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Foundation stone ceremony for dental centre
26th Oct 2010
A ceremony to mark the progress of building work for the Peninsula Dental School's Derriford Dental Education Facility took place at Tamar Science Park in Plymouth last Friday (22 October).
Guest of honour at the event was Barry Cockcroft, chief dental officer for England.
The Derriford Dental Education Facility is the fourth Peninsula Dental Education Facility in the region and joins others in Exeter, Devonport and Truro. When all four are at full capacity students under professional dental supervision will treat over 500 NHS patients a day during term time.
The new facility has 40 dental chairs arranged in five bays of eight, plus one single surgery. It also includes tutorial rooms and seminar rooms and is 50 metres from the main Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry John Bull Building.
Sixty-four year four students will practise at the Derriford Dental Education Facility for four days a week until they qualify. The first cohort of dental students to qualify from the Peninsula Dental School will do so in July 2011.
A full range of dental care is available free of charge from dental students under the supervision of a qualified dentist and patients need to allow more time for their appointment than usual. Treatments and services include:
• Dental check-ups, oral examination and diagnosis including X-rays
• Advice for preventing tooth decay and gum disease including tooth brushing and oral hygiene instruction, dietary advice and the application of sealants that protect the surfaces of teeth
• Assessment and treatment of gum disease
• Fillings and extractions
• Crowns and bridges
• Treatment for children
The Dental Education Clinic is primarily an NHS training clinic for dental students. Should a patient require a treatment that is currently not provided by dental students, they will be treated at the Dental Education Clinic by qualified dental staff or referred to other the dental units in the city.
The facility is expected to welcome its first NHS patients in September 2011.
CDO Barry Cockcroft said: 'Peninsula Dental School is taking the lead in community-based training for the dentists of tomorrow, and this new facility at Derriford will complement the facilities already up and running throughout the South West. My congratulations go to the Peninsula Dental School team who have developed Dental Education Facilities that are embedded in their local communities and which provide first class training to dental students.'
Professor Liz Kay, dean of the Peninsula Dental School, added: 'The development of the Derriford Dental Education Facility is important for us, because it represents the completion of our Dental Education Facility programme in the region. Early student contact with NHS patients sets our dental degree apart from many others in the UK, and our students have spent the last three years developing positive relationships with their patients and dental professionals in the area – to the immense pride and satisfaction of myself and my colleagues.'
Professor Mary Watkins, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Plymouth said: 'As a founding partner of the Peninsula Medical and Dental School, we are committed to working with our partners to improve healthcare training and provision across the region. Our Devonport and Exeter dental training facilities have provided unprecedented and much-needed access to free dental care and we are delighted and excited by the further healthcare opportunities that this new facility will now offer to our local communities.'
Sharon Palser, director of development NHS Plymouth, said: 'The Peninsula Dental School is a fantastic facility for students and local people alike. NHS Plymouth is proud to continue to support the School and the opening of the Derriford facility is worthy of celebration. Ensuring that local people can access high quality dentistry services is a priority for NHS Plymouth and the facilities, access and services offered by the Dental School complements other services well.'
Dr. Malcolm Prideaux, Chair of the Plymouth Oral Health Advisory Group and a local dentist, added: 'The building of the Derriford Dental Education Facility is the final piece of the jigsaw to complete the building programme of the Peninsula Dental School. Dentists in the region are looking forward to welcoming the first graduates of this innovative education programme into the profession next summer. We hope that many of the new students graduating from the Peninsula will make their homes here and help us provide the high quality dental care the people of the South West need and deserve. This is an exciting time for dentistry in the region.'
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