Currently, we are not accepting any more volunteer dental patients. Please check here regularly for opportunities in the future.
The University Dental Hospital of Manchester has a limited number of places available for adult volunteers for treatment, by our Dentistry and our Dental Hygiene and Therapy students, as part of their supervised clinical education.
If you are not registered with a dentist, you may be eligible to volunteer. To access this service you will have to register your interest, have a clinical assessment and meet certain criteria.
As our students can provide only a limited range of treatments, volunteers will need to undergo a short assessment. One of our tutors will speak to you about what is expected of student treatment and will carry out a brief assessment of your dental needs to see if you are a suitable candidate, or whether your needs would be better managed by a General Dental Practitioner. This is not a regular dental check-up and is not a comprehensive dental assessment. Following this we will explain if you are suitable to be a volunteer, or not.
Some patients’ treatment needs are too complex for our students and it is possible that you may be declined at this stage. If you are accepted you will be placed on a waiting list for one course of treatment. The length of time waiting will depend on the type and complexity of treatment required. During that time, you will still need to have dental check-ups or emergency dental treatment elsewhere, if you need it. Once the course of treatment is completed, you will be discharged.
Treatment is provided free of charge.
- 18 years old or over
- Not registered with a dentist already
- Available to attend appointments between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday
The volunteer patient is not for patients requiring emergency or urgent dental care, if you require urgent attention from a dentist, please contact your own dentist or NHS 111.
Please fill in the form below. Scroll down on form below for more questions and to continue.
Please read the Privacy Statement below.
Currently, we are not accepting any more volunteer dental patients. Please check here regularly for opportunities in the future.
Data Controller and Legal Basis
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the Data Controller for the information you provide.
Your data is processed under the following lawful bases:
- Performing a public task (healthcare provision)
- Meeting legal obligations
- Protecting vital interests
- Your explicit consent (where necessary)
Information We Collect
As part of your application, we collect:
- Date of submission
- Title, First Name, Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Address
- Telephone Number and Email Address
- Ethnic Group and Religion
- GP Name and Practice Details
- Responses to medical/dental history questions, including:
Are you registered with a dentist?
Do you have cavities that need repairing?
Do you need a denture?
Do you need any teeth removing?
Do you have gum disease?
Are you particularly anxious about dental treatment?
Can you comfortably lie back in the dental chair?
This information helps assess your suitability for safe treatment in a supervised student clinic.
Purpose of Processing
Your data will be used to:
- Assess eligibility and clinical suitability
- Arrange and deliver dental care
- Manage appointments and communication
- Comply with governance, safeguarding, and regulatory requirements
- Support education and training through anonymised data (where appropriate)
Data Sharing
Your data may be shared with:
- Relevant MFT staff, including clinicians, dental students, and administrative personnel
- Other NHS organisations or your registered dental/medical practitioners
- Regulatory authorities, where legally required
- Approved service providers (e.g., IT support) under data protection agreements
Data Security and Retention
All data is stored securely in line with NHS information governance policies.
Records are retained according to NHS guidelines and securely destroyed when no longer required.
Your Data Protection Rights
You have the right to:
- Request access to your data
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Request data erasure (where appropriate)
- Object to or request restriction of processing
- Withdraw consent (if consent is the basis for processing)
For more information or to exercise your rights, contact the MFT Information Governance team or view the full Privacy Notice at:
https://mft.nhs.uk/privacy-policy/