2026 dental access report card
Dental access in North Carolina
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
36th of 51
70.4 dentists per 100k people (national: 80.2)
Pediatric access rank
25th of 51
13.8 pediatric dentists per 100k children (national: 14.9)
7,776
Registered dentists
6,081
Practice addresses
363
Cities and towns
18.2%
Specialist share
Specialty coverage
Dentists in North Carolina by primary registered specialty, with the per-100k rate next to the national rate.
| Specialty | Dentists | Per 100k | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentistry | 326 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Orthodontics | 367 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oral surgery | 278 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| Endodontics | 185 | 1.7 | 2 |
| Periodontics | 160 | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Prosthodontics | 101 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
Where North Carolina's dentists concentrate
| City | Dentists | Pediatric |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 784 | 40 |
| Raleigh | 516 | 25 |
| Chapel Hill | 400 | 30 |
| Greensboro | 283 | 21 |
| Durham | 281 | 7 |
frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in North Carolina?
North Carolina has 7,776 NPI-registered dentists practicing at 6,081 addresses in 363 cities and towns, per the federal NPPES registry (October 2026). That is 70.4 dentists per 100,000 residents, against a national rate of 80.2.
How does North Carolina rank for dental access?
North Carolina ranks 36th of 51 for dentists per capita in the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026. For pediatric access it ranks 25th of 51, with 13.8 pediatric dentists per 100,000 children.
How many pediatric dentists does North Carolina have?
North Carolina has 326 NPI-registered pediatric dentists, roughly one for every 7,240 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.
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