The project, made possible by a £4.1 million investment through the Council’s Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy funding programme, will help train 130 new Queen Mary dental students each year and provide NHS dental care to over 5,000 patients annually. It also marks the fifth such student-led, community-based dental clinic that Queen Mary offers its local communities.
The announcement comes at a time when nearly 3,500 NHS dentist positions in the UK are vacant and one in eight UK dentists are within five years of retirement, meaning the training of new dentists is more important than ever. The initiative supports the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England and the priorities of the North East London Integrated Care Board, to tackle entrenched health inequalities.
Queen Mary’s Institute of Dentistry, ranked number one in London and 15th in the world, is leading the initiative. Undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University, who come from London and around the world, will deliver care through a community-based outreach model, expanding access to primary dental services and tackling complex oral health needs.
The partnership will see two floors of Maritime House in Barking town centre transformed into a national-level dental training hub, expects to open its doors to students and patients in September 2026.
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.”
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.”
Within this part of East London, the effects of the national shortage of dentists and dental appointments have been huge. 65% of 3–5-year-olds and almost 80% of 18–34-year-olds currently have no access to NHS dental services, and a shocking 40% or two in five children have tooth decay. With significant evidence to show clear links between oral health and general health – particularly around obesity, smoking, cardiovascular disease and diabetes – this deal has the potential to transform lives in one of the country’s most deprived areas.
Professor Chris Tredwin, Dean and Institute Director at Queen Mary University of London’s Institute of Dentistry said: “I am so proud that Queen Mary will play a key role in this collaboration, which will enhance the oral, and wider general health, of people in Barking and Dagenham and beyond.
“Through our students we will be able to open the doors of opportunity to offer dental care to those that need it most, in an area of high need. It is an honour to work with the visionary Council of Barking and Dagenham and to be involved in a partnership that will transform lives.”
This new hub is part of a wider, long-term partnership between the Council and Queen Mary. Last month, the two organisations signed a landmark 10-year Memorandum of Understanding through the University’s SHAPE Institute, creating the UK’s first societal partnership between a local authority and a Russell Group university focused on tackling health inequalities.
Together, they are developing research-led, community-driven solutions to improve wellbeing across the borough. The collaboration also supports Barking and Dagenham’s inclusion in the NHS’s National Neighbourhood Health Programme, one of just 43 areas selected to pioneer new models of care rooted in prevention and local engagement.
It also forms part of the council’s commitment to investing in the health of its rapidly expanding community and to regenerating Barking town centre. It will create around 44 local jobs, from apprenticeships to roles in reception, sterilisation, security, cleaning, and dental nursing. It will also open up new opportunities for learning and research, helping to build long-term skills and knowledge in Barking and Dagenham.
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.”
