The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has published the latest NHS Dental Statistics England 2023/24 annual report.

The publication covers NHS dental activity and the NHS dental workforce in England from 2019/20 to 2023/24. This release is the first in this series by the NHSBSA, following the transition from NHS England, who previously published the report. 

Key findings show that there were 34 million courses of dental treatment delivered in 2023/24, 4.3% more than 2022/23. The total units of dental activity increased by 3.4% from 2022/23, up to 73 million.

There were 18 million adult patients seen in the 24-month period up to the end of March 2024, and 6.7 million child patients seen in the 12-month period up to the same date.

Courses of treatment (COT) increased for both adult and child patients between 2022/23 and 2023/24. COTs for adult patients increased by 2.2% to 23 million, and 9.0% for child patients to 11.2 million. 56.2% of courses of treatment for children included fluoride varnish clinical treatment.

The total number of units of dental activity (UDA) awarded to dental activity claims was 72.5 million in 2023/24. The total number of UDAs has increased by 3.4% since 2022/23. It is 9.1% lower than the 79.7 million total UDAs in 2019/20.

In 2023/24, the total patient revenue was £774 million, a 2.7% increase from £754 million during the previous year. The amount charged to patients is a set payment, based on the treatment band.

There were 24,300 dentists who performed NHS dental activity in 2023/24, a slight increase of 0.4% compared to 2022/23. Since 2019/20, the number of dentists with NHS activity has fallen by 1.5% from 24,700.

To read the full statistics report, go to: Dental statistics – England 2023/24 | NHSBSA