2026 metro dental report
Dental care in Kansas City, by the numbers
How many dentists the 2,253,579 people of the Kansas City 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
28th of 50
81.8 dentists per 100k residents (U.S.: 80.2)
Pediatric access
39th of 50
13.2 pediatric dentists per 100k children (U.S.: 14.9)
1,844
Registered dentists
1,316
Practice addresses
17.2%
Specialists
14
Counties
Key findings
- Kansas City has 1,844 registered dentists for 2,253,579 residents: 81.8 per 100,000 people, in line with the national rate of 80.2. That ranks 28th of the 50 largest U.S. metros.
- Where you live inside the metro matters. Jackson County, MO has 101.5 dentists per 100,000 residents; Cass County, MO has 43. That is a 2.4x gap within one metro area.
- There is one pediatric dentist for every 7,556 children here (13.2 per 100,000 kids, 11% below the national rate).
- 145 dentists now practicing here received their NPI in 2023 to 2025, 6.4 per 100,000 residents (national: 6).
- 33.9% of Kansas City's registered dentists are women, against 35.8% nationally.
- In 2025, 43.9% of the metro's dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company, $395,000 in total. For most it was small: 54% received nothing but meals, and the typical recipient got $102 for the year. The top 10% of recipients took 73% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, MO | 727,362 | 738 | 101.5 | 15.6 |
| Johnson County, KS | 632,276 | 617 | 97.6 | 18.8 |
| Clay County, MO | 263,370 | 198 | 75.2 | 16.6 |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 169,418 | 74 | 43.7 | 0 |
| Cass County, MO | 113,873 | 49 | 43 | 3.9 |
| Platte County, MO | 113,207 | 74 | 65.4 | 11.8 |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 84,670 | 48 | 56.7 | 10.1 |
| Miami County, KS | 35,737 | 11 | 30.8 | 0 |
| Lafayette County, MO | 33,511 | 15 | 44.8 | 0 |
| Ray County, MO | 23,199 | 5 | 21.6 | 0 |
| Clinton County, MO | 21,721 | 4 | 18.4 | 0 |
| Bates County, MO | 16,394 | 5 | 30.5 | 0 |
| Linn County, KS | 9,841 | 4 | 40.6 | 0 |
| Caldwell County, MO | 9,000 | 2 | 22.2 | 0 |
Specialists
Dentists whose primary registered specialty is one of the six below, with the national rate for comparison.
| Specialty | Dentists | Kansas City rate | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentists | 69 | 13.2 per 100k children | 14.9 |
| Orthodontists | 85 | 3.8 per 100k residents | 4 |
| Oral surgeons | 56 | 2.5 per 100k residents | 2.7 |
| Periodontists | 43 | 1.9 per 100k residents | 1.9 |
| Endodontists | 43 | 1.9 per 100k residents | 2 |
| Prosthodontists | 21 | 0.9 per 100k residents | 1.1 |
Who is practicing
33.9%
Women (U.S.: 35.8%)
145
New NPIs, 2023 to 2025
7.9%
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 Kansas City ranks 31st 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, 809 Kansas City dentists (43.9%) received at least one payment, $395,187 in all. 54% of them received only meals; the top 10% of recipients took 73% 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 Kansas City dentists, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Envista Holdings | $113,846 |
| Blue Sky Bio | $65,288 |
| Straumann USA | $36,167 |
| ZimVie | $35,081 |
| Align Technology | $28,561 |
Where Kansas City's dentists practice
The cities in the metro with the most registered dentists. Each links to the practices there.
- Kansas City, MO547 dentists
- Overland Park, KS196 dentists
- Lees Summit, MO111 dentists
- Independence, MO106 dentists
- Olathe, KS94 dentists
- Leawood, KS81 dentists
- Prairie Village, KS77 dentists
- Kansas City, KS74 dentists
- Shawnee, KS61 dentists
- Blue Springs, MO60 dentists
Frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in the Kansas City area?
The Kansas City, MO-KS metro area has 1,844 dentists registered in the federal NPI registry, about 81.8 per 100,000 residents, or one for every 1,222 people. The U.S. rate is 80.2 per 100,000.
Which part of Kansas City has the fewest dentists per person?
Among counties with at least 50,000 residents, Cass County, MO has the fewest: 43 dentists per 100,000 people. Jackson County, MO has the most, at 101.5.
How many pediatric dentists does Kansas City have?
69 dentists in the metro register pediatric dentistry as their primary specialty, roughly one for every 7,556 children. Nationally the figure is one for every 6,705 children.
Do dentists in Kansas City get paid by dental companies?
Federal Open Payments data shows 43.9% of Kansas City's registered dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company in 2025, $395,000 in total. 54% of those recipients received only meals. You can look up any individual dentist at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Metro = the Kansas City, MO-KS 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.
Take the next step
Match with a dentist in Kansas City
Tell Dee what matters to you and get matched to Kansas City practices that fit, with the reasons shown.