Government minister pays tribute to new city centre dental practice

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock MP met students and staff as he officially opened the Dental Education Practice
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock opens new Dental Education Practice

Government minister pays tribute to new city centre dental practice

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock MP met students and staff as he officially opened the Dental Education Practice

The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ welcomed the Minister of State for Care to officially open its new high street Dental Education Practice.
The £5 million clinic sees aspiring dentists and dental therapists care for patients without an NHS dentist who are suffering with pain, infection or trauma (with referral via NHS 111) – and has delivered more than 2,700 appointments since welcoming its first patients in February. 
Minister Stephen Kinnock opens new Dental Education Practice
Minister Stephen Kinnock speaks to students as he opens new Dental Education Practice
Minister Stephen Kinnock speaks to students as he opens new Dental Education Practice
As well as meeting staff from Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, which runs the practice; local MP and Minister of State for Defence Readiness, Luke Pollard; and members of the Dental Task Force led by ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ City Council; the Minister chatted with students helping to deliver the ‘vitally important’ care.  
He also tried out some of the training equipment, and saw the state-of-the art machines and techniques that students use as they prepare to embark on real-life practice.   
The Dental Education Practice is a distinctive facility in UK dental care, as it enables final-year students in dentistry and dental therapy and hygiene to work alongside specialists and other qualified clinicians to offer high-quality care on the high street. 

It was a real pleasure to visit ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ today to officially open the Peninsula Dental Education Practice.

This state-of-the-art facility will make a real difference for local people – delivering 12,000 NHS dental appointments a year, from urgent care through to more complex treatments.
It was a genuine pleasure to meet the students and hear first-hand about their training and ambitions. They are the future of NHS dentistry, and facilities like this are exactly how we rebuild that service from the ground up.

Health Minister, Stephen Kinnock

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ graduates are renowned in the workplace, not only for their caring manner and high-quality training, but also for the levels of hands-on clinical experience they have when they qualify.

It was great to show the Minister our world-class practice, which allows specialist and qualified dentists to work with undergraduate and postgraduate students; together they provide outstanding patient care in an accessible high street setting. And, by working with some of the patients who are in most need of treatment, all of them will broaden their experience across a wide range of clinical disciplines, such as oral surgery and emergency dental care.

Ewen McCollProfessor Ewen McColl
Head of the University’s Peninsula Dental School and Chair of the Dental Schools Council (UK and Ireland)

Alongside the opening of the Dental Education Practice, the University is preparing to open its new Centre for Eyecare Excellence (CEE) in September 2026. The new £7.7m CEE will offer more optometry appointments to the public, delivered by students under supervision, alongside specialist clinics.  

More information

Dental students treating patients in New George Street clinic
Welcoming the first patients to our new clinic
Dental Education Facility
Study with our Peninsula Dental School
Optometry clinical equipment and techniques UV light in the eye
More about our Centre for Eyecare Excellence