Published 23 May 2022
Trainee dentists across Kent, Surrey and Sussex can use a new dental training lab at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
Health Education England funded the facility, and it was made possible thanks to a partnership between East Kent Hospitals, 2gether Support Solutions and the Trust’s Medical Education department.
It was officially opened by Peter Briggs, Dental Dean at Health Education England (HEE).
He thanked everyone who had made it possible, adding: “I think this really is a fantastic facility.
“We are committed to making East Kent more visible for dental training and to putting dentistry on the map here.
“The next generation of trainees going through this facility are very lucky indeed.”
The lab includes stations with dentists’ chairs, and simulated patient head models that students can practise on. Each has lighting and full equipment that would be found in a dental practice.
Dr Bandipalyam Prathibha, director of medical education at East Kent Hospitals, said it was already proving popular with trainee dentists and maxillo-facial surgeons.
She said: “We are grateful to everyone at Health Education England for making sure this became a reality.
“Our trainees really appreciate the value of it and enjoy using this facility. It is very well supported, particularly by practising dentists who appreciate that it is local to them and means they don’t need to travel to London for their professional development.”
Sana Movahedi, Associate Dean responsible for the dental foundation training programme at HEE, said: “This is going to allow East Kent to become a real hospital of focus for dental education and upskilling the workforce, and to train and retain a new dental workforce in east Kent.
“I think it is a really good example of collaborative work and with the new Kent and Medway Medical School here there are fantastic opportunities for trainees to develop their skills.”
The lab is in the education centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, and was created from an old clinical skills lab.
