Applications for 2010 to a dental school have risen by 32% following a phenomenal 122% last year.

The figures for the Peninsula Dental School – the first new dental school in the UK for 40 years and established in 2006 – has outstripped national trends, where applications for dentistry are up by around 10%.

This is a ratio of more than seven applicants for each place, putting the Peninsula Dental School on a par with much longer-established dental schools that offer a four-year graduate entry course.

Dean, Professor Liz Kay, said: 'We were delighted with the outstanding increase in applications last year and we were hopeful that we would see a healthy rise for 2010, but an increase of 32% on last year is beyond expectation.

'My thanks go to my colleagues, who have constructed a first-class and innovative dental course and to our partners in the local NHS and local government who have provided us with vital support; and last but by no means least to our current students, who have embraced the objectives of our course and who are already building an excellent reputation for themselves in the field of dentistry.'

The Peninsula Dental School is already having a positive impact on NHS dental care in the region, with its dental education facilities in Exeter and Devonport, Plymouth, providing treatment for patients as part of the dental curriculum under supervision from qualified clinical tutors.

A new dental education Facility will open in Truro in January 2010, with a fourth dental education facility to follow at Derriford, Plymouth, in spring 2011.

When all four are fully operational, students will provide treatment for up to 512 NHS patients, per day, across Devon and Cornwall.

More information about the Peninsula Dental School is available here.