Private dentist share exceeds NHS in nine areas of southern England

More adults reported having a private dentist than an NHS dentist in nine areas of England, with the divide concentrated in the south west and south east.

Devon and Somerset recorded the widest differences in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Health Insight Survey. In both areas, the private estimate was 27.5 percentage points higher than the NHS figure.

The government has previously acknowledged the severity of the problem. In June, dental minister Stephen Kinnock, who has since moved on to another government department, described Somerset as an ‘outlier’ where difficulties accessing dentistry were ‘particularly acute’.

Private estimates exceeded NHS figures in six of the seven South West integrated care board areas and three of the four areas in the south east.

Choice or necessity?

The survey did not establish whether patients chose private care or turned to it because NHS treatment was unavailable.

The Competition and Markets Authority has previously acknowledged that private dentistry can be a choice for some patients but a necessity for others.

Other evidence suggests that declining NHS provision is part of the explanation. Nuffield Trust analysis found that the number of practices offering NHS dentistry fell by 25.8% in Devon and 15% in Somerset between March 2017 and March 2026.

Almost one in five respondents in Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly also reported having no dentist at all.

Speaking during a Commons debate in June, Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, said: ‘Those who cannot afford private dental treatment are often left with no choice but to let their children go without care for years.’

The contract behind the divide

The regional findings sharpen the argument for long-awaited NHS dental contract reform.

Changes introduced during 2026 altered payments for urgent and complex care, but the government’s promised fundamental NHS Contract reform remains outstanding. Read Dentistry’s extended analysis of what has changed and what still needs to happen.

Responding to health secretary Yvette Cooper’s Labour Party conference speech, which made only a passing reference to dentistry, British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘Labour wanted to tell this country it can ‘hope again’. The radio silence on the crisis in NHS dentistry gives little hope to a demoralised profession or the millions struggling to access care.

‘Good vibes and nice soundbites are no substitute for urgent action, backed up by sustainable funding.’

While the ONS survey cannot prove that the contract caused the regional differences, the overlap between declining NHS provision and greater reliance on private dentistry gives the reform debate fresh relevance.

A divided national picture

Across England as a whole, having an NHS dentist remained more common than having a private one. However, the national result concealed substantial differences between areas.

NHS estimates exceeded private estimates in the remaining 27 areas. Yet in almost half of them, fewer than 50% of adults reported having an NHS dentist.

South Yorkshire recorded the strongest NHS lead, while NHS and private estimates were almost level in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

National attendance figures provide another qualification. Only 40% of adults had been seen by an NHS dentist during the 24 months to 31 March 2026.

About the survey

The Health Insight Survey was answered by 91,773 adults between 21 July and 12 August 2026.

The ONS classifies the findings as official statistics in development.

The ONS did not publish a direct statistical significance test comparing NHS and private responses within each area, so narrow differences should be treated cautiously.

The findings were weighted estimates based on self-reported answers. They measured whether respondents said they had a dentist, not whether they had recently attended or received treatment.

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