Orthodontic Access Across the UK

How many places have an orthodontic practice nearby, and how far people live from the nearest one, for every nation and county. Free to use and cite, with the full data to download.

What the data shows

We compared 35,871 places in England and Northern Ireland and Scotland and Wales, from cities to hamlets, with the 4,736 orthodontic practices on our register. For each place we measured the straight-line distance to the nearest practice and counted the practices within five miles.

In England, 60.9% of places have a practice on our register within five miles, and the median place is 3.8 miles from the nearest.

In Northern Ireland, 35.6% of places have a practice on our register within five miles, and the median place is 7.3 miles from the nearest.

In Scotland, 55.9% of places have a practice on our register within five miles, and the median place is 4.1 miles from the nearest.

In Wales, 38% of places have a practice on our register within five miles, and the median place is 7.8 miles from the nearest.

Isles of Scilly, Pembrokeshire and County of Ceredigion have the fewest practices on our register near their places: 0%, 0% and 0% of their places have one within five miles. These are often rural areas where our register is least complete, so read this as a prompt to check locally rather than a ranking.

Last updated 10 October 2026. Distances are straight-line, not travel times.

By nation

Nation Places With a practice within 5 miles Median distance to nearest practice Median practices within 5 miles
England 26,449 60.9% 3.8 miles 2
Northern Ireland 623 35.6% 7.3 miles 0
Scotland 5,592 55.9% 4.1 miles 1
Wales 3,207 38% 7.8 miles 0

By county

Counties and council areas with at least 5 places, listed from the least to the most access. Select a county to see its towns and the practices near them.

County Nation Places With a practice within 5 miles Median distance to nearest practice Aged 10 to 15 (avg.)
Isles of Scilly England 13 0% 37.2 miles 5.9%
Pembrokeshire Wales 329 0% 27.8 miles 6.4%
County of Ceredigion Wales 225 0% 24.4 miles 6.2%
Sir Powys Wales 424 3.8% 19 miles 6.1%
Fermanagh and Omagh Northern Ireland 104 10.6% 14.3 miles –
Anglesey Wales 139 11.5% 12.4 miles 6.3%
District of Rutland England 40 12.5% 8.6 miles 6.9%
Gwynedd Wales 297 12.8% 21.9 miles 6.6%
Shetland Islands Scotland 218 14.7% 10.2 miles –
Mid Ulster Northern Ireland 69 18.8% 8.7 miles –
Orkney Islands Scotland 149 19.5% 8.4 miles –
Blaenau Gwent Wales 44 20.5% 6.2 miles 6.7%
Newry Mourne and Down Northern Ireland 75 22.7% 11.8 miles –
Norfolk England 868 22.9% 9 miles 6.2%
Lincolnshire England 760 23% 8.1 miles 6.2%
Herefordshire England 503 23.3% 8.1 miles 6.2%
Argyll and Bute Scotland 405 23.7% 9.9 miles –
Carmarthenshire Wales 292 25.3% 8.8 miles 6.5%
North Yorkshire England 935 26.4% 8.2 miles 6.2%
Dorset England 523 26.6% 7.5 miles 6.3%
Suffolk England 730 26.8% 7.6 miles 6.4%
Eilean Siar Scotland 264 26.9% 9 miles –
Highland Scotland 1,220 27.9% 9.2 miles –
Shropshire England 709 29.1% 7.6 miles 6.3%
East Riding of Yorkshire England 290 30.3% 6.9 miles 6.3%
Denbighshire Wales 104 30.8% 6.9 miles 6.7%
Causeway Coast and Glens Northern Ireland 96 31.2% 7.2 miles –
Cumbria England 852 31.3% 7.3 miles 6.1%
Northumberland England 407 32.7% 8.4 miles 6%
Antrim and Newtownabbey Northern Ireland 26 34.6% 5.8 miles –
Devon England 970 36.1% 6.9 miles 6.3%
Ards and North Down Northern Ireland 33 39.4% 6.4 miles –
Derry City and Strabane Northern Ireland 58 39.7% 6.7 miles –
Monmouthshire Wales 170 42.4% 5.5 miles 6.1%
Somerset England 854 43.4% 5.6 miles 6.6%
Wiltshire England 561 43.9% 5.5 miles 6.8%
Conwy Wales 115 44.3% 6.2 miles 6.3%
West Northamptonshire England 203 44.3% 5.5 miles 7%
Isle of Wight England 121 45.5% 5.4 miles 5.3%
Cornwall England 986 48.4% 5.2 miles 6.3%
The Scottish Borders Scotland 212 50.5% 4.9 miles 5%
North Lincolnshire England 81 50.6% 4.8 miles 6.3%
East Sussex England 378 50.8% 5 miles 6.8%
North Somerset England 114 51.8% 4.8 miles 7.2%
Gloucestershire England 612 52% 4.9 miles 6.5%
Dumfries and Galloway Scotland 303 52.5% 4.7 miles –
Cambridgeshire England 342 53.2% 4.9 miles 7%
Mid and East Antrim Northern Ireland 45 53.3% 4.7 miles –
West Berkshire England 129 53.5% 4.5 miles 8.3%
Redcar and Cleveland England 41 53.7% 4.5 miles 6.4%
North Ayrshire Scotland 94 54.3% 3.6 miles –
Bath and North East Somerset England 141 54.6% 4.6 miles 7.1%
Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon Northern Ireland 65 55.4% 4.6 miles –
Aberdeenshire Scotland 487 60.8% 4.3 miles –
Derbyshire England 609 62.4% 3.7 miles 6.4%
Nottinghamshire England 321 63.2% 3.7 miles 6.6%
County of Flintshire Wales 129 63.6% 2.9 miles 6.6%
Warwickshire England 355 64.8% 4 miles 6.6%
Perth and Kinross Scotland 278 65.1% 3.9 miles –
Oxfordshire England 445 66.5% 3.8 miles 7.3%
West Sussex England 383 66.8% 3.5 miles 7%
Staffordshire England 610 66.9% 3.6 miles 6.2%
Moray Scotland 165 67.3% 3.8 miles –
Stirling Scotland 87 67.8% 3.3 miles –
Essex England 721 68.8% 3.5 miles 6.9%
Wrexham Wales 108 69.4% 3 miles 6.7%
County Durham England 354 69.5% 3.4 miles 6.6%
Leicestershire England 343 71.1% 3.8 miles 6.8%
North Northamptonshire England 114 71.9% 3.2 miles 6.7%
Cheshire West and Chester England 186 72.6% 3.2 miles 6.7%
Worcestershire England 512 72.7% 3.4 miles 6.4%
Angus Scotland 168 73.8% 3.5 miles –
Hampshire England 737 73.8% 3.3 miles 7.1%
South Ayrshire Scotland 73 74% 2.9 miles –
Kent England 959 77% 3.4 miles 7.3%
Calderdale England 109 78% 2.4 miles 7.1%
Lisburn and Castlereagh Northern Ireland 28 78.6% 3.3 miles –
Bridgend county borough Wales 75 78.7% 2.3 miles 7%
Buckinghamshire England 335 80.3% 2.9 miles 7.7%
Bedford England 84 81% 3 miles 7.2%
South Gloucestershire England 139 81.3% 2.7 miles 6.6%
Central Bedfordshire England 145 81.4% 3.2 miles 7%
City and County of Swansea Wales 147 81.6% 2.6 miles 6.9%
East Ayrshire Scotland 79 83.5% 1.9 miles –
Medway England 43 83.7% 2.4 miles 6.8%
Doncaster England 93 83.9% 3 miles 6.7%
Neath Port Talbot Wales 86 84.9% 3.2 miles 7.1%
Kirklees England 208 85.6% 2.1 miles 7.2%
South Lanarkshire Scotland 154 85.7% 0.9 miles –
Telford and Wrekin England 99 85.9% 1.6 miles 6.8%
Cheshire East England 271 86% 2.5 miles 6.4%
Peterborough England 43 86% 2.2 miles 7.8%
Torfaen County Borough Wales 60 88.3% 1.5 miles 6.9%
Barnsley England 98 88.8% 2.2 miles 6.9%
Surrey England 415 88.9% 1.9 miles 7.6%
Sheffield England 180 88.9% 1.7 miles 7%
Lancashire England 618 89.2% 2 miles 6.7%
Hertfordshire England 421 90.3% 2 miles 7.8%
East Lothian Scotland 92 91.3% 1.6 miles –
Wokingham England 44 93.2% 2.8 miles 8%
City of York England 35 94.3% 1.8 miles 5.9%
Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales 118 94.9% 3 miles 7.2%
North East Lincolnshire England 39 94.9% 1.9 miles 6.5%
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Wales 44 95.5% 1.7 miles 6.6%
Vale of Glamorgan Wales 99 96% 2.4 miles 7.1%
Fife Scotland 229 96.1% 1.5 miles –
Newport Wales 53 96.2% 2 miles 6.7%
Borough of Swindon England 63 96.8% 0.9 miles 7.1%
Midlothian Scotland 67 97% 0.8 miles –
Rotherham England 79 97.5% 2.3 miles 7%
Milton Keynes England 122 97.5% 1.2 miles 8%
Solihull England 55 98.2% 2.5 miles 7.3%
Falkirk Scotland 90 98.9% 0.7 miles –
Caerphilly County Borough Wales 99 99% 1.6 miles 7.1%
Greater London England 973 99.9% 0.7 miles 6.8%
City and Borough of Wakefield England 136 100% 1.9 miles 6.7%
North Tyneside England 32 100% 1.8 miles 7.1%
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead England 55 100% 1.7 miles 8.1%
Borough of Oldham England 127 100% 1.6 miles 8%
Darlington England 43 100% 1.5 miles 7.4%
Warrington England 67 100% 1.5 miles 7.1%
Hartlepool England 20 100% 1.4 miles 7%
Borough of Bolton England 73 100% 1.3 miles 7.6%
Borough of Thurrock England 28 100% 1.3 miles 7.7%
Borough of Torbay England 28 100% 1.3 miles 6.6%
Gateshead England 65 100% 1.3 miles 7%
Stockton-on-Tees England 32 100% 1.3 miles 8.1%
Bracknell Forest England 37 100% 1.2 miles 7.7%
Brighton and Hove England 28 100% 1.2 miles 6.3%
Liverpool England 48 100% 1.2 miles 6.6%
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral England 45 100% 1.2 miles 7%
South Tyneside England 29 100% 1.2 miles 6.8%
St. Helens England 49 100% 1.2 miles 6.7%
Stoke-on-Trent England 53 100% 1.2 miles 7.6%
Sunderland England 74 100% 1.2 miles 6.7%
Borough of Rochdale England 79 100% 1.1 miles 7.4%
Borough of Wigan England 85 100% 1.1 miles 7.1%
City of Kingston upon Hull England 24 100% 1.1 miles 6.9%
Clackmannanshire Scotland 22 100% 1.1 miles –
Coventry England 55 100% 1.1 miles 6.6%
Manchester England 49 100% 1.1 miles 6.9%
Middlesbrough England 17 100% 1.1 miles 8.2%
West Lothian Scotland 74 100% 1.1 miles –
Borough of Halton England 38 100% 1 miles 7.4%
Bradford England 181 100% 1 miles 8.1%
Cardiff Wales 52 100% 1 miles 6.1%
City and Borough of Birmingham England 111 100% 1 miles 8.2%
Knowsley England 28 100% 1 miles 6.7%
Trafford England 30 100% 1 miles 7.6%
Walsall England 52 100% 1 miles 8.1%
City and Borough of Leeds England 209 100% 0.9 miles 6.7%
City of Bristol England 55 100% 0.9 miles 6.4%
Sefton England 25 100% 0.9 miles 6.3%
Aberdeen City Scotland 60 100% 0.8 miles –
Blackburn with Darwen England 56 100% 0.8 miles 8.4%
Borough of Stockport England 58 100% 0.8 miles 6.8%
Borough of Tameside England 69 100% 0.8 miles 7.5%
City of Leicester England 28 100% 0.8 miles 7.5%
Derby England 20 100% 0.8 miles 6.4%
Dudley England 67 100% 0.8 miles 7.5%
Luton England 16 100% 0.8 miles 8.8%
Newcastle upon Tyne England 47 100% 0.8 miles 6.6%
Nottingham England 30 100% 0.8 miles 6.8%
Plymouth England 57 100% 0.8 miles 6.4%
Portsmouth England 22 100% 0.8 miles 6.7%
Sandwell England 60 100% 0.8 miles 8.7%
Borough of Bury England 70 100% 0.7 miles 7.5%
City and Borough of Salford England 42 100% 0.7 miles 7.6%
Inverclyde Scotland 46 100% 0.7 miles –
Slough England 12 100% 0.7 miles 8.6%
Wolverhampton England 60 100% 0.7 miles 8.1%
Blackpool England 18 100% 0.6 miles 6%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council England 30 100% 0.6 miles 6.3%
Dundee City Scotland 17 100% 0.6 miles –
North Lanarkshire Scotland 133 100% 0.6 miles –
Reading England 8 100% 0.6 miles 7.7%
Renfrewshire Scotland 66 100% 0.6 miles –
West Dunbartonshire Scotland 33 100% 0.6 miles –
City of Belfast Northern Ireland 24 100% 0.5 miles –
East Dunbartonshire Scotland 35 100% 0.5 miles –
Southampton England 32 100% 0.5 miles 6.3%
City of Edinburgh Scotland 118 100% 0.4 miles –
East Renfrewshire Scotland 29 100% 0.4 miles –
Southend-on-Sea England 14 100% 0.4 miles 6.9%
Glasgow City Scotland 126 100% 0.3 miles –

By NHS area

The same measures for each NHS body that commissions dental services: integrated care boards in England and health boards in Scotland.

NHS area Nation Places Within 5 miles of a practice Median distance to the nearest
Powys Teaching Health Board Wales 420 4% 19 miles
Hywel Dda University Health Board Wales 848 8.7% 20.9 miles
Shetland Scotland 218 14.7% 10.2 miles
Orkney Scotland 149 19.5% 8.4 miles
NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board England 762 23.4% 8 miles
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board England 1,600 24.7% 8.3 miles
Highland Scotland 1,621 26.8% 9.4 miles
Western Isles Scotland 264 26.9% 9 miles
NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board England 552 30.6% 7.2 miles
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Wales 895 33% 7.6 miles
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board England 1,283 34.5% 6.7 miles
Health & Social Care Board Northern Ireland 623 35.6% 7.3 miles
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board England 815 35.7% 6.5 miles
NHS Devon Integrated Care Board England 1,053 41.3% 6.3 miles
NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board England 857 43.3% 5.6 miles
NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board England 1,000 47.7% 5.2 miles
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board England 1,018 48.3% 5.2 miles
NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board England 768 50.3% 5 miles
Borders Scotland 211 50.7% 4.9 miles
NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board England 612 52% 4.9 miles
Dumfries and Galloway Scotland 303 52.5% 4.7 miles
NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board England 1,757 54% 4.4 miles
NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board England 317 54.6% 4.6 miles
NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board England 624 63.6% 3.5 miles
Grampian Scotland 714 65.7% 3.8 miles
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board England 351 66.1% 3.4 miles
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board Wales 425 66.4% 3.5 miles
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board England 409 67.2% 3.9 miles
Tayside Scotland 460 69.3% 3.6 miles
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board England 662 69.5% 3.4 miles
Ayrshire and Arran Scotland 247 69.6% 2.7 miles
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board England 404 69.6% 3.5 miles
NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board England 1,208 70.3% 3.2 miles
NHS Essex Integrated Care Board England 760 70.4% 3.4 miles
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board England 913 71.3% 3.3 miles
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board England 965 73.1% 2.5 miles
NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board England 1,047 73.8% 3.2 miles
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board England 306 74.2% 2.8 miles
NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board England 1,001 77.2% 3.3 miles
NHS Central East Integrated Care Board England 1,182 78.8% 2.6 miles
Swansea Bay University Health Board Wales 229 83.8% 2.9 miles
Forth Valley Scotland 197 85.3% 1.2 miles
NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board England 953 85.6% 1.6 miles
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board England 754 88.3% 1.8 miles
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Wales 239 89.1% 2.6 miles
NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board England 452 89.4% 2.1 miles
Lanarkshire Scotland 286 92.3% 0.7 miles
Fife Scotland 232 96.1% 1.5 miles
Lothian Scotland 352 97.2% 0.8 miles
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Wales 151 97.4% 1.6 miles
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board England 170 99.4% 1.2 miles
NHS South East London Integrated Care Board England 192 99.5% 0.9 miles
Greater Glasgow and Clyde Scotland 335 100% 0.4 miles
NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board England 238 100% 0.8 miles
NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board England 682 100% 1 miles
NHS North East London Integrated Care Board England 235 100% 0.6 miles
NHS South West London Integrated Care Board England 162 100% 0.8 miles
NHS West and North London Integrated Care Board England 385 100% 0.6 miles

How we measured it

The places are the UK towns, villages and hamlets in our location index, each with the coordinates of its centre. The practices are those on our orthodontic practice register, built from public sources and each practice's own published information. For every place we calculate the straight-line distance to each practice and keep the nearest, plus the number within five miles. Each county or nation figure is the share of its places with at least one practice within five miles, and the median of its places' distances.

The share aged 10 to 15 comes from the 2021 Census (ONS, via NOMIS) for the neighbourhood around each place, the age group in which most NHS orthodontic treatment begins. It covers England and Wales only.

Limits to bear in mind

The register is not exhaustive, and a place near a practice we have not found will look less well served than it is.

A place is counted by its centre, so people at the edge of a large town live nearer or further than its figure.

Distance is not availability: a nearby practice may not take NHS patients or have a waiting list.

Many places are small rural hamlets, so the share of places is not the share of people.

Download and cite

The full data is free to use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, including in reporting and research.

Suggested citation: Virtual Consultant Online (2026), "Orthodontic access across the UK by nation and county", https://virtualconsultant.online/data/orthodontic-access-uk, accessed [date].

Credit this data on your own site

If you use these figures in an article, report or website, copy this credit line and keep the link. It is the only condition of the licence. 

<p>Source: <a href="https://virtualconsultant.online/data/orthodontic-access-uk">Virtual Consultant Online, orthodontic access across the UK</a> (CC BY 4.0).</p>

Orthodontic access across the UK: questions

What does orthodontic access mean in this data?
Where do the figures come from?
Why use straight-line distance and not travel time?
Does a low figure mean there is no orthodontic care in an area?
Can I use this data in an article or report?
How do I find an orthodontist near me?

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