Plymouth dental clinic established to address demand for dentistry

Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE), a subsidiary of the University of Plymouth, has taken a 20-year lease on Plymouth City Council’s former First Stop Shop in New George Street.

Subject to planning permission, it will be revamped through a £5m project and become home to the new Peninsula Dental Education Practice.

Robert Witton, PDSE chief executive and professor of community dentistry at the university, said, “We are proud of our record of providing first class clinical experience to our undergraduates in a community setting by treating thousands of patients who otherwise would not receive NHS treatment, but we know there is an urgent need for more dental care services. That is particularly the case here in the South West, and this new clinic – our fifth in Devon and Cornwall – could be a real game-changer. It will provide our students with hands-on experience that bridges the gap between their training and going into practice. It could also transform the lives of the extra people we are able to treat, with the real possibility that many of them have been waiting months or even years to see a dentist.”