London college opens centre for dental sciences

The dental technology centre will launch a range of new courses and will include state-of-the-art resources such as a decontamination room, processing and casting labs, as well as three dedicated specialist laboratories with 60 workstations. All labs will be equipped with the latest industry-standard equipment.

Patients’ willingness to spend on cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry in order to gain the perfect smile is driving a significant shift towards consumerism and retail; this is energising the dental industry’s growth and will potentially transform the whole sector increasing competitiveness and delivering keener pricing and higher quality. For candidates who pass a dexterity test and interview, the new Dental Centre will offer students a 21st century learning environment with digital classrooms for CAD CAM and 3D printing; benefitting from dedicated learning zones with interactive touch screen boards and use of a large conference space for external and internal talks and demonstrations.

In addition to this, from May this year, dental laboratory owners can benefit from government funding and the Higher Apprenticeship for Dental Technology will be supported by a more simplified funding model. The government will subsidise 90 per cent of the funding for a 10 per cent contribution from employers. This means that employers will be required to pay £600 a year for the three-year course; dental laboratories, technicians and supply companies will therefore also benefit from the new centre.