The centre will accommodate 300 dental students, with the ability to deliver 7,000 patient appointments annually

A new state-of-the-art dental facility – the Kenworthy Road Dental Clinic in East London – has been officially opened by the chief dental officer for England, Jason Wong.

He was joined by representatives from Community Health Partnerships (CHP), Barts Health NHS Trust, and Queen Mary University of London at the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The £3.2m reconfiguration was capital funded by CHP and will provide a modern and fit-for-purpose training ground for dental students from the university, while providing residents in north-east London with quicker and easier access to free dental care within a primary care setting.

The project was made possible through collaboration supported by CHP LIFTCo partner, Infracare East London, and Coleman Consult, which played a pivotal role in the delivery of the project.

The clinic will provide capacity for 20 chairs, accommodating 300 dental students overseen by trained dentists, with the ability to deliver 7,000 patient appointments annually.

The project partners say it will improve access to dental services for local communities in Homerton – an area known for high prevalence of dental decay and reduced access compared with national averages across England.

Zahra Shehabi, project lead and clinical sustainability fellow at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “We’ve embedded sustainable and modern design throughout the development of this clinic and will also be utilising infrastructure and trying to source sustainable materials to ensure that the facility is as green as possible.”

Christopher Tredwin, dean and director of the Institute of Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, added: “This new clinic will provide care to patients that need it the most, while training to the next generation of the UK’s dentists.

“Thanks to the hi-tech equipment and opportunity for students to treat patients, this clinic will ensure that undergraduates have the best opportunities to meet their clinical requirements while providing dental care to the community.”

The variation at Kenworthy Road Health Centre was made possible through initial scoping and collaboration with North East London ICB and local trusts by identifying the areas of significant health needs and high backlog, some caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The health centre itself is centrally positioned, with strong transport links, making it accessible for patients.

There are also existing primary care services being delivered from the health centre, which would provide a sustainable opportunity for ‘joined-up working’.

A spokesman for CHP said: “With constraints on capital funding, optimising the use of high-quality estate is essential to support key priorities such as recovery of elective and primary care, and delivery of place-based care.

“Across the CHP portfolio, there are a number of dental variation opportunities, some with the ability to convert to dental services at pace.

“The variation at Kenworthy Road is a prime example of what can be achieved through collaboration with the local NHS system.”