Proposals for a new dentistry school at the University of East Anglia (UEA) to help tackle the region’s dental health crisis have received the significant backing of the shadow chancellor. Rachel Reeves said a future Labour government would support the project, which is designed to train more people to work locally in the sector. She made the remarks on a recent visit to the region during which she described local dental care as a “terrible state of affairs”.
The proposal to establish an undergraduate dental school at the UEA has already received the backing of all nine of the county’s serving MPs – eight Conservative and one Labour. The university is keen to open such a facility and has been lobbying the government for funding. Supporters hope that if more dentists were trained locally, they would be more likely to stay in the area to work and end the region’s status as one of the UK’s worst ‘dental deserts’.
Norfolk: fewest dentists in the country
The Norfolk and Waveney area has the worst ratio of patients to NHS dentists, with one for every 2,776 people, and some of the highest rates of dental problems. Despite the scale of the crisis, a recent analysis showed that a total of £17m – more than a quarter of Norfolk and Waveney’s allocated NHS dental funding – is not being used this year. Officials say this is partly because there are simply no dentists available to do the work required. Supporters of the UEA scheme say this furthers their case and that the unspent funding could help get the school off the ground.
As part of a dental recovery plan revealed last month, the government said it was hoping to increase training places by 40% by 2032. Local NHS bosses also say efforts are being made to address appointment shortages in the region. A spokesman for NHS Norfolk and Waveney said: “We don’t have the level of NHS-provided dental services we need in Norfolk and Waveney and we have been working hard since we took over responsibility for commissioning on April 1 2023 to increase availability – including recruiting 14 new dentists since then.
The trust is investing a significant portion of their dental budget to support delivery of new dental services. They are working to reinvest money saved where NHS dentists are doing less work than contracted for. They have rapidly implemented a number of initiatives to help improve services while they work on our longer-term plans, including an urgent treatment service and a children and young people’s oral health prevention initiative.
Shame of Norfolk’s dental crisis
Last year, more than 1,000 people had to attend Norfolk’s A&E departments for dental care because their health issues were so serious.
Meanwhile, Norfolk’s five-year-olds have the highest prevalence of dental decay in the east of England with the King’s Lynn and west Norfolk area among the worst affected in the country. When a new dentist opened in North Walsham last month, it received more than 3,000 appointment requests by the end of its first day, even though it has yet to say whether it will accept new NHS adult patients.
Last year the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board are offering up to £20,000 of funding for the next six months for dentists to visit schools and teach children about how to keep their teeth healthy. Under the initiative, dentists will be able to work with schools to offer advice to young people for how to brush their teeth properly and offer other oral health advice.
Rachel Reeves understands the issues locally. “What an indictment it is that you can’t train to be a dentist in Norfolk,” she said. “That says a lot about what we’ve come to. We back this project at the UEA. It is time for change, and to turn around our failing public services. We’re determined to do this.
“Many people are not able to register at a surgery and many children have never seen an NHS dentist, it’s a terrible state of affairs. I know it is a particularly acute problem here in Norfolk.”
