Sunderland Uni: Trying to Fill the Leaky Bucket
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- Published: Wednesday, 19 November 2025 09:52
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Another University has set out its ambitions to have a dental school.
At first sight the broad appeal of another dental school is understandable. There is an access crisis. There are also persistent workforce problems, worse in some areas than others. A combination of assorted government policies and the responding market forces has produced a rash of proposals for new dental training facilities. Ipswich is now open, Lincoln, Bangor, and Norwich, hope to follow soon, some with funding already in place.
The latest entrant is the University of Sunderland who have launched their Dental Education Development Project. This is designed to create programmes that support aspiring dental professionals, and widen access for under-represented students.
The University will work in partnership with NHS employers, private providers and the North East and North Cumbrian ICB, in an initiative that aims to tackle workforce shortages and improve access to NHS dental care.
Rachel Elliott, associate head of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Sunderland, project lead, said: “I am excited at the prospect of new training opportunities in dental care at the University of Sunderland. We hope to help improve patient access to NHS dental care, as well as create opportunities for career development and progression for students.”
Professor Laura Stroud, pro vice-chancellor of the University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, added: “Our Dental Education Development Project aligns with our ambition to provide a full suite of health-related courses at Sunderland.” The first cohort of graduates form Sunderland’s medical course graduated in 2024
A decision on the project is expected in early 2026, with the first courses planned to begin in September 2027.
It may be a coincidence but the interest in offering dental training comes at a time of great pressure on universities, which is seeing some dropping less popular courses such as modern languages. As they search for new subjects to keep student numbers and revenue up, dental training will look quite appealing. Adding the fond belief that graduates will stay and work where they train, as well as promising to correct under representation and reduce inequalities, will look like a winning formula.
However, Sunderland is barely 15 miles away, or on a good day 30 minutes drive, from Newcastle, which has a long established Dental School.
The GDC are about to finally expand the ORE exam so more overseas dentists should be able to join the register, while the number of dental therapists is increasing by 20% each year. Unhelpfully, the GDCs recent updated scope of practice and slow changes to the NHS regulations, continue to act as a brake on the use of therapists in practice.
Participating at a recent rally in Westminster with the BDA, MP’s, and patient representatives, Linda Colla said: “There’s not a shortage of dentists as far as I can see. It’s a shortage of funding for NHS patients. That’s the problem. Dentists know, they’re not daft. They’ve got a business to run!”
As the BDA observed, Linda was strictly speaking as a patient, however she has treated one case: herself. As a ‘DIY’ dentist she removed her last few teeth after she had struggled for seven years to access care. Studying just how the UK seems set on producing a glut of dental professionals at the same time that funding for their work continues to shrink, might be worthy of its own university course.
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