UK dental school ranks in the global top five for 2026

The QS World University Rankings by subject has been released for 2026 – find out which UK dental school ranked in the global top five.

With an overall score of 90.1 out of 100, King’s College London took fifth place in the global rankings. It scored particularly highly for H-index citations (97.3/100), which measures the productivity and impact of an institution’s research output.

Michael Escudier is executive dean at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London. He said: ‘We are delighted to be ranked in the top five reflecting the excellence, international reach and impact of our research and education as well as our commitment to improving oral health through innovation, collaboration and outstanding patient-centred care.’

Within the UK, Queen Mary University of London ranked the next highest in 12th position. Next were the University of Birmingham at 19th and the University of Sheffield at 35th.

First place in the global league table was awarded to Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden – with an overall score of 92.7. The Swedish medical school received a perfect 100 score for academic reputation.

The top 10 in the worldwide dental school rankings were as follows:

1. Karolinska Institutet – Stockholm, Sweden
2. The University of Hong Kong – Hong Kong
3. Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) – Amsterdam, Netherlands
4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor – Ann Arbor, USA
5. King’s College London – London, UK
6. University of California, San Francisco – San Francisco, USA
7. University of Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland
8. University of Bern – Bern, Switzerland
9. Institute of Science Tokyo – Tokyo, Japan
10. Sichuan University – Chengdu, China.

Professor Lijian Jin, acting dean of the Hong Kong University Faculty of Dentistry, said: ‘Securing a top-two position this year is a testament to the hard work and great dedication of our entire community. Our continuous presence in the top three rankings reflects the faculty’s strong commitment to excellence in teaching, innovative research, knowledge exchange and high-quality oral healthcare.

‘I extend my deepest gratitude to our colleagues, students, and alumni for their relentless efforts in nurturing the next generation of oral healthcare professionals and advancing the field of oral sciences globally.’

Sichuan University’s 10th place ranking represents the first time the institution has entered the top 10 globally. It is also the highest placement ever achieved by a Chinese mainland university.

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