The NHS in Dorset is ‘pursuing a number of options’ to bring a new dental service to the west of the county following a closure to a dentist in the area.

This comes after the Lyme Bay Dental Practice announced it will close its doors on Sunday, March 31.

Based at Kent House in Lyme Regis, the practice is closing after 20 years.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

The practice was forced to close following difficulties recruiting staff, according to a spokesperson from the NHS.

This has left dozens of patients in the area without an option of affordable healthcare.

A letter addressed to patients to inform them of the closure confirmed that any appointment booked with the practice after March 31 will be cancelled.

Patients can contact the dentist to discuss alternative access to care. It is believed that the centre will still offer health care.

Of the dentists in the county, very few are accepting any new NHS patients, with only St John’s Dental Practice on Ringhill Street in Dorchester and the Special Care Dentistry unit at Dorset County Hospital taking people on. This will be for specialist dental care by referral only.

This would mean around a 40-mile round trip for patients needing treatment.


Regarding the other dental practices in Lyme - Lyme Bay Dental and Implant Clinic is a private practice and Arcot Dental Practice is not accepting any new NHS patients.

Other practices, based in Devon and Somerset, are also only offering specialist dental care by referral. 

Findings from a project to gather information about the provision of NHS dentistry in the west of Dorset, published by the Bridport Local Area Partnership last year, showed what they referred to as a 'serious and deteriorating situation.' 

They found that recruitment of dental professionals has been especially hard in a rural areas like those in the west of Dorset, labelling it a 'significant problem.' The findings also showed that The NHS dental contract is unpopular with dental practices, not least its payment structure but also its 'associated bureaucracy.'

In the report, one practice in the area said it had given up trying to recruit new staff, because the cost and time involved with going out to recruitment was a 'waste of money.'

Stamford House Dental Practice in Axminster, a private practice, has seen a rise in referrals following the announcement Lyme Bay is to close.

Principal Dental Practitioner, Dr Sugendran Govendor, said: "We have received a lot of phone calls, and we are happy to take on new patients from Lyme Regis and the surrounding area as we acknowledge the big blow the closure of the practice brings." 

Dr Govendor went on to say that his practice has offered discounts for children in the difficult times, with no NHS treatments available. 

A spokesperson for the NHS said: “A decision has been made to end the provision of NHS dental services at Lyme Bay Dental Practice in Lyme Regis on 31st March 2024, following difficulties recruiting staff to support the practice. 

“Dental commissioning teams are fully aware of the upcoming closure and how valuable this dental practice is to the local community and are working hard alongside the Lyme Bay Dental Practice to pursue a number of options to procure new NHS dental services for the area.”

The spokesperson added that any individual can access urgent NHS dental care by contacting NHS 111 to be clinically triaged and receive an appropriate appointment.

If you would like to follow where NHS dental services are available, visit https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist.