List of Dental Schools by closest region
List of Dental Schools
The equivalent table for dental schools. Quick caveat before the data: dentistry has far fewer UK schools than medicine (13 currently teaching undergraduates, plus two brand-new ones — UEA Norwich and Portsmouth — opening for September 2027 entry rather than already running), so several counties are genuinely a long way from their "nearest" school, and a few assignments are close calls between two roughly-equidistant options.
England
County | Major Towns | Region | Closest Dental School |
|---|---|---|---|
Bedfordshire | Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade | East of England | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Berkshire | Reading, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Newbury | South East | University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (opens 2027) |
Bristol | Bristol | South West | Bristol Dental School |
Buckinghamshire | Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Amersham, Marlow | South East | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Cambridgeshire | Cambridge, Peterborough, Ely, Huntingdon, Wisbech, St Neots | East of England | UEA Norwich Dental School (opens 2027) |
Cheshire | Chester, Warrington, Crewe, Macclesfield, Northwich, Ellesmere Port | North West | University of Liverpool |
Cornwall | Truro, Falmouth, St Austell, Penzance, Newquay, Bodmin | South West | Peninsula Dental School (Plymouth) |
Cumbria | Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Whitehaven, Penrith | North West | University of Central Lancashire (UCLan, Preston) |
Derbyshire | Derby, Chesterfield, Matlock, Buxton, Ilkeston, Swadlincote | East Midlands | University of Sheffield |
Devon | Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Barnstaple, Exmouth, Newton Abbot | South West | Peninsula Dental School (Plymouth) |
Dorset | Dorchester, Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Christchurch | South West | University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (opens 2027) |
Durham | Durham, Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street | North East | Newcastle School of Dental Sciences |
East Riding of Yorkshire | Beverley, Bridlington, Goole, Driffield, Hornsea | Yorkshire and the Humber | University of Leeds |
East Sussex | Lewes, Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Hove | South East | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Essex | Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Harlow | East of England | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Gloucestershire | Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, Tewkesbury | South West | Bristol Dental School |
Greater London | Croydon, Bromley, Kingston upon Thames, Sutton, Harrow | London | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Greater Manchester | Manchester, Bolton, Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford | North West | University of Manchester |
Hampshire | Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Andover | South East | University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (opens 2027) |
Herefordshire | Hereford, Leominster, Ross-on-Wye, Ledbury | West Midlands | University of Birmingham |
Hertfordshire | Hertford, Watford, St Albans, Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead | East of England | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Isle of Wight | Newport, Ryde, Cowes, Sandown, Shanklin | South East | University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (opens 2027) |
Kent | Maidstone, Canterbury, Dover, Ashford, Tunbridge Wells, Rochester | South East | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Lancashire | Preston, Blackpool, Blackburn, Burnley, Lancaster | North West | University of Central Lancashire (UCLan, Preston) |
Leicestershire | Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Melton Mowbray | East Midlands | University of Birmingham |
Lincolnshire | Lincoln, Grantham, Boston, Stamford, Skegness | East Midlands | University of Sheffield |
Merseyside | Liverpool, Birkenhead, St Helens, Southport, Bootle | North West | University of Liverpool |
Norfolk | Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Thetford | East of England | UEA Norwich Dental School (opens 2027) |
North Yorkshire | Northallerton, Harrogate, Scarborough, York, Whitby | Yorkshire and the Humber | University of Leeds |
Northamptonshire | Northampton, Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough | East Midlands | University of Birmingham |
Northumberland | Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Hexham, Blyth | North East | Newcastle School of Dental Sciences |
Nottinghamshire | Nottingham, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent, Worksop | East Midlands | University of Sheffield |
Oxfordshire | Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Witney, Abingdon | South East | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Rutland | Oakham, Uppingham | East Midlands | University of Birmingham |
Shropshire | Shrewsbury, Telford, Oswestry, Bridgnorth | West Midlands | University of Birmingham |
Somerset | Taunton, Bath, Bridgwater, Yeovil, Wells, Glastonbury | South West | Bristol Dental School |
South Yorkshire | Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham | Yorkshire and the Humber | University of Sheffield |
Staffordshire | Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth, Burton upon Trent | West Midlands | University of Birmingham |
Suffolk | Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft, Felixstowe | East of England | UEA Norwich Dental School (opens 2027) |
Surrey | Guildford, Woking, Epsom, Reigate, Farnham | South East | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
Tyne and Wear | Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Gateshead, South Shields | North East | Newcastle School of Dental Sciences |
Warwickshire | Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon, Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington Spa | West Midlands | University of Birmingham |
West Midlands | Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley | West Midlands | University of Birmingham |
West Sussex | Chichester, Crawley, Worthing, Horsham, Bognor Regis | South East | University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (opens 2027) |
West Yorkshire | Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax | Yorkshire and the Humber | University of Leeds |
Wiltshire | Trowbridge, Salisbury, Swindon, Chippenham, Marlborough | South West | Bristol Dental School |
Worcestershire | Worcester, Redditch, Kidderminster, Malvern, Evesham | West Midlands | University of Birmingham |
City of London | — (a single city/borough) | London | King's College London / Queen Mary (Barts) |
A huge swathe of the South East, East of England, and East Midlands currently has no dental school at all, which is exactly why UEA and Portsmouth were commissioned. Postgraduate-only institutes (Eastman/UCL, Edinburgh) and graduate-entry-only schools (Aberdeen) were excluded since they don't take standard undergraduate applicants.
Good — dentistry has a smaller footprint than medicine in these three nations: Scotland has three dental schools (Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen — no Edinburgh or St Andrews), Wales has only Cardiff University, and Northern Ireland has only Queen's University Belfast.
Scotland
County | Major Towns | Region | Closest Dental School |
|---|---|---|---|
Aberdeenshire | Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh | North East | University of Aberdeen |
Banffshire | Banff, Buckie, Keith | North East | University of Aberdeen |
Kincardineshire | Stonehaven, Banchory | North East | University of Aberdeen |
Moray | Elgin, Forres | North East | University of Aberdeen |
Inverness-shire | Inverness, Fort William | Highlands | University of Aberdeen |
Ross and Cromarty | Dingwall, Ullapool | Highlands | University of Aberdeen |
Sutherland | Golspie, Lairg | Highlands | University of Aberdeen |
Caithness | Wick, Thurso | Highlands | University of Aberdeen |
Nairnshire | Nairn | Highlands | University of Aberdeen |
Orkney | Kirkwall, Stromness | Northern Isles | University of Aberdeen |
Shetland | Lerwick | Northern Isles | University of Aberdeen |
Angus | Arbroath, Forfar, Montrose | East (Tayside) | University of Dundee |
Perthshire | Perth, Blairgowrie, Crieff | East/Central | University of Dundee |
Fife | Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline, St Andrews | East | University of Dundee |
Kinross-shire | Kinross | East | University of Dundee |
Clackmannanshire | Alloa | Central | University of Glasgow |
Stirlingshire | Stirling, Falkirk | Central | University of Glasgow |
West Lothian | Livingston, Bathgate | South East | University of Glasgow |
Midlothian | Dalkeith, Penicuik | South East | University of Glasgow |
East Lothian | Haddington, North Berwick | South East | University of Glasgow |
Berwickshire | Duns, Eyemouth | Scottish Borders | University of Glasgow |
Peeblesshire | Peebles | Scottish Borders | University of Glasgow |
Selkirkshire | Selkirk, Galashiels | Scottish Borders | University of Glasgow |
Roxburghshire | Hawick, Jedburgh | Scottish Borders | University of Glasgow |
Dumfriesshire | Dumfries, Lockerbie | South West | University of Glasgow |
Kirkcudbrightshire | Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas | South West | University of Glasgow |
Wigtownshire | Stranraer, Newton Stewart | South West | University of Glasgow |
Ayrshire | Ayr, Kilmarnock, Irvine | South West | University of Glasgow |
Renfrewshire | Paisley, Renfrew | West/Strathclyde | University of Glasgow |
Lanarkshire | Hamilton, Motherwell | West/Strathclyde | University of Glasgow |
Dunbartonshire | Dumbarton, Clydebank | West/Strathclyde | University of Glasgow |
Bute | Rothesay | West (Argyll & Bute) | University of Glasgow |
Argyll | Oban, Inveraray, Dunoon | West Highlands | University of Glasgow |
Wales
County | Major Towns | Region | Closest Dental School |
|---|---|---|---|
Anglesey | Llangefni, Holyhead | North Wales | Cardiff University |
Caernarfonshire | Caernarfon, Bangor | North Wales | Cardiff University |
Denbighshire | Denbigh, Ruthin, Rhyl | North Wales | Cardiff University |
Flintshire | Mold, Flint, Holywell | North East Wales | Cardiff University |
Merionethshire | Dolgellau, Bala | North Wales | Cardiff University |
Montgomeryshire | Welshpool, Newtown | Mid Wales | Cardiff University |
Cardiganshire | Aberystwyth, Cardigan | West Wales | Cardiff University |
Carmarthenshire | Carmarthen, Llanelli | West Wales | Cardiff University |
Pembrokeshire | Haverfordwest, Milford Haven | West Wales | Cardiff University |
Radnorshire | Llandrindod Wells, Presteigne | Mid Wales | Cardiff University |
Brecknockshire | Brecon | South East/Mid Wales | Cardiff University |
Glamorgan | Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil | South Wales | Cardiff University |
Monmouthshire | Newport, Abergavenny, Monmouth | South East Wales | Cardiff University |
(Cardiff is the sole dental school in Wales, so every county's nearest option is the same — though patients/students in North Wales, e.g. Anglesey or Denbighshire, are in practice roughly as close to Liverpool or Manchester dental schools in England.)
Northern Ireland
County | Major Towns | Region | Closest Dental School |
|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena | East / North East | Queen's University Belfast |
Down | Newry, Bangor, Downpatrick | East / South East | Queen's University Belfast |
Armagh | Armagh, Lurgan, Portadown | South | Queen's University Belfast |
Fermanagh | Enniskillen | South West | Queen's University Belfast |
Londonderry | Derry~Londonderry, Coleraine | North West | Queen's University Belfast |
Tyrone | Omagh, Dungannon, Strabane | West | Queen's University Belfast |
- Queen's Belfast is the only GDC-recognised dental school in Northern Ireland, so all six counties share the same answer — Fermanagh and Tyrone are a considerable distance from Belfast in practice.
- Same caveat applies in Wales: Cardiff is the only option, so North and West Wales counties are genuinely far from their "closest" school.
- Unlike medicine, Edinburgh and St Andrews do not have dental schools, which is why Lothian/Borders counties shift to Glasgow here rather than Edinburgh.