Original research
Four running data serieson UK dentistry.
Built entirely from official open data: NHSBSA contract activity, NHS England Digital earnings statistics, the CQC Care Directory and the Companies House register. Each series states its source, its coverage and the month it runs to, each is updated as the sources settle, and each is free to read and cite with attribution.
Every series ships its underlying figures as a CSV download on its own page, so a number quoted here can be checked against the data it came from.
- 103.5Recovery Index, where 100 is the 2019/20 pre-Covid baseline
NHS Dental Activity Recovery Index
Monthly NHS dental UDA delivery against the pre-Covid 2019/20 baseline of 100. The Recovery Index stood at 103.5 in Mar 2026.
Built from NHSBSA open dataSettled to Mar 2026 - £83,000average net income before tax, England, 2024/25
NHS Dentist Earnings and Expenses Tracker
Average net income for self-employed primary-care NHS dentists in England was £83,000 in 2024/25. Gross earnings, expenses and net income as a time series, 2017/18 to 2024/25.
Built from NHS England Digital published statistics2024/25 edition - 20.5CQC-registered dental locations per 100,000 people in England
Dental Practice Density: England Regional Map
12,035 CQC-registered dental locations in England, 20.5 per 100,000 people. London is the densest at 26.2, North East the thinnest at 16.8.
Built from the CQC Care DirectoryCQC directory of 2026-07-15 - 2,452new dental companies in the last twelve settled months
Dental Company Formation Index (SIC 86230)
New dental limited company incorporations under SIC 86230 rose 139.2% between 2016 and 2025. 2,452 were incorporated in the last twelve settled months.
Built from the Companies House registerSettled to Apr 2026