Just under one in four adults in the Somerset council area received NHS dental care in the two years to June 2026, according to a new analysis of NHS figures. The share has fallen from 52.5% in the two years to June 2019, a drop of 27.7 percentage points.

The latest figure is 15.2 percentage points below the England average of 40%. The underlying NHS Business Services Authority data covers patients seen up to June 2026; its official statistics explain that the figures count NHS care and do not include private treatment.

The latest access figures come alongside signs of increased NHS dental activity in Somerset.

NHS Somerset said teams carried out around 3% more NHS work in 2025/26 than the previous year. Sukeina Kassam, the organisation's director of primary care, said: "Improving access to NHS dentistry is one of our top priorities as we know it is hugely important to local people. It is great to see our improvement programme is leading to better access and more NHS dental care being provided in Somerset."

The analysis was carried out by Emergensee, a national network that helps patients access private emergency dental care through selected partner practices. Its spokesperson said: "These figures show how the share of adults seen by an NHS dentist differs across England, from around one in five in South Hams to more than half in Chesterfield. They only count NHS care, so they don't include people who see a private dentist or who haven't needed to see a dentist, and they shouldn't be read as a judgement on any area or the dental teams working there."

The spokesperson added: "Whether someone sees an NHS or a private dentist, what matters is that they are treated with care and respect and have their options explained clearly."

The analysis used NHSBSA figures for adults living in each council area who had received NHS dental care in the previous 24 months, comparing the period to June 2026 with the period to June 2019.

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