jobfacts

Dental practitioners

SOC 2020 2253

Dental practitioners diagnose dental and oral diseases, injuries and disorders, prescribe and administer treatment, recommend preventative action and, where necessary, refer the patient to a specialist.

Also calledDentistDental surgeonDental practitionerEndodontistGeneral dental practitionerFellowand 9 more titles
People in the job35,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,100↑ 17%on last year · 183rd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
More than half (65%) of dental practitioners work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed dental practitioners earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median —
Scotland!£68,900
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, —
Scotland£68,900 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,100 jobs for dental practitioners are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026706
Jul 2026867
Jun 2026799
May 2026966
Apr 2026973
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,413
Jan 20261,150
Dec 2025864
Nov 20251,640
Oct 20251,228
Sept 2025941
Aug 2025739
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,332
Apr 2025889
Mar 2025919
Feb 2025982
Jan 2025868
Dec 2024797
Nov 20241,002
Oct 2024928
Sept 2024896
Aug 2024873
Jul 20241,153
Jun 20241,131
May 20241,441
Apr 20241,149
Mar 2024931
Feb 2024872
Jan 20241,087
Dec 20231,302
Nov 20231,239
Oct 20231,305
Sept 20231,434
Aug 20231,423
Jul 20231,663
Jun 20231,701
May 20231,884
Apr 20231,717
Mar 20231,736
Feb 20231,535
Jan 20232,625
Dec 20221,305
Nov 20221,728
Oct 20221,850
Sept 20221,673
Aug 20221,637
Jul 20221,637
Jun 20221,469
May 20221,603
Apr 2022986
Mar 20221,149
Feb 2022910
Jan 20221,066
Dec 2021819
Nov 20211,116
Oct 2021922
Sept 2021807
Aug 2021742
Jul 2021854
Jun 2021886
May 2021761
Apr 2021696
Mar 2021705
Feb 2021539
Jan 2021581
Dec 2020527
Nov 2020518
Oct 2020469
Sept 2020382
Aug 2020406
Jul 2020387
Jun 2020476
May 2020605
Apr 2020594
Mar 2020925
Feb 20201,011
Jan 20201,082
Dec 2019784
Nov 2019845
Oct 2019704
Sept 2019878
Aug 2019468
Jul 2019713
Jun 2019545
May 2019699
Apr 2019506
Mar 2019583
Feb 2019481
Jan 2019742
Dec 2018430
Nov 2018587
Oct 2018578
Sept 2018565
Aug 2018715
Jul 2018413
Jun 2018462
May 2018467
Apr 2018432
Mar 2018560
Feb 2018387
Jan 2018391
Dec 2017289
Nov 2017421
Oct 2017426
Sept 2017410
Aug 2017354
Jul 2017370
Jun 2017446
May 2017498
Apr 2017681
Mar 2017599
Feb 2017702
Jan 2017909
Is there a shortage of dental practitioners?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedWell above usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
21%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for other health professionals, which includes dental practitioners. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London341
North Yorkshire68
Cornwall58
Somerset49
Birmingham48
Leeds46
County Durham38
Manchester36
Dorset35
Bristol, City of35
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where dental practitioners are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 492 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Iran, Taiwan, Sudan, ranking it 41st of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of dental practitioners
n/p
27%!
31%!
22%!
21%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3427% (small sample)
35–4431% (small sample)
45–5422% (small sample)
55–6421% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent92%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!3.3%
GCSEs or equivalent–
Not published
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent92%
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent3.3% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalentNot published
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: dental practice activities (93%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
92%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Self-employed
65%
of people in the job

Routes in

You can get into this job through a university course.

University

Your first step is to complete a 5-year degree course at one of several dental schools located around the country. The schools are approved by the General Dental Council.

This is followed by 2 years of supervised postgraduate dental training in different workplace settings.

You might be able to do a 4-year degree course if you already have a degree in a related subject, for example:

  • biomedical science
  • human biology
  • biochemistry

When you apply for a course in dentistry, you may be asked to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).

It tests for skills you'll need on the course, such as:

  • critical thinking
  • problem solving
  • data analysis
  • decision making
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology and chemistry

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you'll need to register with the General Dental Council
Career tips

Dentistry is a very popular career choice and there is a lot of competition for places at dental schools.

Once qualified, you can work in many different areas, including:

  • general practice
  • hospital dentistry
  • forensics
  • the armed forces
Further information

You can find out more about becoming a dentist from the British Dental Association and Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for dentist. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • examines patient’s teeth, gums and jaw, using dental and x-ray equipment, diagnoses dental conditions
  • assesses and recommends treatment options to patients
  • administers local anaesthetics
  • carries out clinical treatments, restores teeth affected by decay etc., treats gum disease and other disorders
  • constructs and fits braces, inlays, dentures and other appliances
  • supervises patient’s progress and advises on preventative action
  • educates patients on oral health care
  • refers patient to specialist, where necessary
  • maintains patients’ dental health records
  • prepares and delivers lectures, undertakes research, and conducts and participates in clinical trials

Skills

  • build community relations
  • conduct continuing professional development workshops
  • conduct health related research
  • contribute to practice innovation in health care
  • employ foreign languages for health-related research
  • employ foreign languages in care
  • handle payments in dentistry
  • inform policy makers on health-related challenges
  • organise public oral health programmes
  • record healthcare users' billing information
  • train employees
  • accept own accountability
  • advise on healthcare users' informed consent
  • apply context specific clinical competences

Knowledge

  • employment law
  • impact of social contexts on health
  • manage healthcare staff
  • pedagogy
  • anaesthetics
  • clinical disciplines in dentistry
  • cosmetic dental procedures
  • dentistry science

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Working with ideas and solving problems

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for health professionals, a group of 24 jobs that includes dental practitioners.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 19%about 310,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.