ACCRINGTON will soon be full of dazzling smiles when it opens its doors to a flood of trainee dentists.
Following the opening of a new dental department at the University of Central Lancashire, Accrington has been chosen to house one of four new secondary dental education centres.
The new centre in Accrington is to be built by the end of the year to the rear of the new Paradise Street health centre and will be the home of dental students during their last three years of training.
The move should solve the problem of a lack of NHS dentists in the borough.
The new four-year course at Uclan offers a balance of theoretical study and practical training, and will provide a new core of qualified dentists who will look after Accrington's teeth.
Students will spend their first year studying at the Preston campus before being relocated to one of four dental education centres in Blackpool, Carlisle, Morcambe Bay and Accrington.
The centres will allow students to treat patients under supervision and gain first-hand experience within the communities they are most likely to serve after they graduate.
Head of the dentistry school, Professor Lawrence Mair, said: "This new department is very different from others in that we have four clinical education centres distributed around the North West rather than being confined to one location, which will allow our students to gain experience in the local community.
He added: "Four years may seem a long time before these first students qualify but, even while they are training they will be providing treatment in the local area."
