Two dentists use £5.6m loan to purchase one of the largest dental practices in London

A dental group with one of the biggest NHS contracts in the country was bought by two colleagues following seven-figure finance from Unity Trust Bank.

Dr Kuldipsinh Gohil and Dr Jasmin Thoria took over Sterling Dental Group in Southall having worked there for many years.

The group, which has over 100,000 NHS patients, is also contracted to carry out secondary care treatments for the whole of west London through an NHS/Private dental clinic.

Dr Gohil, who has practices in Harrow and Wales too, said: “We spoke to a few lenders but we really liked Paul Kelly, our relationship manager at Unity.

“His approach was different from the others. He wasn’t just looking at us as a business; he wanted to help and support us which was quite unique.

“We take a holistic approach to our patient care and Unity’s approach to business is similar. They were positive and made the whole process easy. We wouldn’t get that support from anyone else.”

Impact

Sterling Dental Group predominantly serves Southall’s very diverse communities. Its 18-strong team of dentists are also from diverse backgrounds which helps break down language barriers and encourages residents to look after their oral health.

Dr Gohil said: “The Sterling practice is the first of its kind. Our staff understand the lifestyles of all backgrounds because they are from mixed backgrounds themselves. People feel comfortable coming here and communicating with us.

“This is particularly important for second generation families who have tended to have a phobia of dentists. We also do a lot of work with children about the importance of oral hygiene.”

Ten new jobs have been created at Sterling since the buyout. There are plans to link with universities to develop more student opportunities at the group’s training centre, which is also in Southall. It currently supports around 56 student placements a year.