2026 metro dental report
Dental care in Richmond, VA, by the numbers
How many dentists the 1,370,165 people of the Richmond, VA 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
13th of 50
98.5 dentists per 100k residents (U.S.: 80.2)
Pediatric access
6th of 50
24 pediatric dentists per 100k children (U.S.: 14.9)
1,349
Registered dentists
848
Practice addresses
24.6%
Specialists
17
Counties
Key findings
- Richmond, VA has 1,349 registered dentists for 1,370,165 residents: 98.5 per 100,000 people, 23% above the national rate of 80.2. That ranks 13th of the 50 largest U.S. metros.
- There is one pediatric dentist for every 4,174 children here (24 per 100,000 kids, 61% above the national rate).
- 123 dentists now practicing here received their NPI in 2023 to 2025, 9 per 100,000 residents (national: 6).
- 38.7% of Richmond, VA's registered dentists are women, against 35.8% nationally.
- In 2025, 42.9% of the metro's dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company, $471,000 in total. For most it was small: 62% received nothing but meals, and the typical recipient got $119 for the year. The top 10% of recipients took 82% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield County | 389,793 | 393 | 100.8 | 22 |
| Henrico County | 338,696 | 302 | 89.2 | 36.1 |
| Richmond city | 233,655 | 385 | 164.8 | 36.9 |
| Hanover County | 115,309 | 115 | 99.7 | 12.2 |
| Prince George County | 43,589 | 63 | 144.5 | 0 |
| Petersburg city | 34,058 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powhatan County | 32,392 | 17 | 52.5 | 0 |
| Dinwiddie County | 28,576 | 14 | 49 | 0 |
| Goochland County | 28,223 | 35 | 124 | 112.4 |
| New Kent County | 27,218 | 10 | 36.7 | 0 |
| Hopewell city | 22,970 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| King William County | 19,232 | 7 | 36.4 | 0 |
| Colonial Heights city | 18,674 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amelia County | 13,716 | 5 | 36.5 | 0 |
| Sussex County | 10,753 | 2 | 18.6 | 0 |
| King and Queen County | 6,747 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles City County | 6,564 | 1 | 15.2 | 0 |
Specialists
Dentists whose primary registered specialty is one of the six below, with the national rate for comparison.
| Specialty | Dentists | Richmond, VA rate | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentists | 69 | 24 per 100k children | 14.9 |
| Orthodontists | 77 | 5.6 per 100k residents | 4 |
| Oral surgeons | 69 | 5 per 100k residents | 2.7 |
| Periodontists | 53 | 3.9 per 100k residents | 1.9 |
| Endodontists | 35 | 2.6 per 100k residents | 2 |
| Prosthodontists | 29 | 2.1 per 100k residents | 1.1 |
Who is practicing
38.7%
Women (U.S.: 35.8%)
123
New NPIs, 2023 to 2025
9.1%
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 Richmond, VA ranks 5th 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, 579 Richmond, VA dentists (42.9%) received at least one payment, $471,358 in all. 62% of them received only meals; the top 10% of recipients took 82% 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 Richmond, VA dentists, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Align Technology | $274,572 |
| ZimVie | $67,227 |
| Straumann USA | $39,478 |
| Dentsply Sirona | $15,936 |
| Ultradent Products | $7,710 |
Where Richmond, VA's dentists practice
The cities in the metro with the most registered dentists. Each links to the practices there.
- Richmond647 dentists
- Midlothian182 dentists
- Mechanicsville67 dentists
- Glen Allen64 dentists
- Chester62 dentists
- Henrico49 dentists
- Colonial Heights43 dentists
- North Chesterfield35 dentists
- Petersburg23 dentists
- Ashland22 dentists
Frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in the Richmond, VA area?
The Richmond, VA metro area has 1,349 dentists registered in the federal NPI registry, about 98.5 per 100,000 residents, or one for every 1,016 people. The U.S. rate is 80.2 per 100,000.
Which part of Richmond, VA has the fewest dentists per person?
Dentist density is fairly even across the metro's large counties. The full county table on this page shows each one.
How many pediatric dentists does Richmond, VA have?
69 dentists in the metro register pediatric dentistry as their primary specialty, roughly one for every 4,174 children. Nationally the figure is one for every 6,705 children.
Do dentists in Richmond, VA get paid by dental companies?
Federal Open Payments data shows 42.9% of Richmond, VA's registered dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company in 2025, $471,000 in total. 62% of those recipients received only meals. You can look up any individual dentist at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Metro = the Richmond, VA 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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