Number of dental practitioners in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2023

In 2023, approximately 33.6 thousand dental practitioners were in employment in the United Kingdom (UK). In recent years the number of dental practitioners has generally decreased in the UK, since in 2015 there were still roughly 46 thousand dentists in employment. In the UK, dental practitioners provide general primary care dental services to patients and can either work completely inside the National Health Service (NHS), exclusively privately or a combination of the two.

Who goes to the dentist?

In 2022/23, it was found that only four in ten adults visited the dentist in the past two years. The often-quoted advice is to have a dental check every six months, but the recommended time needed between consultations depends on the oral health of the individual. This means the time between check-ups can range from three months to even two years between consultations.

Dental services

A large number of respondents in a 2022 survey rated their experience of NHS dental services as positive. Some 41.2 percent evaluated the services as very good, while a further 31 percent valued their experience as fairly good. However, public satisfaction of dental services in the UK, and all other services of NHS, was at an all time low in 2022.