Dental deserts: where you can — and can't — get an NHS dentist
Data updated 12 August 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 August 2026: just 32% of 5,814 practices say they're accepting new adult NHS patients. In 62 parliamentary constituencies, not a single tracked practice is accepting.
Acceptance rate by region
| Region | Practices | Accepting new patients | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 255 | 38 | 15% |
| South West | 519 | 90 | 17% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 571 | 98 | 17% |
| South East | 974 | 251 | 26% |
| East Midlands | 428 | 113 | 26% |
| East of England | 599 | 170 | 28% |
| North West | 804 | 236 | 29% |
| London | 1039 | 510 | 49% |
| West Midlands | 625 | 347 | 56% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Cornwall | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Shipley | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Middlesbrough and Thornaby East | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Bridlington and The Wolds | 8 | 0 | 0% |
| Chorley | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Swindon North | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Fareham and Waterlooville | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Carlisle | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Reigate | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Havant | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Peterborough | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Chester South and Eddisbury | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Easington | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| East Hampshire | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Glastonbury and Somerton | 8 | 0 | 0% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Redcar | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Liverpool West Derby | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Northampton South | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Congleton | 8 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton and Wednesbury | 12 | 12 | 100% |
| Dudley | 11 | 11 | 100% |
| Walsall and Bloxwich | 12 | 11 | 92% |
| Coventry East | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| North Warwickshire and Bedworth | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| Peckham | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| Vauxhall and Camberwell Green | 8 | 7 | 88% |
| Nuneaton | 7 | 6 | 86% |
| Southampton Test | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Stoke-on-Trent Central | 12 | 10 | 83% |
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 (12 August 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.