Dental Training Surgery Set to Treat Patients

A new NHS dentist training surgery which will treat up to 64 patients a day when fully operational has opened in Exeter.

The Peninsula Dental School, in the grounds of the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital in Heavitree, was officially opened by city MP and Government health minister Ben Bradshaw last week.

The Government’s chief dental officer, Barry Cockcroft, also attended the ceremony.

The surgery is one of four which will be used to train students from the dental school based at Plymouth University. Health chiefs predict the four surgeries will treat about 512 patients a day by 2011.

As well as the 64 patients seen per day in Exeter, about 128 will be seen in Truro and around 323 in Plymouth.

Students with six months of training behind them will be closely supervised by fully qualified dentists at all of the surgeries, which will provide routine dental treatment, including check-ups and fillings.

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