LaingBuisson has published the seventh edition of their Dentistry UK Market Report.

Highlights include: 

  • The UK ‘high street’ dentistry market is valued at £12.16 billion (2023/2024), a 9.2% growth year on year
  • Over two-thirds (69%) of the dentistry market value comes from private dentistry – the highest level since LaingBuisson started reporting
  • The private-pay dentistry market is estimated to be worth £8.4 billion (2023/24). This is an increase of £965 million on since 2022/23
  • The NHS-funded dentistry market in the UK is estimated to be worth £3.78 billion in 2023/24, an increase on the previous year of £57 million (1.5%). The NHS co-payment – the element paid by the public – is nearly a quarter of the total value. This is below the pre-pandemic peak share of 28%.
  • Private equity investors continues to take an active interest in the sector, with the private-equity backed Rodericks and Portman both acquiring large competitors and Bridgepoint’s recent acquisition of a majority stake in Mydentist

The UK high street dentistry (1) market reached a value of £12.16 billion in 2023/2024, marking a 9.2% increase from the previous year. This growth reflects significant consumer demand and sector resilience in the face of ongoing pressures with NHS provision. New analysis from LaingBuisson shows that provision is not evenly spread across the UK and there are regional differences – from variations in UDA delivery to availability of dentists per 100,000 people.

The market value (2) is determined by LaingBuisson’s analysis of the private and NHS dental sector. Private-pay dentistry now accounts for the highest proportion of the market value since LaingBuisson began recording market values for the sector: private-pay dentistry accounts for 69% of the market value while the NHS accounts for 31%. This shift reflects a growth in the private pay sector, driven by changing attitudes towards private-pay medical services and continued challenges accessing NHS care.

In 2023/24 alone, the private-pay segment was valued at £8.4 billion, an increase of £965 million on the previous year.

NHS dentistry continues to face structural and funding challenges. Patient co-payments now account for 23% of the NHS dentistry market value. This is a recovery from the 8% it fell to in 2020/21 as individuals found themselves unable to access dental services during the peak of the pandemic – but it remains below the pre-Covid peak of 28% pointing to the continued challenge in recovering NHS dentistry to pre-Covid levels.

There is regional variation in both the number of NHS dentists and the volume of NHS dental activity, as measured by Units of Dental Activity (UDAs) per 100,000 people. These patterns can offer insights into different provider models (balancing private versus NHS delivery), patient access, and service delivery. As of March 2024, England had an average of 26.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) NHS dentists per 100,000 people. However, there are notable regional disparities. The Northwest (27.8) has the highest density of dentists, while the East of England (24.3) has the lowest, reinforcing how difficult it is for patients in some areas to find an NHS dentist, with some areas with particularly low provision being classified “dental deserts”.

Strong growth potential in the highly fragmented sector means the dental industry is attracting robust interest from investors. Recent private-equity backed consolidation activity, including the mergers of Rodericks and Dental Partners, and Portman with Dentex, point to an attractive private market. Most notably, private equity firm Bridgepoint’s acquisition of a majority stake in Mydentist, reportedly the largest deal the sector has seen, signals strong confidence in future growth and profitability of UK dentistry.

Report author, Corinne Fitzgerald said:

“The UK dentistry market is undergoing a shift in both supply and consumer behaviour – as the market steadily evolves towards a system where NHS dentistry takes a back seat to the opportunities for private pay. Dentists have long voiced concerns over the financial viability of offering NHS services under the current UDA model and LaingBuisson finds many are reducing their NHS hours in favour of delivering more private-pay dentistry.

“Labour’s consultation on dental sector reform could help reshape future provision. However, 15 years of trying to find a path forward on acceptable funding model only underscores the challenges ahead – and until an agreement is reached, it is the public that continues to suffer as they struggle to access the NHS services they are technically entitled to.”

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