This page brings together the most up-to-date oral health statistics from the UK.

It is designed for journalists and media professionals seeking reliable data on oral health, disease burden, and oral health behaviours.

Dental disease prevalence

• Almost one-in-four adults in the UK (41%) have untreated tooth decay. ¹

• 9% of adults show signs of severe gum disease. ²

• 5% of adults in England have no natural teeth. The average number of natural teeth among adults is 25, with 84% retaining at least 21 teeth – considered a functional dentition. ³

• More than one-in-five five-year-olds in England (23.7%) have obvious decay in their teeth. ⁴

• By Year 6 (age 10–11), 16.2% of children have tooth decay, with regional figures ranging from 12.1% in the South West to 23.3% in Yorkshire and the Humber. ⁵

• Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 5–9. In 2022–23, there were 31,165 hospital admissions for children and young people under 19 to extract decayed teeth, costing the NHS £40.7 million. ⁶

Mouth cancer

• Each year, there are around 10,825 new cases of mouth cancer in the UK, with 3,637 deaths. ⁷

• HPV is now responsible for around half of all oropharyngeal cancers in the UK. ⁸

Oral health behaviours

• Most adults (77%) brush their teeth at least twice a day, and 80% report using fluoride toothpaste. ⁹

• Nearly six-in-ten adults (59%) use an electric toothbrush. ⁹

• Around one-in-three adults (37%) use mouthwash, while one-in-three (30%) floss. About one-in-five (21%) use interdental brushes. ⁹

• Smoking remains a significant risk factor for poor oral health, with 12% of adults in England identifying as current smokers. ⁹

Access and workforce

• 37% of adults in England see an NHS dentist every 24 months. The lowest attendance is in the South West (32%), while the highest is in the North East & Yorkshire (42%). ¹⁰

• More than half of children (53%) see an NHS dentist each year. The lowest attendance is in London and the South West (48%), while the highest is in the North West (62%). ¹⁰

• There are 26 NHS dentists per 100,000 people in England based on full-time equivalent work, or 42 dentists per 100,000 on a headcount basis. ¹⁰

• Before the pandemic, around 20% of people reported their last course of treatment was free on the NHS, while 48% had paid for NHS care. A further 22% were treated privately, and 6% reported a mixture of both. ¹¹

• Among adults who have recently used private dentistry, one-in-four (25%) said this was because they could not find an NHS dentist, while nearly one-in-five (19%) said their NHS dentist had gone private. ¹¹

Impacts on daily life

• Nearly half of adults (47%) report experiencing at least one oral health impact in the last year. ¹²

• Around one-in-five adults (20%) report painful aching in the mouth. One-in-four (24%) say they have had difficulty eating, while more than one-in-four (28%) say their oral health has made them feel self-conscious. ¹²

Inequalities

• Oral health is strongly linked with levels of deprivation. Brushing twice daily rises from 69% in the most deprived areas to 85% in the least deprived. ⁹

• Adults in the most deprived areas are less likely to have a functional dentition (78%) compared with those in the least deprived (90%). ³

• For children, decay-related extractions are around 3.5 times higher in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived. ⁶

Economics

• In 2023/24, Integrated Care Boards underspent NHS dental budgets by £392 million. Around £200 million of this has been reallocated to the government’s Dental Recovery Plan in 2024/25. ¹³

• Child tooth extractions due to decay cost the NHS over £40 million each year. ⁶

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References

1. OHID. Adult Oral Health Survey 2023 (2023).
2. NICE. Periodontal disease prevalence estimates. (2025).
3. OHID. Adult Oral Health Survey 2021: Self-reported health of teeth and gums. (2024).
4. OHID. Oral health survey of 5-year-old children, England 2022.
5. OHID. Oral health survey of Year 6 children, England 2023.
6. OHID. Hospital tooth extractions in 0–19-year-olds. (2024).
7. Oral Health Foundation. State of Mouth Cancer Report 2024.
8. Cancer Research UK. Risks and causes of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer. (2025).
9. OHID. Adult Oral Health Survey 2021: Health-related behaviours. (2024).
10. House of Commons Library. NHS dentistry in England: workforce and access. (2025).
11. OHID. Adult Oral Health Survey 2021: Service use and barriers to accessing care. (2024).
12. OHID. Adult Oral Health Survey 2021: Quality of life impacts. (2024).
13. National Audit Office. NHS dental funding underspend. (2024).