Where to Find (or Lose) a Dentist in England
Ready to chase a dentist? A fresh study – pulled straight from the NHS data vault – maps the hardest spots across England for finding one. Spoiler: it’s not about the busy city streets, it’s about the less‑traveled postcode zones.
How the Score Works
Think of each postcode as a little dentist‑town. Each one gets a score between 0 and 100, where 100 means you’ve got a den of dental doctors. The research looked at:
- Children dentists (17 and under)
- Adults dentists (18 and over)
- NHS new‑patient acceptance
It then calculated how many surgeries per 100,000 people are in each category.
Top Ten Black Holes
Here’s the countdown of the toughest places to book an appointment:
-
Ipswich – Score: 0
Only one surgery takes children, zero admits adults or NHS patients. That’s 0.16 dental spots per 100,000 folks – the lowest in the country. -
Lincoln – Score: 0.5
Same pattern: one juvenile‑friendly shop, no adults or NHS. 0.31 per 100,000 because the population is smaller. -
Sunderland – Score: 0.8
Again, a lone child‑doctor; no adults or NHS accepted. 0.41 per 100,000. -
Dorchester – Score: 0.94
Only one child‑seeking shop; no adult or NHS slots. 0.52 per 100,000. -
Norwich – Score: 1.15
Four surgery spots for kids, still none for adults or NHS. 0.52 per 100,000. -
Bristol – Score: 1.33
Six child‑friendly surgeries, 0.58 per 100,000. No adult or NHS acceptance. -
Gloucester – Score: 1.42
Just a handful of child‑driven clinics, no adults or NHS. -
Truro – Score: 1.46
Similar to the previous towns: child‑only surgeries, zero adult or NHS slots. -
Bath – Score: 2.74
Slightly better but still lacking adult and NHS options. -
Plymouth – Score: 3.18
The best of the list: seven child‑sensitive surgeries, yet no adults or NHS at all.
England’s Big Picture
Across the whole of England:
- Children dentists – 26 per 100,000 people
- Adults dentists – 19 per 100,000 people
- NHS new‑patient slots – only a whopping 0.86 per 100,000 people
London Is the Sweet Spot
And where does it get easier? London tops the list with a score of 99.87. It boasts:
- 8,740 youth‑oriented surgeries
- 6,749 adult‑ready clinics
- 342 NHS‑open surgeries
The Reality Check
The findings give a gut‑wrenching look: over 8.7 million residents don’t have any dentist accepting new NHS patients in their postcode. Roughly 1 in 12 people in England faces a true dental “black hole.”
And the study warns: these gaps aren’t just in rural corners – even bustling metro areas feel the squeeze. So, if you’re on the hunt for an affordable, NHS‑friendly dentist, you might have to do a little postcode‑prying.
