NHS Dental Access Continues Go Improve Across Hampshire And Isle Of Wight

Tens of thousands more patients have seen an NHS dentist across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the past 12 months as access to the services continue to increase.

Between April 2025 and April 2026, more than 650,000 patients were seen by a dentist on the NHS, which is an increase of more than 35,000 people.

While many patients can still struggle to access NHS dentistry, the figures reflect a significant improvement and demonstrate the work that has taken place locally.

As well as the number of patients increasing over the 12-month period, the number of appointments and all-round NHS dental care has also increased, supporting greater access over the last three years.

Dental access on the Isle of Wight has also continued to increase, with a 48 per cent rise in available NHS care on what has previously been available.

The improvements come as NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight looks at how dentistry is offered to patients in their community as part of neighbourhood health.

This is a new way of organising health and care services around people and the communities they live in, bringing NHS care such as GP services and dentistry, together with local authorities and the voluntary sector as part of the national 10 Year Health Plan.

Central to ensuring dentistry continues to improve as part of neighbourhood health is growing the NHS workforce, from qualified dentists to dental hygienists and therapists.

NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight has been working closely alongside the University of Portsmouth as it achieved dental school status, enabling them to train the next generation of dental professionals.

It is the first and only training school of this kind in Hampshire, with the previous closest in either Plymouth or London.

Last week, Health Minister Stephen Kinnock announced that the university would receive 25 dental places as part of the drive to train more home-grown dentists and boost the workforce in those regions.

James Roach, Director of Neighbourhood Health at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: “It is really encouraging to see these figures and that more patients are able to access the vital NHS dental care that we know our communities need.

“There is still much to do, but it does reflect that we are on the right track for both urgent care and routine appointments that help keep our population as healthy as possible.

“These figures wouldn’t be possible without the great work of our dental providers and stakeholders who all want to see this issue go in the right direction.”

As well as increased access to appointments, people across Hampshire and Isle of Wight also benefit from an additional hours scheme, which offers extra NHS dentistry sessions for patients who require additional treatment after receiving care for an urgent dental need, who are not necessarily known to a practice.

Urgent dental appointments have also increased for those who need it via 111, while the mobile dental unit, Dentaid, continues to visit communities across the area for those in the greatest need who otherwise don’t have access to a dentist.