2026 metro dental report
Dental care in San Francisco Bay Area, by the numbers
How many dentists the 4,648,486 people of the San Francisco Bay Area 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
3rd of 50
121.1 dentists per 100k residents (U.S.: 80.2)
Pediatric access
7th of 50
23.3 pediatric dentists per 100k children (U.S.: 14.9)
5,631
Registered dentists
3,860
Practice addresses
18.4%
Specialists
5
Counties
Key findings
- San Francisco Bay Area has 5,631 registered dentists for 4,648,486 residents: 121.1 per 100,000 people, 51% above the national rate of 80.2. That ranks 3rd of the 50 largest U.S. metros.
- There is one pediatric dentist for every 4,297 children here (23.3 per 100,000 kids, 56% above the national rate).
- 307 dentists now practicing here received their NPI in 2023 to 2025, 6.6 per 100,000 residents (national: 6).
- 45.6% of San Francisco Bay Area's registered dentists are women, against 35.8% nationally.
- In 2025, 34% of the metro's dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company, $5.5 million in total. For most it was small: 60% received nothing but meals, and the typical recipient got $97 for the year. The top 10% of recipients took 96% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | 1,649,060 | 1,841 | 111.6 | 19.3 |
| Contra Costa County | 1,172,607 | 1,145 | 97.6 | 19.1 |
| San Francisco County | 827,526 | 1,375 | 166.2 | 36.7 |
| San Mateo County | 742,893 | 902 | 121.4 | 27.1 |
| Marin County | 256,400 | 368 | 143.5 | 29.3 |
Specialists
Dentists whose primary registered specialty is one of the six below, with the national rate for comparison.
| Specialty | Dentists | San Francisco Bay Area rate | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentists | 202 | 23.3 per 100k children | 14.9 |
| Orthodontists | 281 | 6 per 100k residents | 4 |
| Oral surgeons | 149 | 3.2 per 100k residents | 2.7 |
| Periodontists | 160 | 3.4 per 100k residents | 1.9 |
| Endodontists | 167 | 3.6 per 100k residents | 2 |
| Prosthodontists | 76 | 1.6 per 100k residents | 1.1 |
Who is practicing
45.6%
Women (U.S.: 35.8%)
307
New NPIs, 2023 to 2025
5.5%
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 San Francisco Bay Area ranks 26th 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, 1,914 San Francisco Bay Area dentists (34%) received at least one payment, $5,513,381 in all. 60% of them received only meals; the top 10% of recipients took 96% 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 San Francisco Bay Area dentists, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dentsply Sirona | $1,451,314 |
| Align Technology | $1,281,566 |
| Straumann USA | $905,515 |
| Tulsa Dental Products | $861,673 |
| Fkg Dentaire Sarl | $198,595 |
Where San Francisco Bay Area's dentists practice
The cities in the metro with the most registered dentists. Each links to the practices there.
- San Francisco1,374 dentists
- Oakland383 dentists
- Fremont321 dentists
- San Mateo202 dentists
- Walnut Creek184 dentists
- Berkeley180 dentists
- San Leandro146 dentists
- San Ramon144 dentists
- Redwood City130 dentists
- Concord128 dentists
Frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in the San Francisco Bay Area area?
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area has 5,631 dentists registered in the federal NPI registry, about 121.1 per 100,000 residents, or one for every 826 people. The U.S. rate is 80.2 per 100,000.
Which part of San Francisco Bay Area 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 San Francisco Bay Area have?
202 dentists in the metro register pediatric dentistry as their primary specialty, roughly one for every 4,297 children. Nationally the figure is one for every 6,705 children.
Do dentists in San Francisco Bay Area get paid by dental companies?
Federal Open Payments data shows 34% of San Francisco Bay Area's registered dentists received at least one payment from a drug, device or dental supply company in 2025, $5.5 million in total. 60% of those recipients received only meals. You can look up any individual dentist at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Metro = the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 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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