Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 29
29
NHS dental workforce declines, facing over 5,500 unfilled vacancies nationally
Conclusion
The NAO reported that in 2023–24 there were 24,193 dentists providing some NHS dental care in England, a 2% decline on the total since 2019–20.87 NHSE data outlines that there is a large workforce gap that exists in NHS dentistry, with over 5,500 vacancies across the entire dental workforce in March 2024. Many of those vacancies go unfilled for more than half a year.88
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 10 July 2025. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗