Barking and Dagenham (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Barking and Dagenham Council and Queen Mary University announce a £4.1m investment to build a state-of-the-art academic dental centre in central Barking.
At a time when there are over 3,500 open NHS dentist roles in the UK and one in eight UK dentists are within five years of retirement, the project will help train 130 new dental students annually and deliver NHS dental care to over 5,000 patients annually.
The implications of this national scarcity have been severe in this area of East London. Remarkably, two out of every five toddlers have tooth spoilage, and 65% of youths progressed three to five and nearly 80% of those aged eighteen to thirty- four do n’t now have access to NHS dental care. There’s substantial substantiation that oral health and overall health are nearly affiliated, especially when it comes to diabetes, rotundity, smoking, and cardiovascular complaints.
Two floors of Maritime House in Barking town centre will be converted into a national-level dental training centre and anchor institution as part of the partnership, which will be funded by the Barking and Dagenham council’s Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy funding programme. The facility is anticipated to open to patients and students in September 2026.
The program is being led by Queen Mary’s Institute of Dentistry, which is ranked first in London and 15th globally. Through a community-based outreach program, the University’s undergraduate and graduate students from London and other countries will provide care, increasing access to primary dental services and addressing complicated oral health needs.
In order to address long-standing health disparities, the program supports the goals of the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) and the government’s 10-year health plan for England. It also contributes to the council’s dedication to revitalizing Barking town center and investing in the well-being of its quickly growing community.
Also, the center will boost the original frugality by generating about 44 jobs, ranging from internships to positions in dental nursing, cleaning, security, sterilization, and event. It will produce new avenues for education and exploration, supporting the development of long- term knowledge and chops in Barking and Dagenham.
The council and Queen Mary have a longer-term, broader cooperation that includes this new hub. Through the University’s SHAPE Institute, the two organizations signed a historic 10-year Memorandum of Understanding last month, establishing the first societal partnership in the UK between a local authority and a Russell Group university with the goal of addressing health disparities and creating community-driven, research-led solutions to enhance wellbeing throughout the borough.
Additionally, the partnership supports Barking and Dagenham’s inclusion in the National Neighbourhood Health Programme of the NHS, which is one of just 43 regions chosen to lead the way in innovative service methods based on prevention and community involvement.
Councillor Dominic Twomey, Leader of the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, said:
“Through this investment we are bringing a world-class health facility into the borough that will benefit our residents. For too many people, access to good health care has become a postcode lottery and access to a dentist for too many people is a privilege rather than a given.
The extension of Queen Mary University of London’s Institute for Dentistry will bring added benefits beyond health including place-making, jobs and more. It will also mean Barking & Dagenham is home to a national training facility. This is something we can all celebrate.”
Professor Colin Bailey, CBE, President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London said:
“Throughout its 240-year history, Queen Mary has been committed to tackling inequalities and improving the lives of people in East London and beyond. In partnering with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to open this new community dental clinic, we are doing just this.
Not only will we be helping more people in this community, and across North East London, get the dental care they need, we will also be training the next generation of much needed dentists to help reduce dental inequalities across the UK.”
Speaking on the partnership, Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Vice Principal of Health at Queen Mary University of London said:
“Queen Mary’s new dental training facility at Maritime House represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform oral health and wider wellbeing for the residents of Barking and Dagenham. By bringing world-class dental education directly into the community, we are removing long-standing barriers to access and ensuring that those who need care the most can receive it free of charge, close to home.
Queen Mary has a long history of delivering impactful health innovation. This partnership enables us to establish a meaningful and lasting footprint in Barking and Dagenham where we can help to build a healthier, fairer and more resilient future for the borough and beyond.”
What community outreach and prevention programmes are planned?
The new academic dental mecca in Barking and Dagenham plans several community outreach and forestallment programmes aimed at perfecting dental health and reducing inequalities. Education and mindfulness juggernauts concentrated on oral health, especially targeting children and vulnerable groups to encourage good dental hygiene habits beforehand.
Outreach through seminaries and community centers to engage original families and raise mindfulness of dental services and forestallment. hookups with original health providers and charities to offer accessible preventative care, wireworks, and early interventions.
Training dental scholars not only in clinical care but community engagement and public health creation to widen the impact beyond the clinic. These enterprises aim to ground gaps in dental care access in what has been described as a” dental desert,” fostering a culture of forestallment to reduce long- term oral health problems in the community.
