Dental deserts: where you can — and can't — get an NHS dentist
Data updated 27 September 2026 · Journalists: this data is free to use with attribution to DentistTracker — contact us for breakdowns.
We check the official availability of every NHS dental practice in England every day. The picture in September 2026: just 31% of 5,813 practices say they're accepting new adult NHS patients. In 68 parliamentary constituencies, not a single tracked practice is accepting.
Acceptance rate by region
| Region | Practices | Accepting new patients | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 255 | 36 | 14% |
| South West | 519 | 88 | 17% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 572 | 95 | 17% |
| South East | 971 | 239 | 25% |
| East Midlands | 429 | 119 | 28% |
| North West | 799 | 223 | 28% |
| East of England | 601 | 172 | 29% |
| London | 1041 | 485 | 47% |
| West Midlands | 626 | 356 | 57% |
The 20 hardest places to find an NHS dentist
Parliamentary constituencies ranked by share of practices accepting new adult NHS patients (minimum 5 tracked practices).
| Constituency | Practices | Accepting | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calder Valley | 13 | 0 | 0% |
| Northampton South | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Corby and East Northamptonshire | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Darlington | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Ellesmere Port and Bromborough | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Skipton and Ripon | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Glastonbury and Somerton | 8 | 0 | 0% |
| North Cornwall | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Norwich South | 17 | 0 | 0% |
| Waveney Valley | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Bridlington and The Wolds | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Reading West and Mid Berkshire | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Fareham and Waterlooville | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| South Dorset | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Chester South and Eddisbury | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Carlisle | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Normanton and Hemsworth | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Stockton North | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Hartlepool | 9 | 0 | 0% |
Towns where no practice is accepting
Larger towns (4+ NHS practices) where zero practices currently report accepting new adult patients — check each town's page for children-only options and nearby alternatives.
Where availability is best
| Constituency | Practices | Accepting | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dudley | 11 | 11 | 100% |
| Tipton and Wednesbury | 12 | 12 | 100% |
| Walsall and Bloxwich | 12 | 12 | 100% |
| Birmingham Perry Barr | 14 | 13 | 93% |
| Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North | 13 | 12 | 92% |
| Chelmsford | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| Peckham | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| Nuneaton | 7 | 6 | 86% |
| Eltham and Chislehurst | 14 | 12 | 86% |
| Clapham and Brixton Hill | 11 | 9 | 82% |
About this data
Every figure on this page comes from what practices themselves report to the NHS website, re-checked daily by DentistTracker — see our full methodology. "Accepting" means the practice reported taking new adult NHS patients for routine care at our latest check (27 September 2026). Because we track daily, these figures move — ask us for trend data over time.
Looking for a dentist yourself? Check live availability in your town.