The data is the eighth in the ONS’ series looking at adults’ experiences of local dentistry, GP, and pharmacy services. The analysis relates to self-reported data collected during the period between February 4, 2025, and February 26, 2025, from the Health Insight Survey. The survey was commissioned by NHS England.
Key findings
The data revealed that just over half (52.7 per cent) of adults reported having an NHS dentist, whilst a third (35.5 per cent) of adults had a private dentist and over one in 10 (11.5 per cent) did not have a dentist.
Males were more likely not to have a dentist (13.7 per cent) than females (9.3 per cent). The statistics have also shown that adults in the South West and South East were most likely to have a private dentist.
The dataset also revealed that nine out of 10 (90.3 per cent) adults with an NHS dentist who attended an NHS dental appointment in the last 28 days, were ‘Very satisfied’ or ‘Satisfied’ with the care they received. Of those who did not have a dentist but tried to make an NHS dental appointment in the previous 28 days, 88.4 per cent were unsuccessful.
Throughout the survey, levels of satisfaction tended to be higher among the older age groups, those living in the least deprived areas and those without a long-term health condition.
For more information visit www.ons.gov.uk/releases/experiencesofnhshealthcareservicesinenglandmarch2025