2026 metro dental report
Dental care in Cleveland, by the numbers
How many dentists the 2,171,877 people of the Cleveland metro have, where they cluster, which specialties run thin, and who is joining the workforce.
Part of the Metro Dental Reports 2026 by Pete Johnson, founder of dentalist.ai. Sources: federal NPPES registry, CMS Open Payments and U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Dentist access
17th of 50
92.3 dentists per 100k residents (U.S.: 80.2)
Pediatric access
34th of 50
13.6 pediatric dentists per 100k children (U.S.: 14.9)
2,004
Registered dentists
1,289
Practice addresses
18.4%
Specialists
6
Counties
Key findings
- Cleveland has 2,004 registered dentists for 2,171,877 residents: 92.3 per 100,000 people, 15% above the national rate of 80.2. That ranks 17th of the 50 largest U.S. metros.
- Where you live inside the metro matters. Cuyahoga County has 117.2 dentists per 100,000 residents; Ashtabula County has 36.1. That is a 3.2x gap within one metro area.
- There is one pediatric dentist for every 7,345 children here (13.6 per 100,000 kids, 9% below the national rate).
- 168 dentists now practicing here received their NPI in 2023 to 2025, 7.7 per 100,000 residents (national: 6).
- 31.7% of Cleveland's registered dentists are women, against 35.8% nationally.
- In 2025, 31% of the metro's dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company, $245,000 in total. For most it was small: 57% received nothing but meals, and the typical recipient got $76 for the year. The top 10% of recipients took 77% of the money.
Dentists per person, county by county
Every county in the metro, largest first. Rates for counties under 50,000 people swing on a handful of dentists, so read those loosely.
| County | Population | Dentists | Per 100k | Pediatric per 100k kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County | 1,240,594 | 1,454 | 117.2 | 16.4 |
| Lorain County | 322,030 | 171 | 53.1 | 10.3 |
| Lake County | 232,360 | 181 | 77.9 | 16.1 |
| Medina County | 184,625 | 117 | 63.4 | 10.5 |
| Ashtabula County | 96,906 | 35 | 36.1 | 0 |
| Geauga County | 95,362 | 46 | 48.2 | 4.9 |
Specialists
Dentists whose primary registered specialty is one of the six below, with the national rate for comparison.
| Specialty | Dentists | Cleveland rate | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentists | 60 | 13.6 per 100k children | 14.9 |
| Orthodontists | 112 | 5.2 per 100k residents | 4 |
| Oral surgeons | 57 | 2.6 per 100k residents | 2.7 |
| Periodontists | 61 | 2.8 per 100k residents | 1.9 |
| Endodontists | 56 | 2.6 per 100k residents | 2 |
| Prosthodontists | 22 | 1 per 100k residents | 1.1 |
Who is practicing
31.7%
Women (U.S.: 35.8%)
168
New NPIs, 2023 to 2025
8.4%
Share of all dentists (U.S.: 7.5%)
A dentist keeps one NPI for life, so most new NPIs belong to dentists early in their careers. By that measure Cleveland ranks 12th of the 50 largest metros for new dentists per resident.
Industry payments to dentists
Drug, device and dental supply companies must report what they pay dentists to CMS Open Payments. In 2025, 622 Cleveland dentists (31%) received at least one payment, $244,944 in all. 57% of them received only meals; the top 10% of recipients took 77% of the dollars. A payment does not mean anything improper, and you can look up your own dentist at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
| Company | Paid to Cleveland dentists, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Straumann USA | $45,146 |
| Align Technology | $24,046 |
| A-dec | $21,899 |
| Convergent Dental | $17,159 |
| Zest Holdings | $15,276 |
Where Cleveland's dentists practice
The cities in the metro with the most registered dentists. Each links to the practices there.
- Cleveland457 dentists
- Mayfield Hts93 dentists
- Beachwood79 dentists
- Mentor70 dentists
- Parma67 dentists
- Lyndhurst67 dentists
- Westlake61 dentists
- Medina59 dentists
- North Olmsted48 dentists
- Elyria47 dentists
Frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in the Cleveland area?
The Cleveland, OH metro area has 2,004 dentists registered in the federal NPI registry, about 92.3 per 100,000 residents, or one for every 1,084 people. The U.S. rate is 80.2 per 100,000.
Which part of Cleveland has the fewest dentists per person?
Among counties with at least 50,000 residents, Ashtabula County has the fewest: 36.1 dentists per 100,000 people. Cuyahoga County has the most, at 117.2.
How many pediatric dentists does Cleveland have?
60 dentists in the metro register pediatric dentistry as their primary specialty, roughly one for every 7,345 children. Nationally the figure is one for every 6,705 children.
Do dentists in Cleveland get paid by dental companies?
Federal Open Payments data shows 31% of Cleveland's registered dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company in 2025, $245,000 in total. 57% of those recipients received only meals. You can look up any individual dentist at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Metro = the Cleveland, OH metropolitan statistical area (OMB 2023 delineation). Dentists are individual NPI registrations with a dental taxonomy in the NPPES registry (October 2026), with deactivated NPIs removed; counts are registry-based, not licensure-based, and can include dentists who have retired. Practices are placed in a county by ZIP code. Population: Census Vintage 2024 estimates. Industry payments: CMS Open Payments, general payments, program year 2025. Full methodology on the report index.
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