James Wild has welcomed a major milestone in the campaign to improve access to NHS dentistry in Norfolk, as the University of East Anglia (UEA) has been provisionally awarded 25 of 50 newly available funded places to train new dentists.
James has worked closely with UEA and other MPs for several years to secure funded dental training at the university. He has repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament, pressing ministers to bring dental training to Norfolk and ensure the East of England benefits from new places. Following this announcement, recruitment of students is expected to begin shortly for courses starting in September 2027.
The decision means UEA will join a select group of universities with a dental school. The places follow a recent announcement by ministers to expand dental training in areas with the poorest access. Norfolk currently has some of the lowest levels of access to NHS dental services, with long-standing challenges in recruiting and retaining dentists.
Welcoming the news, James said:
“Norfolk needs much better access to NHS dentists so I am delighted the campaign I’ve supported in Parliament to secure more training locally has seen half of the national places provisionally allocated at UEA. The strong case made to ministers by MPs and UEA has been recognised and will be a long-term benefit to local people accessing dental care.”
Training dentists locally is widely seen as important in tackling workforce shortages as students often go on to live and work in the region after qualifying. The places have been provisionally allocated by the Office for Students, which controls the number of dental training places universities can offer.
The move builds on UEA’s strong track record in healthcare education and represents an important step towards ensuring patients across North West Norfolk and the wider region can access the dental care they need.
