NHS dentist availability map

Every NHS and private dental practice in the UK, live on the map below, green where NHS practices are accepting new patients, red where they are not. Plus a county-by-county breakdown of England, hardest‑to‑find first.

Based on 6,459 NHS practices across 44 counties. Updated daily from NHS data and patient reports, last refreshed September 2026.

6,459
Practices tracked
2,819
Accepting new patients
44%
National availability

Every UK dental practice on one map

Each dot is a dental practice, so tap one for details. Toggle a category in the legend to filter. Amber and private practices have no live NHS “accepting” flag (Scotland, NI and private surgeries), so call to check.

Loading map…

Hardest places to find an NHS dentist right now

Cumbria · 13% accepting Devon · 18% accepting Bristol · 19% accepting Somerset · 21% accepting Dorset · 21% accepting
Cumbria 13% 5 of 38 accepting Devon 18% 26 of 147 accepting Bristol 19% 20 of 103 accepting Somerset 21% 20 of 96 accepting Dorset 21% 19 of 90 accepting Cornwall 21% 8 of 38 accepting County Durham & Teesside 23% 33 of 145 accepting North Yorkshire 23% 19 of 84 accepting Hampshire 25% 42 of 168 accepting Norfolk 25% 18 of 71 accepting Lancashire 26% 48 of 184 accepting Worcestershire 27% 8 of 30 accepting West Yorkshire 28% 77 of 274 accepting Northamptonshire 28% 18 of 65 accepting West Sussex 29% 22 of 76 accepting Surrey 30% 57 of 187 accepting Wiltshire 30% 22 of 73 accepting Lincolnshire 30% 7 of 23 accepting East Yorkshire 31% 15 of 48 accepting Cambridgeshire 32% 42 of 131 accepting Bedfordshire 32% 30 of 95 accepting Derbyshire 32% 23 of 71 accepting Gloucestershire 32% 20 of 62 accepting Merseyside 33% 33 of 101 accepting East Sussex 34% 39 of 114 accepting Oxfordshire 34% 25 of 74 accepting Cheshire 38% 70 of 183 accepting Shropshire 38% 25 of 66 accepting Suffolk 39% 24 of 61 accepting Tyne and Wear 40% 66 of 164 accepting Herefordshire 40% 8 of 20 accepting South Yorkshire 41% 105 of 259 accepting Nottinghamshire 44% 53 of 120 accepting Buckinghamshire 46% 38 of 83 accepting Kent 48% 125 of 262 accepting Essex 48% 89 of 184 accepting Hertfordshire 49% 84 of 171 accepting Leicestershire 50% 62 of 124 accepting Berkshire 51% 74 of 146 accepting Greater Manchester 57% 217 of 378 accepting Warwickshire 60% 53 of 89 accepting Greater London 64% 706 of 1,097 accepting Staffordshire 67% 48 of 72 accepting West Midlands 71% 275 of 390 accepting

Counties are grouped by postcode area and are approximate, because some postcode districts straddle county boundaries. Figures combine the latest NHS data with patient reports filed between official updates. Always confirm directly with the practice before travelling.

NHS dentist availability: your questions

What percentage of NHS dentists are accepting new patients in England?
As of September 2026, 44% of tracked NHS dental practices in England (2819 of 6459) are listed as accepting new patients. The rate varies widely by county.
Where in England is it hardest to find an NHS dentist?
Currently the lowest NHS availability is in Cumbria, Devon, Bristol. The colour-coded map ranks every county from hardest to easiest.
How do I find an NHS dentist accepting new patients near me?
Enter your postcode on finddentist.co.uk to see nearby practices and their live accepting status, or open your county from the map for a local, postcode-area breakdown.
How current is this NHS availability data?
It is updated daily from official NHS data and supplemented by patient reports filed between updates.
Search by your postcode →

Embed this map on your site, free

Writing about the NHS dentist shortage? Drop this live, daily-updated map straight into your article. A small credit to finddentist.co.uk is all we ask.

Tap the box to select, then copy. Preview the embed →