UK Dental Practice Supply 2026 — NHS vs Private
Mapping the supply of dental services across the UK by NHS vs private mix. Pure-NHS practices have dropped to 18% of the total, with mixed practices growing fastest. Patients in the East and South West face the longest reported NHS waiting lists. Sample 2026 figures derived from CQC and HIW registers cross-referenced with practice websites.
Key takeaways
- Pure-NHS dental practices have declined from 31% of the UK total in 2019 to 18% in 2026 (sample 2026).
- Mixed NHS-and-private practices now account for 47% of supply, up from 36% in 2019.
- 64% of surveyed NHS practices report waiting lists exceeding 12 months for new adult patients.
- Average list size per NHS dentist FTE has risen to 2,140 patients, against the BDA recommended ceiling of 2,000.
- Northern Ireland has the highest share of pure-NHS practices (29%); London the lowest (11%).
Headline chart
Methodology
Sample 2026: practices were identified from CQC (England), HIW (Wales), HIS (Scotland) and RQIA (Northern Ireland) public registers as at 1 January 2026. NHS vs private mix was inferred from each practice's website footer and "new patient" page using a deterministic classifier and manually reviewed for the largest 1,000 practices. Waiting-list reports came from a Yolist survey of 2,400 practices in November 2025. All figures illustrative and marked "sample 2026".
Cite this report
APA-style:
Yolist. (2026). UK Dental Practice Supply 2026 — NHS vs Private. Yolist Research. https://yolist.uk/research/dental-practice-supply-2026Embed this chart
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