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NHS Dental Activity Recovery Index

NHS dental activity, month by month, against the pre-Covid baseline

A monthly index of NHS dental UDA delivery in England, benchmarked against the 2019/20 average set to 100. National and ICB-level figures from NHSBSA open data, settled to Mar 2026, with Apr 2026 charted as provisional and excluded from every figure below.

UDAs delivered in Mar 2026
6,621,885UDAs delivered in Mar 2026
Recovery Index, where 100 is the 2019/20 pre-Covid baseline
103.5Recovery Index, where 100 is the 2019/20 pre-Covid baseline
months below 90 on the Recovery Index since Apr 2016
50months below 90 on the Recovery Index since Apr 2016

Key findings

  • NHS dental activity in England reached a Recovery Index of 103.5 in Mar 2026, meaning delivery was 3.5 points above the pre-Covid 2019/20 monthly average.
  • The pre-Covid monthly baseline is 6,399,632 UDAs across all England NHS dental contracts, the mean month of April 2019 to March 2020. That baseline is the 100 in the index.
  • UDA delivery is +4.7% year on year. Rolling 12 settled months (April 2025 to March 2026) against the preceding 12 (April 2024 to March 2025).
  • 50 of the 121 months in the series since Apr 2016 sit below 90 on the index, which is the scale of the gap the recovery had to close.
  • Per-ICB recovery indices cannot be calculated from public data. ICB boundaries changed in 2022, so no pre-2022 per-ICB baseline exists. The regional chart below shows trailing-twelve-month UDA volume by ICB instead, which is the measure the published data can actually support.

Source: NHSBSA English Contractor Monthly General Dental Activity, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures may be cited with attribution to Dental Finance Partners.

National monthly UDA delivery

Total NHS dental UDAs delivered per month across all NHS contracts in England. The collapse in 2020 is practice closures and restricted capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic; 2021 and 2022 are the climb back.

NHS dental UDAs delivered in England, by month
MonthUDAs deliveredCourses of treatment
Apr 20166,469,6683,147,414
May 20166,364,7062,936,185
Jun 20166,855,7953,144,149
Jul 20166,355,6472,915,838
Aug 20166,636,2513,236,668
Sep 20166,721,1303,130,322
Oct 20166,920,5043,237,042
Nov 20167,238,9843,274,756
Dec 20166,158,0492,784,394
Jan 20176,650,7713,173,230
Feb 20177,321,6883,360,288
Mar 20178,295,3103,515,496
Apr 20175,615,3522,817,062
May 20176,587,5933,121,258
Jun 20176,670,5573,074,130
Jul 20176,424,7753,002,224
Aug 20176,630,3063,279,087
Sep 20176,406,6223,044,082
Oct 20177,220,7223,400,046
Nov 20177,196,7663,294,321
Dec 20175,702,8662,584,193
Jan 20186,944,8833,359,654
Feb 20187,175,2393,337,755
Mar 20187,696,5393,270,466
Apr 20186,046,3993,088,227
May 20186,642,4583,158,588
Jun 20186,336,3822,963,941
Jul 20186,672,1743,137,462
Aug 20186,473,1033,245,520
Sep 20186,126,0102,953,289
Oct 20187,526,3743,590,776
Nov 20187,091,2193,309,743
Dec 20185,610,0922,573,941
Jan 20196,910,0063,410,952
Feb 20197,196,4153,396,579
Mar 20197,576,1533,293,205
Apr 20196,164,0573,144,983
May 20196,406,3253,137,158
Jun 20196,031,3582,870,928
Jul 20196,916,5953,294,492
Aug 20196,141,6483,123,199
Sep 20196,335,5813,094,589
Oct 20197,350,0443,577,341
Nov 20196,630,1973,142,142
Dec 20195,678,6112,656,118
Jan 20206,822,6953,414,246
Feb 20207,168,0603,422,346
Mar 20205,150,4102,205,188
Apr 202044,36724,107
May 202049,73636,168
Jun 2020477,662302,518
Jul 20201,296,491734,277
Aug 20201,617,353882,019
Sep 20202,025,3441,056,505
Oct 20202,256,8241,142,905
Nov 20202,314,6741,105,128
Dec 20202,153,7081,045,340
Jan 20213,537,2281,616,522
Feb 20213,998,8321,863,905
Mar 20213,326,2671,588,733
Apr 20214,624,4812,111,954
May 20214,057,7951,806,304
Jun 20214,662,9152,094,849
Jul 20214,303,2861,908,381
Aug 20213,957,1081,900,686
Sep 20213,786,4471,789,528
Oct 20214,963,3262,288,738
Nov 20214,903,4742,242,088
Dec 20213,660,2161,692,360
Jan 20224,907,8302,298,453
Feb 20225,325,8372,476,278
Mar 20225,829,5412,575,548
Apr 20224,791,2552,301,866
May 20225,332,3072,512,467
Jun 20224,992,3812,287,728
Jul 20224,962,7022,299,076
Aug 20225,260,5622,607,647
Sep 20225,242,8762,515,950
Oct 20225,595,3382,700,921
Nov 20225,990,2492,782,608
Dec 20224,989,3212,228,257
Jan 20235,920,5302,741,578
Feb 20236,411,3252,859,441
Mar 20237,395,2793,048,740
Apr 20234,835,6812,349,009
May 20235,512,0602,565,572
Jun 20235,845,3452,665,288
Jul 20235,548,7762,561,732
Aug 20235,744,4422,808,452
Sep 20235,546,9292,614,156
Oct 20236,162,9212,891,948
Nov 20236,223,3772,862,513
Dec 20234,876,3992,237,229
Jan 20246,075,0032,935,797
Feb 20246,507,7603,049,441
Mar 20246,139,6882,699,618
Apr 20245,768,1382,860,426
May 20245,796,9002,774,500
Jun 20245,414,6122,529,731
Jul 20246,126,9872,905,949
Aug 20245,550,1272,793,841
Sep 20245,697,9672,739,555
Oct 20246,538,5493,156,523
Nov 20245,890,1572,795,384
Dec 20245,004,1362,354,266
Jan 20255,846,6882,932,367
Feb 20255,968,5942,908,290
Mar 20255,647,7102,613,196
Apr 20256,127,0213,050,146
May 20255,711,6382,818,006
Jun 20255,780,5402,764,700
Jul 20256,327,7203,047,758
Aug 20255,395,4952,762,409
Sep 20256,096,7352,985,046
Oct 20256,596,8073,255,879
Nov 20255,837,5622,798,537
Dec 20255,557,1292,665,231
Jan 20265,975,2423,007,048
Feb 20266,480,7883,138,584
Mar 20266,621,8853,062,029
Apr 20266,420,5002,792,195

Recovery Index against the 2019/20 baseline

The Recovery Index expresses monthly UDA delivery as a percentage of the average month of 2019/20 (April 2019 to March 2020, the last full NHS year before Covid), which is set to 100. A value of 80 means the month delivered 80% of the pre-Covid average; a value above 100 means delivery has passed it. The dashed line marks the baseline.

Recovery Index by month, where 100 is the average month of the pre-Covid 2019/20 baseline year
MonthRecovery Index
Apr 2016101.1
May 201699.5
Jun 2016107.1
Jul 201699.3
Aug 2016103.7
Sep 2016105.0
Oct 2016108.1
Nov 2016113.1
Dec 201696.2
Jan 2017103.9
Feb 2017114.4
Mar 2017129.6
Apr 201787.7
May 2017102.9
Jun 2017104.2
Jul 2017100.4
Aug 2017103.6
Sep 2017100.1
Oct 2017112.8
Nov 2017112.5
Dec 201789.1
Jan 2018108.5
Feb 2018112.1
Mar 2018120.3
Apr 201894.5
May 2018103.8
Jun 201899.0
Jul 2018104.3
Aug 2018101.1
Sep 201895.7
Oct 2018117.6
Nov 2018110.8
Dec 201887.7
Jan 2019108.0
Feb 2019112.5
Mar 2019118.4
Apr 201996.3
May 2019100.1
Jun 201994.2
Jul 2019108.1
Aug 201996.0
Sep 201999.0
Oct 2019114.9
Nov 2019103.6
Dec 201988.7
Jan 2020106.6
Feb 2020112.0
Mar 202080.5
Apr 20200.7
May 20200.8
Jun 20207.5
Jul 202020.3
Aug 202025.3
Sep 202031.6
Oct 202035.3
Nov 202036.2
Dec 202033.7
Jan 202155.3
Feb 202162.5
Mar 202152.0
Apr 202172.3
May 202163.4
Jun 202172.9
Jul 202167.2
Aug 202161.8
Sep 202159.2
Oct 202177.6
Nov 202176.6
Dec 202157.2
Jan 202276.7
Feb 202283.2
Mar 202291.1
Apr 202274.9
May 202283.3
Jun 202278.0
Jul 202277.5
Aug 202282.2
Sep 202281.9
Oct 202287.4
Nov 202293.6
Dec 202278.0
Jan 202392.5
Feb 2023100.2
Mar 2023115.6
Apr 202375.6
May 202386.1
Jun 202391.3
Jul 202386.7
Aug 202389.8
Sep 202386.7
Oct 202396.3
Nov 202397.2
Dec 202376.2
Jan 202494.9
Feb 2024101.7
Mar 202495.9
Apr 202490.1
May 202490.6
Jun 202484.6
Jul 202495.7
Aug 202486.7
Sep 202489.0
Oct 2024102.2
Nov 202492.0
Dec 202478.2
Jan 202591.4
Feb 202593.3
Mar 202588.3
Apr 202595.7
May 202589.2
Jun 202590.3
Jul 202598.9
Aug 202584.3
Sep 202595.3
Oct 2025103.1
Nov 202591.2
Dec 202586.8
Jan 202693.4
Feb 2026101.3
Mar 2026103.5
Apr 2026100.3

UDA volume by ICB commissioner area

The chart ranks the twenty largest of the 42 ICB commissioner areas by contracted UDA volume over the trailing twelve settled months (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026). A per-ICB recovery index against a 2019/20 baseline cannot be built from public data, because ICB boundaries changed in 2022 and the pre-change areas do not map onto the current ones. Volume is what the data supports, and it is the clearest public measure of relative NHS dental capacity by area.

The 20 highest-volume ICB commissioner areas by UDAs delivered over the trailing twelve settled months
ICB commissioner areaUDAs, trailing 12 months
Greater Manchester4,522,272
North East and North Cumbria3,942,183
Cheshire and Merseyside3,775,464
West Yorkshire3,495,646
North West London2,986,908
South East London2,585,268
North East London2,469,761
Lancashire and South Cumbria2,460,909
Kent And Medway2,349,769
South Yorkshire2,299,034
Sussex2,265,147
Hampshire and Isle Of Wight2,132,012
Humber and North Yorkshire2,034,301
Hertfordshire and West Essex2,012,952
Birmingham and Solihull1,976,949
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West1,954,004
Black Country1,917,614
North Central London1,817,468
Mid and South Essex1,782,636
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire1,677,312

Methodology and sources

Data source. All UDA and course-of-treatment counts come from the NHSBSA English Contractor Monthly General Dental Activity dataset, published monthly on the NHSBSA open data portal. Each monthly CSV covers every NHS GDS and PDS dental contract in England, one row per contract per month, under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Recovery Index. The baseline is the mean monthly UDA total for April 2019 to March 2020 (NHS financial year 2019/20), which is 6,399,632 UDAs. Each month's index is that month's UDA total divided by the baseline, times 100. 100 means delivery matches the pre-Covid average; below 100 is under-recovery.

Regional series. Regional figures aggregate UDA volume per ICB commissioner across the trailing twelve settled months (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026); provisional in-year months are excluded. ICB boundaries changed in 2022 (from CCG to ICB), so no consistent pre-2022 per-ICB baseline exists and no per-ICB recovery index is published here.

Caveats. UDA counts measure contracted NHS activity only, so private dental work is outside them entirely. The 2020/21 year is not comparable with any other, because of mandatory closures. Months can be revised for late submissions. The series is settled to Mar 2026; any later month comes from the NHSBSA in-year file, is flagged provisional in the data, and is excluded from every headline figure. Courses of treatment sum the Band 1, Band 2, Band 3 and urgent bands; NHSBSA reported Band 2 as one column to March 2023 and as 2A, 2B and 2C from April 2023, and both forms are read. Generated 2026-08-03.

Download the activity data (CSV)

Free to cite and republish with attribution to Dental Finance Partners. This page is a data summary and does not constitute financial or business advice on any individual practice or contract.

Understanding your NHS contract and UDA position

UDA delivery is the mechanism that turns clinical time into NHS income, and the clawback rules mean under-delivery and over-delivery are not symmetrical. Whether you are an associate weighing a UDA commitment, a principal valuing a contract, or a buyer pricing a practice, this is the number the rest of the model sits on. Our dental accountants work exclusively with dental professionals.

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The other three data series

All four data series

Frequently asked questions

What is the NHS Dental Activity Recovery Index?
The Recovery Index measures how much NHS dental activity (in Units of Dental Activity, or UDAs) England delivers each month compared with the pre-Covid average of 2019/20, which is set to 100. A reading of 80 means activity is 20% below the pre-Covid level; a reading above 100 means the area has surpassed it. The index is compiled from NHSBSA English Contractor Monthly General Dental Activity open data, covering all NHS GDS and PDS contracts in England.
What is a Unit of Dental Activity (UDA)?
A UDA is the unit used to measure and pay for NHS dental treatment under GDS and PDS contracts. Band 1 treatments (a check-up or simple scale and polish) are worth 1 UDA; Band 2 treatments (fillings, extractions) are worth 3 UDAs; Band 3 treatments (crowns, dentures) are worth 12 UDAs. Urgent treatment is also worth 1.2 UDAs. Dentists are paid a set amount per UDA under their contract value, so UDA delivery is the primary measure of NHS dental output.
Why did NHS dental activity fall so sharply in 2020?
NHS dental practices were closed for routine treatment from late March 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions. When practices reopened from June 2020 they operated under infection control guidance (including fallow times between aerosol-generating procedures) that significantly reduced the number of patients that could be seen. Activity remained suppressed throughout 2020 and 2021 before recovering in 2022. The UDA contract model meant dentists received NHS income without delivering activity during the closures, which created significant catch-up demand.
Which ICB areas deliver the most NHS dental activity?
Per-ICB recovery indices cannot be calculated from public NHSBSA data because ICB boundaries changed in 2022 and no pre-2022 per-ICB baseline is available. The regional chart on this page instead ranks commissioner areas by UDA volume over the trailing twelve settled months. Greater Manchester, North East and North Cumbria, and Cheshire and Merseyside are the highest-volume ICBs. Areas with fewer contracted NHS dentists relative to population deliver lower total UDA volumes, which is the clearest public-data measure of relative NHS dental capacity.
What does this mean for NHS dentists' finances?
UDA delivery directly drives NHS contract income. Dentists who consistently under-deliver against their UDA target face clawback of NHS income at year end. Those who over-deliver are paid only for the contracted UDA value and not the excess. Alongside NHS income, many associate dentists and principals earn private income that is not captured in this data. Understanding the UDA landscape helps dentists and practice principals model their NHS income, plan capacity, and consider the balance between NHS and private activity.