New Dental Training Facilities for Problematic Regions: East Anglia Solution

Even developed economies such as the US and the UK have a notable problem with national dental health. Both countries provided solutions to this issue, and while US officials are discussing the water fluoridation ban, their British "colleagues" are trying to provide workable, practical approaches to improve the situation.

For instance, Norwich Council recently granted funding to the local University of East Anglia to build a new dental school, trying to solve the regional dental crisis. A new facility – School of Dental Health – will be established at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

Why it's important?

The thing is that Norwich (the administrative unit of Norfolk) has the second-lowest acceptance rate of National Health Services in the country – only 16% of practices accept patients. Unsurprisingly, as reported previously, locals often become victims of NHS-related fraud cases.

The East Anglia region is the only place in the country with no dental training school presented. Thus, officials hope the new facility will help attract and train new specialists, improving the situation with local dental health.

In total, the new dental school costs about £3 million, which the University of East Anglia will partially fund. The UEA will spend about £1.5 million from its budget on equipment, including nine dental chairs and special teaching facilities.

As planned, the New School of Oral Health will first enroll 40 students per year and then, as expected, increase to 65. Currently, the university is actively cooperating with the General Dental Council to receive and advance all required documents and permissions to start dental training courses.

This case perfectly demonstrates how officials should handle national dental health problems. Establishing new facilities, growing the number of qualified specialists, and establishing new national initiatives (like water fluoridation in problematic regions) are all rational solutions that should be "golden standards" in contrast to conspiratorial Robert F. Kennedy alarmism in the US.

Check out other news from UK dental industry: 

• Probably The Best Place For Dental Students To Start Medical Practice
• Beware the Dental Scammers: British Fraud Case
• Fluoridation of UK Water: the British Dental Association Initiative