Patients have had their say on how they really think their dental care team is performing.
The latest GP Patient Survey, produced by Ipsos on behalf of NHS England, sheds light on patients’ experiences of NHS dental care across the country.
More than 700,000 patients in England completed the 2025 survey, which was carried out between January and March this year, and gathers information on how patients feel about their local health services, including NHS dental care.
Patients were asked how they would describe their experience of NHS dental services, with options including ‘very good’, ‘fairly good’, ‘neither good nor poor’, ‘fairly poor’, and ‘very poor’.
Here we reveal the areas of England where patients are least happy with their dental care. Integrated Care Systems are ranked by the proportion of patients who rated their experience of NHS dental services as 'very poor' and 'fairly poor'.
1. Devon Integrated Care Board
27% of patients in the Devon Integrated Care Board area rated their experience of NHS dental services as 'very poor', while 8% said it was 'fairly poor'. | Google Maps
2. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System
26% of patients in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System area rated their experience of NHS dental services as 'very poor', while 7% said it was 'fairly poor'. | Google Maps
3. Somerset's Integrated Care System
26% of patients in the Somerset's Integrated Care System (known as Our Somerset) area rated their experience of NHS dental services as 'very poor', while 10% said it was 'fairly poor'. | Google Maps
4. Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System
22% of patients in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System area rated their experience of NHS dental services as 'very poor', while 8% said it was 'fairly poor'. | Google Maps