Europe’s newest dental school, based at the University of Central Lancashire, should help solve an NHS dental crisis in the town of Preston, according to one dental health expert.
Although the opening of the school should see an increase in the number of dental graduates choosing to stay and work in the Lancashire area, the UK’s chief dental officer Barry Cockcroft admitted that he did not expect the crisis situation in the town to be changed around overnight.
Mr Cockcroft officially opened the new £5.25m building last week. The school is one of the first new dental schools built in Britain for more than a century.
"I am absolutely delighted at opening this new dental school . I think it will ultimately increase the number of newly-qualified dentists who remain and work in the area," commented Mr Cockcroft.
"We need to keep them in the area and evidence shows that graduates are more likely to settle in the area where they trained," he added.
The school is the work of the Cumbria and Lancashire Medical and Dental Consortium, and is a joint venture between the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and universities based in Liverpool, Lancaster and Cumbria .




