Five year celebration

In January 2010 an innovative dental clinical teaching facility opened in Truro, which has contributed to a sea change in the way in which dentists are trained, helping to achieve better oral health in Cornwall – with thousands receiving NHS dental care where they may not have done before.

The Truro Dental Education Facility (DEF) is run by the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise and is where third year dental students from Plymouth University treat NHS patients under the supervision of qualified dental health professionals, as part of their training.

It is one of four DEFs in the South West, with two others in Plymouth and one in Exeter.

The rationale behind the DEF programme is two-fold: to prepare the dentists of the future for the NHS by providing training in an environment which mirrors that of an NHS practice; and to raise awareness of good oral health and increase access to dental care for local communities.