2026 dental access report card
Dental access in North Dakota
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
26th of 51
74.9 dentists per 100k people (national: 80.2)
Pediatric access rank
48th of 51
7.6 pediatric dentists per 100k children (national: 14.9)
Pediatric desert
North Dakota sits in the bottom ten states for pediatric dental access, with roughly one pediatric dentist for every 13,233 children. Families here often rely on general dentists for kids' care, and the right pediatric specialist may be a city or two away.
597
Registered dentists
447
Practice addresses
55
Cities and towns
13.6%
Specialist share
Specialty coverage
Dentists in North Dakota by primary registered specialty, with the per-100k rate next to the national rate.
| Specialty | Dentists | Per 100k | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentistry | 14 | 1.8 | 3.2 |
| Orthodontics | 25 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oral surgery | 25 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| Endodontics | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| Periodontics | 5 | 0.6 | 1.9 |
| Prosthodontics | 4 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
Where North Dakota's dentists concentrate
| City | Dentists | Pediatric |
|---|---|---|
| Fargo | 154 | 5 |
| Bismarck | 95 | 4 |
| Minot | 63 | 4 |
| Grand Forks | 63 | 0 |
| Williston | 21 | 1 |
frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in North Dakota?
North Dakota has 597 NPI-registered dentists practicing at 447 addresses in 55 cities and towns, per the federal NPPES registry (October 2026). That is 74.9 dentists per 100,000 residents, against a national rate of 80.2.
How does North Dakota rank for dental access?
North Dakota ranks 26th of 51 for dentists per capita in the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026. For pediatric access it ranks 48th of 51, with 7.6 pediatric dentists per 100,000 children.
How many pediatric dentists does North Dakota have?
North Dakota has 14 NPI-registered pediatric dentists, roughly one for every 13,233 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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Match with a dentist in North Dakota
Dee reads verified specialty registrations across 447 North Dakota practice addresses and matches you to the one that fits.