Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed the announcement that the University of Portsmouth (UoP) has been granted Dental Authority Status (DAS) by the government, to help tackle the region’s critical dentist shortage.
As the government’s major NHS dentistry reforms, announced last month, begin to expand access to urgent care, the UoP has taken a significant step towards opening the first dental school in the South-East of England.
Its current Dental Academy, which trains dental nurses, dental hygienists, and dental therapists, has been granted Dental Authority Status (DAS) by the Department of Health and Social Care.
This is a mandatory requirement for all UK institutions that want to provide a degree in dentistry and will allow UoP to do so once a dental school is established.
The announcement builds on the transformative reforms to NHS dentistry confirmed by Ministers in recent weeks, which will prioritise patients with urgent and complex needs while expanding access to local dental appointments.
The University’s dental school ambition will help train the next generation of dentists needed to deliver on these reforms for Portsmouth and the wider region.
Portsmouth faces a critical shortage of NHS dental services, with the region having the lowest headcount of NHS dentists per 100,000 people in the region.
The news follows Mr Morgan’s extensive efforts to address Portsmouth’s dental desert, including working with the British Dental Association, raising concerns regularly in the House of Commons, meeting with local dentists, launching a Portsmouth patient survey to lobby for improvements; and calling for action on contract reform and improvements to recruitment and retention in the sector.