Dental Practice Finance London

London NHS dentistry in 2024/25

Practices in the NHS London region delivered 4,855,666 courses of treatment in 2024/25, worth 12,059,418 UDAs. The five commissioners split that as follows: North West London 1,223,565, North East London 1,056,086, South East London 1,048,990, South West London 774,443, North Central London 749,758.

London does more complex and urgent work than England as a whole: band 3 courses (crowns, bridges, dentures) were 6.1% of the total against 3.7% nationally, and urgent care 13.6% against 10.3%. Band 3 work carries laboratory costs, so a buyer should read it into a practice's margins.

Patient access across the capital

2,792,627 adults were seen by an NHS dentist in London in the 24 months to 31 March 2025, 40.1% of the adult population on provisional 2022 estimates, close to England's 39.8%. 1,012,929 children were seen in 12 months, 53.3% against 56.9% nationally.

Lower child access than the national figure, with adult access at the average, suggests NHS capacity for families is tight in parts of the city. For a buyer, that supports demand at a well-run mixed practice, but lenders lend on income already earned, not on demand.

Dentists working in London

4,700 dentists had NHS activity in the London region in 2024/25, 53.0 per 100,000 people against 42.1 for England, and 147 more than in 2019/20. 315 joined NHS work in London during the year and 318 left, so the workforce was close to flat.

A denser workforce helps recruitment, but associate costs in London are part of every lender's affordability test, so show your associate agreements with the application.

Practices and contract size in London

641 practices with a postcode in the E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC areas recorded NHS activity in 2024/25. The median practice delivered 9,113 UDAs, below the typical figure in many northern cities, which points to more practices mixing NHS and private work.

Companies House lists 2,874 active companies with dental practice activities (SIC 86230) and a London registered office. That count includes private-only practices and holding companies, so it is a different measure from the NHS figures.

Buying or growing a London practice

With a lower median NHS contract, a lender will look harder at private income, patient plan numbers and the lease on a London practice. Our guide to buying a dental practice covers the process, goodwill finance covers the largest part of the price, and the practice purchase loan calculator tests repayments against profit.

Premises, regulation and security

In England, a dental freehold bought outright attracts Stamp Duty Land Tax on the non-residential scale, and the lender's security is a legal charge at HM Land Registry. If the building is rented, lenders read the lease closely: a short unexpired term caps the loan term.

Dentists register with the General Dental Council and providers with the Care Quality Commission; a change of ownership needs both the CQC registration and the NHS contract settled before completion.

Lenders for London dental practices

Which lender suits a London case depends on the dental practice and the deal, not the postcode. We search the whole market each time. Fees depend on the lender, and nothing is due upfront.

Common questions