A campaign to establish a new Dental School in Bangor has won strong backing from community councils across Gwynedd, with nearly 80% passing motions in support.
The initiative, led by Arfon MS Siân Gwenllian, urges the Welsh Government to take urgent action to address the crisis in NHS dental provision in north Wales. Councils that have endorsed the motion have written directly to Jeremy Miles MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health, highlighting the need for investment in local training and services.
“NHS dental waiting lists are at breaking point,” Ms Gwenllian said. “Those who can’t afford private treatment are left travelling miles for basic care — or, in some shocking cases, attempting dangerous procedures themselves. This is unacceptable, unsustainable, and in urgent need of change.”
Currently, fewer than 40% of people in Arfon are registered with an NHS dentist, the lowest level in Wales. Many patients report waiting years for appointments, while others are forced to travel long distances across the border to England for basic treatment.
Supporters argue that a Bangor-based Dental School would be a game-changer, not only tackling the recruitment and retention challenges in the profession but also boosting the local economy and offering bilingual training for future practitioners. The proposal builds on the recent creation of the North Wales Medical School, which opened in September 2024, and the launch of a pharmacy school this autumn, making Bangor an emerging hub for health education.
Earlier this year, Ms Gwenllian presented a report, Filling the Gap: Dentistry in Arfon, to the Senedd, highlighting the scale of the crisis and the long-term benefits of training dentists in the north. She also convened a seminar in Cardiff Bay with university leaders, dentists, and Senedd members, where the case for a Bangor Dental School was formally discussed.
Ms Gwenllian praised the councils that have already joined the campaign and called on others to follow suit. “Together, we’re sending an unmistakable message: north Wales needs a Dental School in Bangor, and it needs it now.”
