Parts of rural England have fewer than half as many dental practices per head of population as the best-served areas of London and the South East, according to the CQC.

In its State of health care and adult social care in England 2025/26 report, the regulator identified substantial geographical variation in the number of registered dental practices, alongside differences linked to deprivation.

CQC registration data showed that the five integrated care board (ICB) areas with the most registered dental locations were all in London and parts of the South East, with the highest at 37 per 100,000 people.

Areas with lower provision included several predominantly rural or mixed rural ICB areas, with the lowest at 15 per 100,000.

The CQC warned of the ‘potential for this disparity to produce further inequalities in access to dentistry and oral health outcomes’.

The report also found that the number of dental service locations was highest in the least deprived ICB areas and lowest in areas with mid-range levels of deprivation.

It concluded: ‘In ICB areas with lower provision, there are several predominantly rural or mixed rural areas, with the lowest at 15 registered dental locations per 100,000 people. We are concerned about the potential for this disparity to produce further inequalities in access to dentistry and oral health outcomes.

‘Together, these findings show a complex picture of the availability of dental services across England. The numbers of dental service locations are also highest in the least deprived ICB areas and lowest in mid-range areas of deprivation, showing that both geographic and socio-economic factors continue to shape the distribution of dental services.’

The report also highlighted substantial variation in access to NHS dentistry. Across ICB areas, the proportion of adults who had seen an NHS dentist in the previous two years ranged from 25% to 53%.

Other findings from its review into dentistry included:

  • NHS dental activity increased to 37.6 million courses of treatment in 2025/26, up from 35.4 million in 2024/25, but remained below the 38.8 million delivered in 2019/20.
  • Nearly 7.2 million children, representing 60% of England’s child population, had seen an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months. Access ranged from 44% to 65% across ICB areas.
  • The number of NHS dentists returned to its 2019/20 level, although the rate per 100,000 people remained slightly lower, at 43 compared with 44 before the pandemic.
  • Dental workforce levels varied considerably between ICB areas, ranging from 34 to 69 dentists per 100,000 people.
  • GDC data showed that 38% of dentists worked fully or predominantly in NHS care in 2026, compared with 37% working fully or predominantly in private care. A further 23% provided a mixture of NHS and private treatment.

The CQC said pressures on the NHS dental workforce reflected redistribution and uneven local sustainability rather than sustained changes to the national workforce. While most areas appeared to be strengthening their workforce, some continued to see the number of dentists fall.

The report also highlighted examples of improving access, including a programme in which dental commissioning teams worked with homelessness charities to set up two ‘homeless friendly’ practices, and a practice that made adjustments to help autistic patients and people with learning disabilities receive treatment in general dental practice.