced with widespread public attention, Professor Evan McColl, dean of the Peninsula Dental School, said that the school closely follows the England Ten-Year Health Plan and integrates community services, preventive education and digital processes into teaching and patient care.
“We have community clinics throughout the southwest, providing services to rural and coastal areas, while using advanced digital technology to enhance students’ practical skills and patient treatment experience.”
Although the Labour Party promised to reform the NHS dental payment system during the election, Health Secretary Streeting recently said that he was not ready to set a timetable for reform.
“I will not make a promise easily without full confidence.” He said. Although negotiations with the British Dental Association have been going on for a year, it will take time for actual results to be realized.
The expansion initiative initiated by MPs may become a key step in alleviating the shortage of dentists in the region.