Campaign launched for a new community-based approach to dental training

Training dentists in the communities that need them most could improve retention in underserved areas. That is the principle behind a new campaign calling for a community-based dental school in Lincolnshire, where unmet dental needs are among the highest in the country.

Led by the University of Lincoln, the Strong Roots for Oral Health campaign proposes that a new dental school could bring together education, research, and clinical practice to increase the number of dental professionals being trained and the public’s access to affordable dental care.

Though there is currently no dental school in Lincolnshire, the east of England has a much higher level of unmet dental needs than the UK average. For example, 40% of five-year-olds in Boston show signs of tooth decay – compared to a national average of 27%.

Professor Neal Juster, vice chancellor of the University of Lincoln, highlighted the potential benefits of establishing a dental school in the university’s high-need area. He said: ‘We should be training dentists where they are needed most. Strong Roots is about demonstrating how we fix dental access in rural and coastal Britain.’

The university has asked for public support to establish a dental school through an online pledge.

Has community-based training worked elsewhere?

Jason Wong, chief dental officer for England, said: ‘All the research suggests that having the training in the locations that need it most, attracts people to those roles in that area. That means a dental school would recruit from within Lincolnshire and that would be a game-changer for the region.’

In February, a new Dental Education Practice opened its doors in Plymouth – providing training to students at the Peninsula Dental School and affordable urgent care to local residents.

Speaking at a Dental Leadership Network event in April 2025, Peninsula Dental School head Ewen McColl emphasised the ‘symbiosis’ achieved through community-based training. He noted that the complex cases presented at such clinics were highly beneficial to trainees, while patients who would otherwise be unable to access care were stabilised and freed from dental pain.

Ellie Orum, a dental foundation trainee working at the education practice, said: ‘I’m really passionate about offering urgent care. I’m proud to be associated with a university that’s making a difference for local people, and hope the new facility will go some way to helping more of those who really need it.’

Is undergraduate training alone enough?

Postgraduate dental dean James Spencer said that from 2025, the government would be ‘focusing on areas of concern’ as an uneven geographical distribution of dental professionals is a key factor in unmet dental needs.

However, he also stressed that undergraduate training provision needed to be balanced with measures to increase retention in the NHS workforce. One such intervention might include expanding the number of specialist training posts in underserved areas to promote progression within NHS dentistry.

A 2023 study into the dental workforce recruitment and retention crisis in the UK found that a major contributing factor was ‘limited opportunities for progression under the current NHS contract, with little or no financial incentives or recognition for postgraduate training’.

Other concerns cited included stress and burnout, and financial concerns such real-terms income loss and rising overheads.

What progress has already been made in Lincoln?

In March, the University of Lincoln established the Lincolnshire Institute for Dental and Oral Health (LIDOH). The new centre will provide dental training courses, including an intended dental hygiene and therapy degree programme from September 2026.

Appearing at the official opening of the LIDOH, Jason Wong said: ‘We’re going to be training 30 students a year, and of course, if you multiply that across the number of students and the number of appointments, it makes a big difference.’

The Strong Roots campaign aims to expand the centre’s training provision to a full dental degree.

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