On Friday 22 October a ceremony took place at Tamar Science Park in Plymouth to mark the progress of building work for the Peninsula Dental School's Derriford Dental Education Facility.

Dr Barry Cockcroft CBE, Chief Dental Officer for England, was guest of honour at the event.

The Derriford Dental Education Facility is the fourth Peninsula Dental Education Facility in the region and joins others in Exeter, Devonport and Truro. When all four are at full capacity students under professional dental supervision will treat over 500 patients a day during term time.

The new facility has 40 dental chairs arranged in five bays of eight, plus one single surgery. It also includes tutorial rooms and seminar rooms and is 50 m from the main Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry John Bull Building.

Professor Liz Kay, Dean of the Peninsula Dental School, with Dr Barry Cockcroft CBE

Sixty-four students will practise at the Derriford Dental Education Facility for four days a week until they qualify. The first cohort to qualify from the Peninsula Dental School will do so in July 2011.

'Peninsula Dental School is taking the lead in community-based training for the dentists of tomorrow,' said Dr Cockcroft. 'My congratulations go to the Peninsula Dental School team who have developed Dental Education Facilities that are embedded in their local communities and which provide first class training to dental students.'

The Peninsula Dental School is the first new dental school to have opened in the UK in 40 years.