Patient registrations for dental services in Northern Ireland decline by over 20%
Date published:
New accredited official statistics published by NISRA statisticians in the Health and Social Care Business Services Organisation (BSO), show that patient registrations for dental services in Northern Ireland have fallen by 21.9% between quarter two 2024/25 and quarter two 2025/26.
Key findings:
- There were 958,009 patient registrations for dental services in this quarter, a decrease of 21.9% (268,370) compared to the same period in 2024/25 (1,226,379).
- There were 1,205 registered dentists in this quarter, a similar figure to the same period in 2024/25 (1,211).
- Item of service (IOS) treatment fees totalled £16,551,000 in this quarter, an increase of 1.2% (£198,612) compared to the same period in 2024/25 (£16,352,388).
- There were 130,433 fillings completed in this quarter, this represents a decrease of 11.5% (16,988) compared to the same period in 2024/25 (147,421).
- There were 136,865 x-rays completed in this quarter, this represents a decrease of 9.1% (13,649) compared to the same period in 2024/25 (150,514).
About this publication:
This publication provides summary statistical information on dental activity carried out by general dental practitioners in Northern Ireland for quarter two of 2025/26.
It details information on the number of general dental practitioners in Northern Ireland along with the number of registered patients and the treatments carried out and submitted to BSO for payment.
Further information:
View the full report: Dental Services for Northern Ireland, Quarterly Series to Q2 2025/26 - Provisional
View annual report and associated data tables: General Dental Services Statistics