2026 dental access report card
Dental access in New Mexico
From the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026 by Pete Johnson, founder of dentalist.ai. Source: federal NPPES registry (October 2026) and Census Vintage 2024 estimates. Updated October 21, 2026.
Overall access rank
29th of 51
72.5 dentists per 100k people (national: 80.2)
Pediatric access rank
49th of 51
7.4 pediatric dentists per 100k children (national: 14.9)
Pediatric desert
New Mexico sits in the bottom ten states for pediatric dental access, with roughly one pediatric dentist for every 13,573 children. Families here often rely on general dentists for kids' care, and the right pediatric specialist may be a city or two away.
1,545
Registered dentists
1,179
Practice addresses
97
Cities and towns
13.6%
Specialist share
Specialty coverage
Dentists in New Mexico by primary registered specialty, with the per-100k rate next to the national rate.
| Specialty | Dentists | Per 100k | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentistry | 33 | 1.5 | 3.2 |
| Orthodontics | 67 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oral surgery | 38 | 1.8 | 2.7 |
| Endodontics | 34 | 1.6 | 2 |
| Periodontics | 22 | 1 | 1.9 |
| Prosthodontics | 16 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
Where New Mexico's dentists concentrate
| City | Dentists | Pediatric |
|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | 603 | 12 |
| Santa Fe | 135 | 6 |
| Las Cruces | 122 | 6 |
| Farmington | 84 | 4 |
| Rio Rancho | 61 | 0 |
frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in New Mexico?
New Mexico has 1,545 NPI-registered dentists practicing at 1,179 addresses in 97 cities and towns, per the federal NPPES registry (October 2026). That is 72.5 dentists per 100,000 residents, against a national rate of 80.2.
How does New Mexico rank for dental access?
New Mexico ranks 29th of 51 for dentists per capita in the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026. For pediatric access it ranks 49th of 51, with 7.4 pediatric dentists per 100,000 children.
How many pediatric dentists does New Mexico have?
New Mexico has 33 NPI-registered pediatric dentists, roughly one for every 13,573 children in the state. The national average is one for every 6,705 children.
Counts are individual dentists' NPI registrations from the federal NPPES registry (October 2026), with deactivated registrations removed; they are not licensure data and can include dentists who have retired. Denominators: Census Vintage 2024 estimates. Full methodology in the national report.
Take the next step
Match with a dentist in New Mexico
Dee reads verified specialty registrations across 1,179 New Mexico practice addresses and matches you to the one that fits.