2025/2026
Published 27 August 2026
Changes to this publication
We have added additional data and analysis on patient deprivation, using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile of the patient’s postcode. More information can be found in section 4.1: Changes to this publication.
It’s possible for some historical data presented in previous releases to change over time. You should always use the latest release of our publications.
We are interested in any feedback about the publication, which you can send by using our Official Statistics feedback survey.Key findings
In NHS dental activity in England in 2025/26:
There were 37.6 million courses of treatment (COTs) delivered, 6% more than 2024/25.
There were 76.8 million units of dental activity (UDAs) delivered, 5% higher than 2024/25.
There were 25,419 dentists in England with NHS activity, 3% more than in 2024/25.
In 2025/26, COTs for adult patients increased by 6% to 25 million, and by 7% for child patients to 13 million. Out of total COTs delivered in 2025/26, 61% were for band 1 treatments, and 11% were for urgent treatments.
Band 1 was also the largest treatment band by UDAs in 2025/26, with 30% of the total UDAs. Band 1 includes check ups and simple treatment, for example examinations, x-rays, and advice.
There were 18.8 million adult patients seen in the 24 months to 31 March 2026. In the 12 months to 31 March 2026, there were 7.17 million child patients seen. This was 40% of the national mid-year adult population for England in 2025, and 60% of the mid-year population for children.
In 2025/26, there were 43 dentists per 100,000 population in England. The number of dentists per 100,000 population varies across England by Integrated Care Board (ICB).
1.Things you should know
1.1. Background
Full supporting information and methodology can be found in the background and methodology document for this release.
Releases of this series before 2022/23 were published by NHS England, formerly NHS Digital, on their NHS dental statistics for England webpage.
NHS dental activity in England is usually commissioned through ICBs, who make contracts with providers of dental services. The contract specifies the activity a provider needs to complete over the coming financial year. This activity comprises a pre-agreed number of units of dental activity (UDA), units of orthodontic activity (UOA), or other services such as domiciliary visits or sedations.
Dentists can work on multiple contracts at the same time. A contract can have more than one location, and a location can have more than one contract recorded against it. Although the contract itself is linked to a commissioning organisation’s geographical boundary, a provider of dental services can have contracts across different ICBs or NHS regions. Therefore in these statistics, dentists can be recorded against multiple different geographical areas.
Providers submit claims on FP17 forms to the NHSBSA for processing and this data forms the basis of the statistics in this publication. Dentists and other performers have 62 days to submit a claim for activity, and late submissions after this period may have the units of activity received reduced to 0. Activity from FP17 forms submitted outside the maximum possible submission window for a given financial year has been excluded.
The 24-month time period for adult patients seen and 12-month time period for child patients seen has been used to align with the recommended longest interval between dental checks in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) oral and dental health guidance.
1.2. What is in these statistics
This publication covers NHS Dental activity and the NHS Dental workforce in England from 2019/20 to 2025/26. This statistical summary narrative includes dental activity data on:
- courses of treatment (COT)
- units of dental activity (UDA)
- patient charges
- the number of adult and child patients seen
Dental activity data in this publication covers activity from dentists, foundation dentists, and Dental Care Professionals (DCPs).
The narrative also includes workforce data on:
- the annual number of NHS dentists
- the number of NHS dentists with activity in 2025/26, per 100,000 population
Dentists are included in these statistics if they have at least 1 UDA or UOA in the year. This includes foundation dentists.
DCPs are not included in workforce data in this narrative, but some information on DCP totals is available in the supporting workforce summary tables.
The publication does not include activity or workforce data from private dental treatment, NHS dental services within hospitals, or dental activity in the Channel Islands.
Some measures include additional breakdowns by ICB. For ICB activity breakdowns, data has been provided based on the ICB of the dental contract and also by the ICB of a patient’s postcode. Data on the number of dentists per 100,000 population is based on the ICB location of the dentist’s contract.
More detailed summary tables for this publication are available on the NHS dental annual statistics 2025/26 webpage. The most granular data for this publication is also available on the 2025/26 release webpage, in CSV format.
After user feedback on file sizes, the granular data CSV datasets will be published on the NHSBSA Open Data Portal (ODP) after release. This will to allow users to filter the datasets before downloading.
1.3. Time periods
The data in this publication covers the period from April 2019 to March 2026. Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 refer to different 3-month financial quarters within the financial year. For example, financial year 2025/26 covers April 2025 to March 2026. For 2025/26, Q1 is quarter 1 and covers April to June 2025, while Q4 is quarter 4 and covers January to March 2026.
These statistics include the period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To limit COVID-19 transmissions, dental practices were instructed to close and cease all routine dental care from the 25th March 2020, and began to reopen from 8th June 2020. The data reported in the publication including activity, patient numbers, finances and treatments, will be lower than expected during the time period of restrictions.
Further information can be found in NHS Digital’s 2019/20 annual dental publication supplementary report as well as the background and methodology document for this release. The impact of COVID-19 should be considered when comparing across time periods.
1.4. Definitions
Treatment band
NHS dental activity is broken down into treatment bands based on how complex the treatment is. If a patient is not exempt and has to pay for treatment, the cost is determined by the treatment band. For activity with a date of acceptance from 25 November 2022 onwards, band 2 treatments are further broken down into sub-bands 2a, 2b, and 2c. The latest patient charges by band can be found on the NHS website along with information on what treatments each band covers.
COT
A COT is a course of treatment, usually begun after a dentist examines a patient and agrees treatment is required. In this release, COTs have been calculated by counting the number of valid FP17 claim forms. Depending on the treatment, a single COT can include multiple visits by a patient. For example, a patient may visit a dental practice several times while undergoing treatment, but this may be counted as a single COT.
UDA
A UDA is a unit of dental activity, which a dental contract can be awarded after submitting a valid FP17 claim form. Late submissions may have the UDA they receive reduced to 0. A general dental COT can receive different numbers of UDAs based on treatment band. More information on the UDAs received for each treatment band can be found on the NHSBSA website.
UOA
A UOA is a unit of orthodontic activity, which a dental contract can receive after submitting a valid FP17 claim form. How many UOAs are awarded depends on a patient’s age on the date of assessment. More information on how many UOAs are awarded for a treatment can be found on the NHSBSA website.
Dental performer
A performer is someone registered as a dentist with the General Dental Council (GDC) and who is on the Dental Performers List for England. Dentists can work under several different contract types based on what range of services they are required to provide.
2. Results and commentary
2.1. National dental activity
Number of NHS dental courses of treatment (COT) delivered in England 2019/20 to 2025/26
Chart
Figure 1: The total number of COTs continued to increase in 2025/26
Table
Table 1: The total number of COTs continued to increase in 2025/26
| Financial year | Total COT |
|---|---|
| 2019/2020 | 38,813,416 |
| 2020/2021 | 12,343,760 |
| 2021/2022 | 26,801,772 |
| 2022/2023 | 32,704,255 |
| 2023/2024 | 34,115,919 |
| 2024/2025 | 35,412,041 |
| 2025/2026 | 37,618,010 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: National overview summary tables (Excel: 217KB)
There were 37.6 million COTs delivered in 2025/26, an increase of 6.2% from 2024/25.
The total number of COTs decreased noticeably in 2020/21, when dental practices were instructed to close for a time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021/21, COTS have been increasing each year.
Number of NHS dental courses of treatment by band delivered in England 2025/26
Chart
Figure 2: Treatment band 1 had the highest number of COTs in 2025/26
Note: band 2 treatment with a date of acceptance on or after 25 November 2022 is split out into sub-bands 2a, 2b and 2c instead. Sub-bands totals will not add up to band 2 totals. Treatment bands Free and Regulation 11 Appliances have been excluded from the chart.
Table
Table 2: Treatment band 1 had the highest number of COTs in 2025/26
| Financial year | Treatment band | Total COT |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | Band 1 | 22,870,366 |
| 2025/2026 | Band 2 | 524 |
| 2025/2026 | Band 2a | 6,827,416 |
| 2025/2026 | Band 2b | 2,424,365 |
| 2025/2026 | Band 2c | 112,294 |
| 2025/2026 | Band 3 | 1,322,353 |
| 2025/2026 | Urgent | 3,966,998 |
| 2025/2026 | Free | 83,832 |
| 2025/2026 | Regulation 11 Replacement Appliance | 9,862 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: National overview summary tables (Excel: 217KB)
Band 1 remained the largest treatment band across COT in 2025/26, with 60.8% of national COTs for band 1 treatments. Between 2024/25 and 2025/26, the number of band 1 COTs increased by 6.8% to 22.9 million. This remains lower than pre-pandemic totals, when there were 23.1 million COTs for band 1 in 2019/20.
From 2024/25 to 2025/26, urgent treatment COTs increased by 8.4% to 3.97 million. This increase follows 3 previous years of decreases in COTs for urgent treatment. Band 2b had the second highest percentage increase in 2025/26, rising by 7.9% since 2024/25 to 2.42 million COTs. Band 2b includes COTs involving either non-molar endodontics to permanent teeth, or a combined total of three or more teeth requiring permanent fillings or extractions.
Number of NHS dental courses of treatment by adult and child patients in England 2019/20 to 2025/26
Chart
Figure 3: COTs increased for adults and children in 2025/26
Table
Table 3: COTs increased for adults and children in 2025/26
| Financial year | Patient type | Total COT |
|---|---|---|
| 2019/2020 | Adult | 27,144,005 |
| 2019/2020 | Child | 11,669,411 |
| 2020/2021 | Adult | 8,949,866 |
| 2020/2021 | Child | 3,393,894 |
| 2021/2022 | Adult | 18,679,160 |
| 2021/2022 | Child | 8,122,612 |
| 2022/2023 | Adult | 22,471,145 |
| 2022/2023 | Child | 10,233,110 |
| 2023/2024 | Adult | 22,964,468 |
| 2023/2024 | Child | 11,151,451 |
| 2024/2025 | Adult | 23,482,265 |
| 2024/2025 | Child | 11,929,776 |
| 2025/2026 | Adult | 24,840,015 |
| 2025/2026 | Child | 12,777,995 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: National overview summary tables (Excel: 217KB)
Adult patients and child patients both had increases in COTs between 2024/25 and 2025/26. COTs for adult patients increased by 5.8% to 24.8 million, while COTs for child patients increased by 7.1% to 12.8 million.
In 2025/26, 28% of adult COTs included scale and polish treatment. In COTs for children, 57% included fluoride varnish clinical treatment.
Number of units of dental activity (UDA) in England 2019/20 to 2025/26
Chart
Figure 4: The total number of UDAs increased in 2025/26
Table
Table 4: The total number of UDAs increased in 2025/26
| Financial year | Total UDA |
|---|---|
| 2019/2020 | 79,725,106 |
| 2020/2021 | 24,351,462 |
| 2021/2022 | 57,723,635 |
| 2022/2023 | 70,130,627 |
| 2023/2024 | 72,501,650 |
| 2024/2025 | 73,087,472 |
| 2025/2026 | 76,789,398 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: National overview summary tables (Excel: 217KB)
In 2025/26, the total number of UDAs awarded to dental activity claims was 76.8 million. This was an increase of 5.1% from 2024/25, but still 3.7% lower than the 79.7 million total UDAs in 2019/20.
Band 1 was the treatment band with both the highest number of COTs and UDAs in 2025/26, with 22.8 million UDAs.
Patient charge revenue (GBP) in England 2019/20 to 2025/26
Chart
Figure 5: The total patient revenue increased in 2025/26
Table
Table 5: The total patient revenue increased in 2025/26
| Financial year | Total patient revenue (GBP) |
|---|---|
| 2019/2020 | 854,523,275.59 |
| 2020/2021 | 267,914,038.63 |
| 2021/2022 | 646,429,172.69 |
| 2022/2023 | 754,173,177.09 |
| 2023/2024 | 774,307,122.74 |
| 2024/2025 | 806,489,287.52 |
| 2025/2026 | 862,959,778.41 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: National overview summary tables (Excel: 217KB)
Patient revenue is the amount charged to patients who do not have a full or partial exemption. This money is a set charge a patient pays based on the treatment band. In 2025/26 the total patient revenue was £863 million, a 7% increase from £806 million last year.
Patient charges are set by the NHS and generally reviewed every year. For example, the charge for a band 1 treatment in 2024/25 was £26.80, which rose to £27.40 in 2025/26. From April 2026 the charge for a band 1 treatment is £27.90. More information on patient charges for previous years can be found in the background and methodology document for this release.
Number of NHS dental courses of treatment by Dental Care Professional (DCP) status, England 2025/26
Chart
Figure 6: Dental COTs by DCP status in 2025/26
Note: ‘DCP-led’ activity is where the main performer number recorded on an FP17 form was a DCP. Activity where a DCP performer number assisted another clinician has been grouped as ‘DCP-assisted’. Band 2 activity is excluded from the chart due to low COTs, but is included in the supporting table.
Table
Table 6: Dental COTs by DCP status in 2025/26
| Financial year | DCP status | Treatment band | COT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Band 1 | 1,833,684 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Band 2 | 3 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Band 2a | 529,333 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Band 2b | 298,927 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Band 2c | 304 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Band 3 | 6,851 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-led | Urgent | 111,213 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Band 1 | 458,417 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Band 2 | 0 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Band 2a | 372,003 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Band 2b | 85,624 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Band 2c | 1,057 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Band 3 | 17,451 |
| 2025/2026 | DCP-assisted | Urgent | 42,727 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: National overview summary tables (Excel: 217KB)
DCPs include dental roles such as dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental nurses. DCPs were previously permitted to assist dentists in providing a range of treatments, based on the General Dental Council (GDC) scope of practice guidance for their role. In 2024/25, legislation changed to allow dental hygienists and dental therapists to lead on activity within their scope of practice, except for teeth whitening.
In 2025/26, treatment band 1 had the highest total COTs led by DCPs, at 1.83 million. Band 1 also had the highest total COTs for DCP-assisted treatment, at 458,000. Across all treatment bands, DCP-led activity accounted for 7.4% of the total COTs for 2025/26. This was double the percentage in 2024/25, when 3.7% of COTs were DCP-led. However, DCP-assisted activity was lower, at 2.6% of total COTS in 2025/26, compared to 3.2% of total COTs in 2024/25.
Of all DCP-led NHS activity in 2025/26, 1.8% of COTs were led by dental hygienists and over 98% led by dental therapists.
2.2 Geographical breakdown dental activity
Breakdowns of data at sub-national geographies are available by contract location and patient location. Contract location has been mapped from the location of the dental contract the activity was commissioned under. Patient location has been mapped from the patient’s postcode as recorded on the FP17 form.
A patient’s location may therefore be different from where the contracted activity actually took place. Activity from patient postcodes that cannot be mapped or from valid postcodes mapped to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man have been excluded from this narrative. Data for these excluded postcodes is available in the supporting summary table excel files.Percentage of adult population seen by a dentist in the 24 months to March 2026, by ICB
Contract map
Figure 7 (map): Percentage of adult population seen by a dentist varies by contract ICB
Patient map
Figure 7 (map): Percentage of adult population seen by a dentist varies by patient ICB
Contract table
Table 7: Percentage of adult population seen by a dentist varies by contract ICB
| Financial year | ODS code | ICB name | Mid-year population year | Adult population | Children seen | Adult percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | QF7 | NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,134,753 | 198596 | 55.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QWU | NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 788,280 | 124581 | 48.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QOP | NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 2,325,443 | 443586 | 48.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QUA | NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 962,798 | 170301 | 48.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QH8 | NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 971,617 | 158090 | 47.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QYG | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 2,095,849 | 332921 | 46.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QM7 | NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,198,905 | 221657 | 45.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QWO | NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,937,145 | 355283 | 45.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QT1 | NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 947,804 | 156670 | 44.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QNC | NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 940,254 | 150887 | 44.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QHL | NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,062,772 | 182296 | 44.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QKK | NHS South East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,457,604 | 214427 | 43.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QHM | NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 2,485,983 | 363017 | 43.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QOC | NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 424,006 | 67132 | 43.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QE1 | NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,425,837 | 238270 | 42.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QJ2 | NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 878,258 | 133274 | 41.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QK1 | NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 929,150 | 157808 | 41.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QOQ | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,414,673 | 215837 | 40.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QRV | NHS North West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,736,260 | 252058 | 40.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QNX | NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,426,806 | 203193 | 39.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QJG | NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 823,522 | 120475 | 38.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QMJ | NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,137,571 | 158136 | 38.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QNQ | NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 620,446 | 102073 | 38.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QGH | NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 657,849 | 88504 | 37.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QUY | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 825,450 | 121443 | 37.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QJM | NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 641,548 | 82122 | 37.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QKS | NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,507,520 | 242780 | 37.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QU9 | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,459,960 | 230168 | 36.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QMF | NHS North East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,624,671 | 243917 | 36.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QWE | NHS South West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,217,544 | 165636 | 36.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QRL | NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,511,894 | 213501 | 36.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QHG | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 810,251 | 144933 | 35.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QMM | NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 864,896 | 109170 | 34.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QPM | NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 634,274 | 95637 | 33.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QVV | NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 656,955 | 77277 | 32.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QXU | NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 849,821 | 126970 | 32.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QOX | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 777,993 | 111385 | 31.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QR1 | NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 536,217 | 72542 | 30.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QT6 | NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 479,550 | 59311 | 28.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QUE | NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 750,234 | 110204 | 28.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QJK | NHS Devon Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,029,418 | 109110 | 26.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QSL | NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 475,304 | 46306 | 22.7 |
Patient table
Table 7: Percentage of adult population seen by a dentist varies by patient ICB
| Financial year | ODS code | ICB name | Mid-year population year | Adult population | Adults seen | Adult percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | QF7 | NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,134,753 | 595,368 | 52.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QH8 | NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 971,617 | 464,075 | 47.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QOP | NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 2,325,443 | 1,094,497 | 47.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QWU | NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 788,280 | 363,666 | 46.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QJ2 | NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 878,258 | 400,210 | 45.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QWO | NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,937,145 | 878,144 | 45.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QYG | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 2,095,849 | 942,759 | 45.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QNC | NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 940,254 | 421,530 | 44.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QT1 | NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 947,804 | 419,933 | 44.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QE1 | NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,425,837 | 620,766 | 43.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QUA | NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 962,798 | 415,497 | 43.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QM7 | NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,198,905 | 517,142 | 43.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QHL | NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,062,772 | 455,507 | 42.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QHM | NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 2,485,983 | 1,062,084 | 42.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QK1 | NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 929,150 | 390,905 | 42.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QOC | NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 424,006 | 177,943 | 42.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QKK | NHS South East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,457,604 | 582,102 | 39.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QOQ | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,414,673 | 563,826 | 39.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QGH | NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 657,849 | 261,377 | 39.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QKS | NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,507,520 | 587,832 | 39.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QNX | NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,426,806 | 555,290 | 38.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QJM | NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 641,548 | 247,880 | 38.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QJG | NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 823,522 | 315,414 | 38.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QNQ | NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 620,446 | 233,891 | 37.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QPM | NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 634,274 | 234,608 | 37.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QHG | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 810,251 | 298,746 | 36.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QMF | NHS North East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,624,671 | 593,125 | 36.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QWE | NHS South West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,217,544 | 442,718 | 36.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QUY | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 825,450 | 298,620 | 36.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QU9 | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,459,960 | 526,441 | 36.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QRV | NHS North West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,736,260 | 624,611 | 36.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QMJ | NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,137,571 | 405,259 | 35.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QRL | NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,511,894 | 532,613 | 35.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QXU | NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 849,821 | 293,530 | 34.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QMM | NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 864,896 | 295,418 | 34.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QVV | NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 656,955 | 220,454 | 33.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QOX | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 777,993 | 252,989 | 32.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QR1 | NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 536,217 | 167,111 | 31.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QUE | NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 750,234 | 224,205 | 29.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QT6 | NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 479,550 | 139,523 | 29.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QJK | NHS Devon Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 1,029,418 | 268,587 | 26.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QSL | NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 475,304 | 116,395 | 24.5 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: Geographical summary tables contract location (Excel: 2.0MB) | NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: Geographical summary tables patient location (Excel: 3.3MB)
In 2025/26, an estimated 40% of the adult population for England in mid-year 2025 was seen by an NHS dentist. The percentage of adult patients seen varies across ICBs, for both contract location and patient location.
South Yorkshire ICB had the highest percentage of adults seen by a dentist in 2025/26, at 56% by contract location and 52% by patient location.
It should be noted that the ICB populations in figure 7 and figure 8 use the ICB mid-year population estimates for 2024. This was the latest available population data for ICBs at time of publishing, but may not be directly comparable with the 2025 mid-year estimated population used for England.
Percentage of child population seen by a dentist in the 12 months to March 2026, by ICB
Contract map
Figure 8 (map): Percentage of child population seen by a dentist varies by contract ICB
Patient map
Figure 8 (map): Percentage of child population seen by a dentist varies by patient ICB
Contract table
Table 8: Percentage of child population seen by a dentist varies by contract ICB
| Financial year | ODS code | ICB name | Mid-year population year | Child population | Children seen | Child percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | QF7 | NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 295,870 | 198,596 | 67.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QE1 | NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 364,481 | 238,270 | 65.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QT1 | NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 240,286 | 156,670 | 65.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QOP | NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 684,221 | 443,586 | 64.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QOQ | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 334,212 | 215,837 | 64.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QWO | NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 550,009 | 355,283 | 64.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QOC | NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 104,401 | 67,132 | 64.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QYG | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 519,576 | 332,921 | 64.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QK1 | NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 246,214 | 157,808 | 64.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QM7 | NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 346,649 | 221,657 | 63.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QNC | NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 237,324 | 150,887 | 63.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QJ2 | NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 218,268 | 133,274 | 61.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QNX | NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 332,983 | 203,193 | 61.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QUY | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 199,859 | 121,443 | 60.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QHM | NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 603,002 | 363,017 | 60.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QJG | NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 202,035 | 120,475 | 59.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QWU | NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 212,953 | 124,581 | 58.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QH8 | NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 270,220 | 158,090 | 58.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QKK | NHS South East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 366,638 | 214,427 | 58.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QRL | NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 367,313 | 213,501 | 58.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QHG | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 252,996 | 144,933 | 57.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QGH | NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 154,558 | 88,504 | 57.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QU9 | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 402,514 | 230,168 | 57.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QKS | NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 424,164 | 242,780 | 57.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QUA | NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 299,921 | 170,301 | 56.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QOX | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 196,925 | 111,385 | 56.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QRV | NHS North West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 445,235 | 252,058 | 56.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QMM | NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 193,118 | 109,170 | 56.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QT6 | NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 106,105 | 59,311 | 55.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QNQ | NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 183,169 | 102,073 | 55.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QJM | NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 147,954 | 82,122 | 55.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QR1 | NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 133,163 | 72,542 | 54.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QVV | NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 141,959 | 77,277 | 54.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QXU | NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 235,733 | 126,970 | 53.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QUE | NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 205,167 | 110,204 | 53.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QHL | NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 342,088 | 182,296 | 53.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QPM | NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 179,408 | 95,637 | 53.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QMJ | NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 298,730 | 158,136 | 52.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QMF | NHS North East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 473,596 | 243,917 | 51.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QWE | NHS South West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 331,887 | 165,636 | 49.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QJK | NHS Devon Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 225,088 | 109,110 | 48.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QSL | NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 113,024 | 46,306 | 41.0 |
Patient table
Table 8: Percentage of child population seen by a dentist varies by patient ICB
| Financial year | ODS code | ICB name | Mid-year population year | Child population | Children seen | Child percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | QE1 | NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 364,481 | 237,374 | 65.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QWO | NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 550,009 | 356,644 | 64.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QT1 | NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 240,286 | 155,151 | 64.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QJ2 | NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 218,268 | 140,685 | 64.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QK1 | NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 246,214 | 158,021 | 64.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QF7 | NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 295,870 | 188,850 | 63.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QOP | NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 684,221 | 435,948 | 63.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QNC | NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 237,324 | 149,500 | 63.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QOQ | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 334,212 | 209,077 | 62.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QYG | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 519,576 | 324,156 | 62.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QOC | NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 104,401 | 64,783 | 62.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QM7 | NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 346,649 | 212,805 | 61.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QNX | NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 332,983 | 200,804 | 60.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QHM | NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 603,002 | 360,502 | 59.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QH8 | NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 270,220 | 159,236 | 58.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QUY | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 199,859 | 117,794 | 58.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QKS | NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 424,164 | 247,633 | 58.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QGH | NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 154,558 | 90,128 | 58.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QHG | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 252,996 | 147,523 | 58.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QJG | NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 202,035 | 117,476 | 58.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QJM | NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 147,954 | 84,567 | 57.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QPM | NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 179,408 | 102,624 | 57.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QOX | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 196,925 | 111,973 | 56.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QU9 | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 402,514 | 228,373 | 56.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QMM | NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 193,118 | 109,284 | 56.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QRL | NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 367,313 | 207,037 | 56.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QWU | NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 212,953 | 119,909 | 56.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QXU | NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 235,733 | 132,453 | 56.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QNQ | NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 183,169 | 101,937 | 55.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QVV | NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 141,959 | 78,394 | 55.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QR1 | NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 133,163 | 72,687 | 54.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QUE | NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 205,167 | 111,647 | 54.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QKK | NHS South East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 366,638 | 196,640 | 53.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QRV | NHS North West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 445,235 | 235,218 | 52.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QUA | NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 299,921 | 158,266 | 52.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QHL | NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 342,088 | 180,143 | 52.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QMF | NHS North East London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 473,596 | 242,145 | 51.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QT6 | NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 106,105 | 54,268 | 51.1 |
| 2025/2026 | QJK | NHS Devon Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 225,088 | 113,241 | 50.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QWE | NHS South West London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 331,887 | 165,291 | 49.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QMJ | NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 298,730 | 148,243 | 49.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QSL | NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board | 2024 | 113,024 | 49,634 | 43.9 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: Geographical summary tables contract location (Excel: 2.0MB) | NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: Geographical summary tables patient location (Excel: 3.3MB)
In 2025/26, an estimated 60% of the child population for England in mid-year 2025 was seen by an NHS dentist. Similar to the pattern for adult patients seen, the percentage of child patients seen varies across ICBs, by contract location and patient location.
South Yorkshire ICB had the highest percentage of child population seen for contract location, at 67%. However, it was the sixth highest percentage by patient location with 64% of child population seen. For patient location, the ICB with the highest percentage of child population seen was Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB at 65%.
2.3 Patient deprivation
COTs and UDAs by IMD decile have been mapped from the patient’s postcode as recorded on the FP17 form. Patients seen by IMD decile have been mapped from the latest postcode for that patient in the 24 months (for adults) or 12 months (for children) before the end of the given year. For example, for financial year 2025/26 this will be the 24 or 12 months to end of March 2026.
A patient’s location may therefore be different from where the contracted activity actually took place. Activity from patient postcodes that cannot be mapped to the IMD 2025 or from valid postcodes mapped to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man have been excluded from charts in this narrative. Data for these excluded postcodes is available in the supporting summary tables.
IMD patient totals should be considered in context of underlying population sizes. IMD population data has been built from mapping LSOA level mid-year population estimates by age to IMD 2025 deciles, using the National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL) February 2026. This population data is included in the summary tables accompanying this release, for use as supporting context only.
The LSOA level mid-year population estimates used from ONS are not accredited official statistics and are released by ONS as supporting information. This population data has therefore not been used in this narrative.Number of NHS dental courses of treatment by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile, England 2025/26
Chart
Figure 9: Total COTs varied across IMD deciles in 2025/26
Table
Table 9: Total COTs varied across IMD deciles in 2025/26
| Financial year | IMD decile | Total COT |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | 1 - most deprived | 3,947,095 |
| 2025/2026 | 2 | 3,798,997 |
| 2025/2026 | 3 | 3,729,046 |
| 2025/2026 | 4 | 3,605,110 |
| 2025/2026 | 5 | 3,592,866 |
| 2025/2026 | 6 | 3,592,130 |
| 2025/2026 | 7 | 3,670,728 |
| 2025/2026 | 8 | 3,736,546 |
| 2025/2026 | 9 | 3,766,702 |
| 2025/2026 | 10 - least deprived | 3,702,026 |
| 2025/2026 | Other country | 56,582 |
| 2025/2026 | Unknown | 420,182 |
In 2025/26, total COTs varied across IMD deciles. Decile 1 had the highest total, with 3.95 million COTs. The middle deciles had the lowest totals, with 3.59 million COTs each in decile 5 and decile 6 in 2025/26.
COTs for urgent treatment were higher in more deprived deciles. In decile 1, COTs for urgent treatment increased by 8.9% between 2024/25 and 2025/26, to 560,000. More deprived deciles also had a higher percentage of COTs for urgent treatment. In 2025/25, urgent treatment COTs were 14% of total COTs in decile 1, compared to 8.1% of total COTs in decile 10.
Number of NHS dental units of activity by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile, England 2025/26
Chart
Figure 10: Total UDAs were higher in the most deprived IMD deciles in 2025/26
Table
Table 10: Total UDAs were higher in the most deprived IMD deciles in 2025/26
| Financial year | IMD decile | Total UDA |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | 1 - most deprived | 9,208,615.8 |
| 2025/2026 | 2 | 8,739,708.2 |
| 2025/2026 | 3 | 8,359,569.0 |
| 2025/2026 | 4 | 7,728,515.0 |
| 2025/2026 | 5 | 7,355,790.8 |
| 2025/2026 | 6 | 7,103,802.2 |
| 2025/2026 | 7 | 7,011,194.0 |
| 2025/2026 | 8 | 6,974,296.4 |
| 2025/2026 | 9 | 6,841,357.6 |
| 2025/2026 | 10 - least deprived | 6,468,177.2 |
| 2025/2026 | Other country | 117,244.4 |
| 2025/2026 | Unknown | 881,127.6 |
Total UDAs were highest in the most deprived deciles in 2025/26. The pattern across deciles for treatment bands varied noticeably, with only 21% of total UDAs for band 1 in decile 1, the most deprived areas. In decile 10 in the same year, 40% of total UDAs were for band 1 treatment.
This pattern was reversed for band 3 treatment. In 2025/26, decile 1 had 24% of total UDAs in band 3, while decile 10 had 16% in band 3. Band 3 includes complex treatments such as crowns or dentures, and receives more UDA per COT than band 1 treatment.
Number of adult patients seen by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile, England 2025/26
Chart
Figure 11: Adult patients seen varied by IMD decile in 2025/26
Table
Table 11: Adult patients seen varied by IMD decile in 2025/26
| Country | IMD decile | Adults seen |
|---|---|---|
| England | 1 - most deprived | 1,843,423 |
| England | 2 | 1,865,813 |
| England | 3 | 1,882,404 |
| England | 4 | 1,839,047 |
| England | 5 | 1,827,844 |
| England | 6 | 1,831,990 |
| England | 7 | 1,851,443 |
| England | 8 | 1,870,065 |
| England | 9 | 1,874,310 |
| England | 10 - least deprived | 1,816,252 |
| Other | Other country | 32,734 |
| Unknown | Unknown | 222,129 |
The number of adult patients seen by a dentist in the 24 months to March 2026 varied across deciles. However there was no clear pattern from the most to least deprived deciles.
Number of child patients seen by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile, England 2025/26
Chart
Figure 12: Child patients seen were higher in the most deprived IMD deciles in 2025/26
Table
Table 12: Child patients seen were higher in the most deprived IMD deciles in 2025/26
| Country | IMD decile | Children seen |
|---|---|---|
| England | 1 - most deprived | 857,631 |
| England | 2 | 768,765 |
| England | 3 | 723,726 |
| England | 4 | 677,627 |
| England | 5 | 671,295 |
| England | 6 | 654,943 |
| England | 7 | 673,865 |
| England | 8 | 681,187 |
| England | 9 | 683,250 |
| England | 10 - least deprived | 685,775 |
| Other | Other country | 8,721 |
| Unknown | Unknown | 84,741 |
In the 12 months to March 2026, the number of child patients seen by a dentist varied across deciles. Child patients seen were highest in the most deprived deciles and lowest in the middle deciles, with the least deprived deciles also slightly higher than the middle.
There were 858,000 child patients in decile 1 seen in the 12 months to March 2026. This was 25% more than the 686,000 child patients in decile 10. However, these totals do not take underlying population sizes into account, due to data quality considerations for IMD mid-year population estimates by age.
2.4 Dental workforce
Dentists have only been included in these statistics where they have at least 1 UDA or UOA in the year. DCPs are not included, but some information on DCP totals is available in the supporting summary tables.
In these statistics, joiners are defined as performers who carried out NHS dental activity in a given financial year but none in the previous year, recorded via FP17 forms. Leavers are defined as performers who carried out NHS dental activity in the previous financial year but none in the selected year.Number of dentists providing NHS dental activity in England 2019/20 to 2025/26
Chart
Figure 13 There was a small increase in the number of dentists with NHS activity in 2025/26
Table
Table 13: There was a small increase in the number of dentists with NHS activity in 2025/26
| Financial year | Number of NHS dentists |
|---|---|
| 2019/2020 | 24,676 |
| 2020/2021 | 23,733 |
| 2021/2022 | 24,265 |
| 2022/2023 | 24,151 |
| 2023/2024 | 24,307 |
| 2024/2025 | 24,655 |
| 2025/2026 | 25,419 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: Workforce overview summary tables (Excel: 186KB)
In 2025/26 there were 25,419 dentists with NHS activity, 3.1% more than in 2024/25. There were 2,323 dentists who joined NHS dental services since last year, and 1,559 dentists who left NHS dental services.
In 2025/26, female dentists made up 55% of total dentists, compared to 45% male dentists. More than a third of dentists in 2025/26 were aged under 35, at 37% of the total. Associates, which include performer-only dentists and foundation dentists, were the largest dentist type group with 83% of the total dentists for 2025/26. Dentists who were provider-performers made up 17% of the total dentists in the same year.
Dentists with NHS activity, per 100,000 population, by ICB
Map
Figure 14 (map): The estimated number of NHS dentists per 100,000 population varies by ICB
Chart
Figure 14 (chart): The estimated number of NHS dentists per 100,000 population varies by ICB
Table
Table 14: The estimated number of NHS dentists per 100,000 population varies by ICB
| Financial year | ODS code | ICB name | Dentists | Mid-year population year | Population | Dentists per 100,000 population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 | QM7 | NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board | 1,065 | 2024 | 1,545,554 | 68.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QRV | NHS North West London Integrated Care Board | 1,490 | 2024 | 2,181,495 | 68.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QMJ | NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board | 975 | 2024 | 1,436,301 | 67.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QKK | NHS South East London Integrated Care Board | 1,184 | 2024 | 1,824,242 | 64.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QWE | NHS South West London Integrated Care Board | 932 | 2024 | 1,549,431 | 60.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QXU | NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board | 646 | 2024 | 1,085,554 | 59.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QOC | NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board | 311 | 2024 | 528,407 | 58.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QF7 | NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 829 | 2024 | 1,430,623 | 57.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QNQ | NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board | 464 | 2024 | 803,615 | 57.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QU9 | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board | 1,054 | 2024 | 1,862,474 | 56.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QYG | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board | 1,472 | 2024 | 2,615,425 | 56.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QE1 | NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 989 | 2024 | 1,790,318 | 55.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QOP | NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board | 1,660 | 2024 | 3,009,664 | 55.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QUA | NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board | 676 | 2024 | 1,262,719 | 53.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QK1 | NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board | 621 | 2024 | 1,175,364 | 52.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QJ2 | NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board | 569 | 2024 | 1,096,526 | 51.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QNC | NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board | 610 | 2024 | 1,177,578 | 51.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QWU | NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board | 511 | 2024 | 1,001,233 | 51.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QT1 | NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board | 603 | 2024 | 1,188,090 | 50.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QHG | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board | 532 | 2024 | 1,063,247 | 50.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QGH | NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board | 403 | 2024 | 812,407 | 49.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QMF | NHS North East London Integrated Care Board | 1,040 | 2024 | 2,098,267 | 49.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QWO | NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 1,230 | 2024 | 2,487,154 | 49.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QUY | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 500 | 2024 | 1,025,309 | 48.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QNX | NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board | 857 | 2024 | 1,759,789 | 48.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QH8 | NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board | 599 | 2024 | 1,241,837 | 48.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QOQ | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board | 840 | 2024 | 1,748,885 | 48.0 |
| 2025/2026 | QJG | NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board | 481 | 2024 | 1,025,557 | 46.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QHL | NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board | 655 | 2024 | 1,404,860 | 46.6 |
| 2025/2026 | QHM | NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board | 1,429 | 2024 | 3,088,985 | 46.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QKS | NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board | 868 | 2024 | 1,931,684 | 44.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QRL | NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board | 837 | 2024 | 1,879,207 | 44.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QSL | NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board | 256 | 2024 | 588,328 | 43.5 |
| 2025/2026 | QR1 | NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board | 287 | 2024 | 669,380 | 42.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QUE | NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board | 410 | 2024 | 955,401 | 42.9 |
| 2025/2026 | QJK | NHS Devon Integrated Care Board | 523 | 2024 | 1,254,506 | 41.7 |
| 2025/2026 | QVV | NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board | 331 | 2024 | 798,914 | 41.4 |
| 2025/2026 | QOX | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board | 402 | 2024 | 974,918 | 41.2 |
| 2025/2026 | QT6 | NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board | 233 | 2024 | 585,655 | 39.8 |
| 2025/2026 | QPM | NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board | 295 | 2024 | 813,682 | 36.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QJM | NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board | 279 | 2024 | 789,502 | 35.3 |
| 2025/2026 | QMM | NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board | 355 | 2024 | 1,058,014 | 33.6 |
Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England 2025/26: Workforce overview summary tables (Excel: 186KB)
The number of NHS dentists per 100,000 population varies by ICB. In 2025/26, Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board had the highest number at 69 dentists per 100,000 population. Norfolk and Waveney ICB had the lowest, at 34 dentists per 100,000 population. The latest ONS ICB mid-year population estimates at the time of publication were for mid-year 2024.
The ICB in table 10 is the location of the dentist’s dental contract. Dentists are counted for each ICB they have a contract in, so adding together ICB totals will double count dentists with contracts in more than 1 ICB.
3. Background
Further information on the methodology used in this publication and further background information is available in our background information and methodology supporting document.
3.1 Dental activity
3.1.1 FP17 Form
Dentists submit information on completed COT to NHS dental services using an FP17 form. The majority of these forms are now submitted electronically. Each FP17 is associated with 1 COT, so counts of COTs in these statistics are a count of valid FP17 forms. The NHSBSA dental services website has more information on FP17 forms and how these are processed.
Sometimes FP17 forms are revoked, for example if they were originally submitted against an incorrect contract number. These are known as contra records and have been excluded from the data used in this publication. The corrected information is re-submitted on another FP17 form.
3.1.2 Treatment band
COTs are broken down into treatment bands based on the most complex treatment in the course. COTs can include multiple treatments. For example, a COT with 3 large fillings would have the same treatment band as a COT with only 1 small filling.
Band 1 includes check ups and simple treatments, for example examination, x-rays and prevention advice.
Band 2 was deprecated from 25 November 2022 onwards. It includes mid range treatments, for example fillings, extractions, and root canal work in addition to band 1 work.
Band 2a covers all band 2 treatments other than those in band 2b and band 2c.
Band 2b includes treatments involving either non-molar endodontics to permanent teeth or a combined total of three or more teeth requiring permanent fillings or extractions.
Band 2c includes treatments involving molar endodontics on permanent teeth.
Band 3 includes complex treatments, for example, crowns, dentures, and bridges, in addition to band 1 and band 2 work.
Urgent covers a specified set of treatments, including up to two extractions and one filling. Urgent treatment is provided to a patient where oral health is likely to deteriorate significantly, or the person is in severe pain by reason of their oral condition. It is also provided when urgent treatment is needed to prevent significant deterioration or address severe pain.
Other includes treatments which include the following procedures do not have a patient charge: arrest of bleeding, bridge repair, denture repair, removal of sutures and prescription issues.
Band 2 sub-bands
NHS England introduced changes to UDAs awarded for some band 2 claims, with the old band 2 being deprecated. For activity with a date of acceptance from 25 November 2022 onwards, band 2 treatments are further broken down into sub-bands 2a, 2b, and 2c. As courses of treatment can span many weeks, months, or years, it is possible for courses of treatments which concluded after 25 November 2022 to still be recorded under the ‘legacy’ band 2 treatment band, rather than the newly implemented band 2a, 2b or 2c sub-bands.
More information can be found on the NHSBSA webpage for band 2 changes.
3.1.3 Patients seen
The measure of patients seen is the number of adult patients, aged 18 and over, who received NHS dental care in the previous 24 months. This includes patients where their last COT started within the past 24 months.
For children, patients seen is the number of child patients, aged 17 and under, who received NHS dental care in the previous 12 months. This includes patients where their last COT started within the past 12 months.
Orthodontic patients are included in patients seen counts, however it is not possible to determine which patients were seen for orthodontic visits.
Information is taken from the FP17 form and based on the date of validation processing at NHS Dental Services. Any COT started but not processed within the period will not appear in the 12 or 24 month count.
This differs from the methodology for activity data, which measures the number of COTs which end within a given period such as a financial year. Valid claims can be submitted after the treatment finished, so activity data has a lag to account for receiving and processing claims from within the valid submission window. Because of the differences in dates used to include data, patients seen figures are available earlier than activity data.
3.2 NHS dental workforce
Dental professionals working in dental services in England must be be registered with the GDC. Dental workforce data is based on the number of dentists who have carried out NHS activity during each financial year.
3.2.1 Dental Contracts
Dentists can work under several contracts. General Dental Services (GDS) must provide a full range of mandatory services. Personal Dental Services (PDS) are not required to provide the full range of mandatory services. If specialist services such as orthodontic work are provided, this must be under a PDS agreement. Trust-led Dental Services (TDS) can provide services under PDS agreements, and then pay dentists directly rather than through the standard system operated by NHS Dental Services.
Dentists can have multiple contracts, and are counted against each ICB where they have a contract. Therefore, the sum of local level information may not match the national total.
3.2.2 Dentist type
Dentists are assigned to one of the following dentist types depending on their contractual and working arrangements:
A Providing-Performer is a dentist who has a contract with NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide primary dental services and who also delivers dental services themselves.
An Associate delivers dental services but does not hold a contract with NHS England and NHS Improvement. They are employed by a provider and were previously called ‘Performer-only’ dentists. Foundation dentists are included in the data as Associates, along with performer-only dentists.
Provider-only is a dentist who has a contract with NHS England to provide primary dental services, but sub-contracts all dental activity to other dentists. They therefore do not perform any NHS dentistry on the contract themselves. Provider-only have no NHS activity recorded against them, so do not appear in the workforce data in this publication.
There are also DCPs, which are non-dentist roles, such as dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental nurses, and others. From 2024/25 onward, dental hygienists and dental therapists are now permitted to lead on dental activity within the GDC scope of guidance for their role. Other DCP roles are not permitted to lead on dental activity. DCPs can also assist activity, where another performer is leading.
4. About these statistics
Further information on the methodology used in this publication and further background information is available in our Background Information and Methodology supporting document.
4.1 Changes to this publication
This publication now includes breakdowns of activity and patients seen data based on the IMD decile of the patient’s postcode. This will allow users to investigate differences between the level of activity carried out in an area, compared to the level of activity for patients with a postcode in that area. Postcodes have been mapped to deciles in the IMD from the English indices of deprivation 2025, using the National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL) 2021 census version for February 2026.
This has been presented at national level for England in this narrative, with additional breakdowns by NHS region, ICB, and Local Authority available in the supporting excel summary tables.
Some patient postcodes cannot be mapped using the NSPL and this data has been recorded as ‘Unknown’ in the supporting summary tables. When a patient’s postcode is from areas in the UK outside of England, this has been recorded as ‘Other’ in the supporting summary tables.
It’s possible for some historical dental data to change between releases, for example if dental FP17 form submission details are changed. This means it’s possible for dental activity data presented in previous narrative reports and tables to change over time. However, this affects only a small number of forms each year, and has not impacted general conclusions drawn from the previous narrative.
Some small methodology changes have been made for data that does not appear in this narrative. Further details of these can be found in the background and methodology document for this release.
You should always use the latest release of our publications.
4.2 Population data
National population data for England and Local Authorities has been taken from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates. The latest available mid-year population estimates for these areas at time of publication is 2025.
Mid-year population estimates by ICB, NHS region, Sub-ICB Location (SICBL), and Ward have also been taken from ONS mid-year population estimates. The latest mid-year population estimates for these areas at time of publication was 2024. Population totals for these geographical breakdown levels will therefore not match the national and local authority populations.
Some population estimates have been rebased by ONS since the 2024/25 release of this publication, so historical population data may have changed. Population data for sub-national areas has been mapped using lookups from the ONS Open Geography portal.
Dental activity for the Isles of Scilly will not appear under the Isles of Scilly Local Authority, so population totals by Local Authority may not directly match ONS national or sub-national population totals.
5. Rounding
The high-level figures in this statistical summary have been rounded, usually to 3 significant figures in the main narrative and 2 significant figures for percentages, the key findings, and info boxes.
All changes and totals are calculated prior to rounding. As all figures within this statistical summary have been rounded, they may not match totals elsewhere when aggregated.
The summary tables released with this publication allow users to investigate this data at lower levels of granularity. Figures in the supplementary tables have not been rounded.
6. Statistical disclosure control
Statistical disclosure control has been applied to these statistics. Further information about our statistical disclosure control protocol can be found on our website.
The high-level figures in this statistical summary have been rounded where appropriate for clarity. This is to make this narrative as accessible as possible to all readers. The summary tables released with this publication allow users to investigate this data at lower levels of granularity. Figures in the supplementary tables have not been rounded.
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