2026 dental access report card
Dental access in Texas
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
40th of 51
67.6 dentists per 100k people (national: 80.2)
Pediatric access rank
27th of 51
13.4 pediatric dentists per 100k children (national: 14.9)
21,140
Registered dentists
18,910
Practice addresses
674
Cities and towns
19.6%
Specialist share
Specialty coverage
Dentists in Texas by primary registered specialty, with the per-100k rate next to the national rate.
| Specialty | Dentists | Per 100k | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentistry | 1,024 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| Orthodontics | 1,191 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Oral surgery | 648 | 2.1 | 2.7 |
| Endodontics | 458 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Periodontics | 489 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Prosthodontics | 332 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Where Texas's dentists concentrate
| City | Dentists | Pediatric |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 2,771 | 126 |
| San Antonio | 1,755 | 97 |
| Dallas | 1,532 | 70 |
| Austin | 1,037 | 52 |
| Fort Worth | 590 | 30 |
frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in Texas?
Texas has 21,140 NPI-registered dentists practicing at 18,910 addresses in 674 cities and towns, per the federal NPPES registry (October 2026). That is 67.6 dentists per 100,000 residents, against a national rate of 80.2.
How does Texas rank for dental access?
Texas ranks 40th of 51 for dentists per capita in the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026. For pediatric access it ranks 27th of 51, with 13.4 pediatric dentists per 100,000 children.
How many pediatric dentists does Texas have?
Texas has 1,024 NPI-registered pediatric dentists, roughly one for every 7,486 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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