- Dentist
University of Portsmouth Dental Academy
Assessment report published 30 June 2025
Contents
Judgements
Our view of the service
We carried out this on-site announced inspection on 29 and 30 May 2025.
We found the dental academy had met regulations. The dental academy had systems to manage risks. Infection control procedures followed published guidance. There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
The University of Portsmouth Dental Academy occupies two 2-storey buildings in the city centre of Portsmouth.
The academy offers a range of services such as teaching and clinical training. These activities underpin the delivery of dental services and general oral health improvement of the communities it serves. It has been purposely designed so that oral care is delivered primarily by students who are supervised by registered dental care professionals.
All treatments provided are free for adults and children.
The dental academy hosts 130 oral health students, at any one time, and has 46 treatment chairs. The supervised cohorts consisted of trainee dental nurses, undergraduate Dental Hygiene Therapists, undergraduate Dental Hygienists and undergraduate Dentistry students.
At the time of our inspection, the dental team consisted of 22 dentists, 11 dental hygiene therapists, 4 dental hygienists, 25 qualified dental nurses, 2 administrators, 5 reception staff, 5 support staff and 2 academy clinical directors who are also the registered managers of the service.
People's experience of this service
Two weeks before our inspection, we asked the dental academy to encourage patients to share their views of the service with us. We received feedback from 12 patients. On the day of our inspection, we obtained the views of a further 13 patients.
Patient feedback provided a positive view of the dental team and care provided by the dental academy.
Comments included, “All my appointments have been very thorough, and the dentistry students have been welcoming and friendly, they never do anything without asking permission. The reception team are very helpful too.”
“Lovely team in reception and always welcoming. The dental students are lovely too and always take their time to explain what they are doing and make sure you are ok. If something needs fixing, they are always honest and tell you, for example I had a fissure sealant done and it needed a tiny file down, the nurse was open about it and explained fully so I was not concerned in the slightest.”
“The standard of care you receive is second to none. Everyone from the receptionists, students, tutors and other staff are incredibly welcoming, kind and put you at ease. For someone that has needed a lot of dental treatment over the years, and has always been a nervous patient, I cannot fault them. For students still being in training, the work they perform on teeth is of the highest quality, and supervision and guidance by the tutors is excellent.”
“All the students that have given me treatment are also a lovely bunch!”
“Professional and eager to learn and I am positive they will all go on to be great dentists.”
“All round brilliance, from reception, patient collection, treatment, care, up until they drop you back in reception. I could not ask for anything better.”
Patients felt able to book appointments within an acceptable timescale for their needs and said they had enough time during their appointment without feeling rushed. They were involved in decisions about their care and commented positively about the standards of cleanliness.
The dental academy shared patient feedback with the team. We were told this was reviewed and where suggestions had been made, appropriate action would be taken.