Market · Oceania
New Zealand has 50.8 dentists per 100,000 people (practising basis, 2025)
Dental market data for New Zealand: 13 sourced metrics with as-of dates, source links and comparability ratings; gaps are listed explicitly.
Dental Market Radar Editorial Team · Updated · Data as of
New Zealand had 50.8 dentists per 100,000 people in 2025 (practising basis), derived from 2,705 practising dentists (Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25) divided by total population (World Bank WDI).
Key points
- New Zealand had 2,705 practising dentists in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
- New Zealand had 3,381 registered dentists in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
- New Zealand does not publish an official count of dental clinics. Stats NZ data (via Figure.NZ) show 2,724 dental-services business locations in February 2025, according to Figure.NZ Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand, by territorial authority, Feb 2025, number of geographic units. Scope: economically significant units only; excludes public school/community clinics.
- New Zealand had 2,568 dental businesses in 2025, according to Figure.NZ Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand, republished from Stats NZ business demography statistics. Scope: economically significant enterprises only.
- New Zealand has no reliable figure for hospitals with a dental department (the authorities do not publish it). See the data record.
Coverage of the expected metric set: 11 of 12 have a value (0 of them stale), 1 are documented as no reliable figure, 0 are not yet collected. See the coverage matrix.
Cite this
Dental Market Radar (dentalmarketradar.com), New Zealand dental market data, https://dentalmarketradar.com/markets/nz/
Permanent URL: https://dentalmarketradar.com/markets/nz/. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Key stats
Versus the region
What is the population of New Zealand?
New Zealand had a population of 5,324,700 in 2025, according to Stats NZ National population estimates.
What is the GDP per capita of New Zealand?
New Zealand had a GDP per capita of US$49,591 in 2025, according to World Bank WDI.
How many dentists are there in New Zealand?
New Zealand had 3,381 registered dentists in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
How many practising dentists are there in New Zealand?
New Zealand had 2,705 practising dentists in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
How many dentists per 100,000 people does New Zealand have?
New Zealand had 50.8 dentists per 100,000 people in 2025 (practising basis), derived from 2,705 practising dentists (Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25) divided by total population (World Bank WDI).
How many dental clinics are there in New Zealand?
New Zealand does not publish an official count of dental clinics. Stats NZ data (via Figure.NZ) show 2,724 dental-services business locations in February 2025, according to Figure.NZ Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand, by territorial authority, Feb 2025, number of geographic units. Scope: economically significant units only; excludes public school/community clinics.
How many dental hygienists are there in New Zealand?
New Zealand had 435 dental hygienists in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
How many dental technicians are there in New Zealand?
New Zealand had 368 dental technicians in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
How many dentists graduate each year in New Zealand?
New Zealand had 114 new dental graduates in 2025, according to Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25.
Tier-1 snapshot
| Metric | Value | Basis | As of | Comparability | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,324,700 persons | other | Comparability A | Value | |
| GDP per capita (US$) | US$49,591 | other | Comparability A | Value | |
| Dentists (total) | 3,381 persons | registered | Comparability A | Value | |
| Dentists (practising) | 2,705 persons | practising | Comparability B | Value | |
| Dentists per 100,000 population | 50.8 per 100,000 | practising | Comparability B | Value | |
| Dental hygienists total | 435 persons | registered | Comparability B | Value | |
| Dental technicians total | 368 persons | registered | Comparability A | Value | |
| Dental graduates annual | 114 persons | registered | Comparability B | Value | |
| Dental schools total | 1 schools | registered | Comparability A | Value | |
| Dental clinics total | 2,724 facilities | other (economically significant units only; excludes public school/community clinics) | Comparability B | Value | |
| Hospitals with a dental department | Not published why | other | Comparability C | Not available | |
| Dental public coverage | Basic dental care is publicly funded and free for eligible children and adolescents until their 18th birthday (some extra treatments such as orthodontics may… | other | Comparability B | Value |
Per-capita rates use World Bank total population for the same year; the national statistics figure stays in the Context table below.
Workforce
Facilities
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental clinics total | 2,724 facilities | other (economically significant units only; excludes public school/community clinics) | Comparability B | Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand, by territorial authority, Feb 2025, number of geographic units (Stats NZ business demography, republished) | Value | |
| Hospitals with a dental department | Not published why No reliable figure found: Health NZ runs hospital dental services in its districts (referral for disabled people and patients with conditions such as mouth cancer), but no published count of… | other | Comparability C | Dental care (public information page) | Not available | |
| DSO share of dental clinics (%) (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found: no official measure. Leads: clinic counts of the larger groups (Lumino The Dentists / Abano, Maven Dental) divided by a site-based total; Stats NZ geographic-unit counts… | other | Comparability C | Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand (enterprises, ANZSIC06 Q8531), republished from Stats NZ business demography statistics | Not available | |
| Dental businesses total (tier 2) | 2,568 businesses | other (economically significant enterprises only) | Comparability C | Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand (enterprises, ANZSIC06 Q8531), republished from Stats NZ business demography statistics | Value |
Self-pay
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implant procedures annual (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found: no NZ claims or registry data; implants are privately paid. Lead: ACC treatment-injury implant claims (partial). | other | Comparability C | Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) | Not available | |
| Clear aligner cases annual (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found: no official or association count located. | other | Comparability C | Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) | Not available | |
| Self-pay share of dental spend (%) (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found: no dental-by-financing split for NZ in OECD SHA. Policy fact (Health NZ): adults pay privately for most dental care, so the share is high but unmeasured. | other | Comparability C | OECD Health Statistics: System of Health Accounts (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA) | Not available | |
| Total dental spend (US$) (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found: the OECD SHA dataset carries only total health spending for New Zealand (no HC.1.3.2 dental line, 2021-2025). Leads: Ministry of Health / Health NZ health expenditure trends… | other | Comparability C | OECD Health Statistics: System of Health Accounts (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA) | Not available | |
| Dental public coverage | Basic dental care is publicly funded and free for eligible children and adolescents until their 18th birthday (some extra treatments such as orthodontics may… | other | Comparability B | Dental care (public information page) | Value | |
| Dental spend local currency (tier 2) | No record | No record |
Digital
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intraoral scanners installed (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found: no public NZ count located. Lead: NZDA member survey. | other | Comparability C | Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) | Not available | |
| Chairside cadcam installed base (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found: no public NZ count located. | other | Comparability C | Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) | Not available | |
| Dental 3d printer installed base (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found: no public NZ count located. | other | Comparability C | Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) | Not available | |
| Ios penetration % dentists (tier 2) | No record | No record |
Sleep
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult OSA prevalence (%) (tier 2) | 3.0% (stale) | estimate | Comparability C | Benjafield AV et al. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea. Lancet Respir Med 2019 | Value (stale) | |
| Oral appliance reimbursement (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found: no Health NZ or Pharmac funding rule for mandibular advancement devices located. Health NZ states adults pay privately for most dental care. Lead: Health NZ district sleep… | other | Comparability C | Dental care (public information page) | Not available |
Context
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,324,700 persons | other | Comparability A | National population estimates: At 30 June 2025 | Value | |
| GDP per capita (US$) | US$49,591 | other | Comparability A | World Bank WDI: GDP per capita (current US$), New Zealand | Value |
Local definitions
- Population
- Estimated resident population (provisional), 30 June 2025
- GDP per capita (US$)
- GDP per capita in current US dollars (market exchange rate)
- Dentists (total)
- Practitioners registered in the dentistry profession (general dental practice and/or a specialist scope); counted once per profession
- Dentists (practising)
- Registered dentists and dental specialists holding an annual practising certificate (APC)
- Dentists per 100,000 population
- Headline rate (DECISIONS L4/L5): dentists_practising (practising) divided by World Bank total population, same year
- Dental hygienists total
- Practitioners registered in the dental hygiene profession
- Dental technicians total
- Practitioners registered in the dental technology profession
- Dental graduates annual
- Approved applications for registration as a dentist via the "New Zealand graduate" pathway in the year to 31 March
- Dental schools total
- Providers of a Dental Council-accredited programme leading to registration as a dentist
- Dental clinics total
- Geographic units (single-location operating units) classified to ANZSIC06 Q8531 Dental services, economically significant businesses only
- Dental public coverage
- Public funding of dental care in New Zealand (Health NZ)
Documented gaps
Reasons: No figure found (gap): we searched and found nothing; Not applicable (structural): the measure does not exist or does not apply there; Source blocked (blocked_source): a source exists but could not be read; Not published (not_published): the authorities do not publish it.
- Hospitals with a dental department: not_published. No reliable figure found: Health NZ runs hospital dental services in its districts (referral for disabled people and patients with conditions such as mouth cancer), but no published count of hospitals with a dental department was located. Health NZ workforce plan says around 3.7% of dentists work for Health NZ. Lead:… (record)
- DSO share of dental clinics (%): gap. No reliable figure found: no official measure. Leads: clinic counts of the larger groups (Lumino The Dentists / Abano, Maven Dental) divided by a site-based total; Stats NZ geographic-unit counts could provide the denominator. (record)
- Implant procedures annual: gap. No reliable figure found: no NZ claims or registry data; implants are privately paid. Lead: ACC treatment-injury implant claims (partial). (record)
- Clear aligner cases annual: gap. No reliable figure found: no official or association count located. (record)
- Self-pay share of dental spend (%): gap. No reliable figure found: no dental-by-financing split for NZ in OECD SHA. Policy fact (Health NZ): adults pay privately for most dental care, so the share is high but unmeasured. (record)
- Total dental spend (US$): gap. No reliable figure found: the OECD SHA dataset carries only total health spending for New Zealand (no HC.1.3.2 dental line, 2021-2025). Leads: Ministry of Health / Health NZ health expenditure trends report; Stats NZ Household Economic Survey (dental services spending, household side only). (record)
- Intraoral scanners installed: not_published. No reliable figure found: no public NZ count located. Lead: NZDA member survey. (record)
- Chairside cadcam installed base: not_published. No reliable figure found: no public NZ count located. (record)
- Dental 3d printer installed base: not_published. No reliable figure found: no public NZ count located. (record)
- Oral appliance reimbursement: gap. No reliable figure found: no Health NZ or Pharmac funding rule for mandibular advancement devices located. Health NZ states adults pay privately for most dental care. Lead: Health NZ district sleep services policies; Southern Cross / nib NZ policy wordings (private). (record)
Data notes
Series breaks: a change in source or definition inside a series. A jump across a break is never growth.
No series breaks documented.
Desk notes on gaps
New file. The 23 records are in data/facts/NZ.yaml and the sources in data/sources.d/NZ.yaml. The core source is the Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 PDF (register and APC data at 31 March 2025), downloaded and text-extracted.
Tier 1
| Metric | Status | Value / reason |
|---|---|---|
| population | filled | 5,324,700 (Stats NZ, 30 Jun 2025, provisional) |
| gdp_per_capita_usd | filled, medium | US$49,591.0 (2025, World Bank WDI) |
| dentists_total | filled | 3,381 registered (31 Mar 2025); 3,349 (2024) |
| dentists_practising | filled, derived, medium | 2,705 = 3,381 × 80% holding an APC. The percentage is rounded, so expect ±17 |
| dentists_per_100k | filled, derived | 63.5 on a registered basis (50.8 on a practising basis) |
| dental_hygienists_total | filled, comparability B | 435 registered hygienists. Oral health therapists (1,066) are a separate profession with a hygiene scope |
| dental_technicians_total | filled | 368 registered (plus 260 clinical dental technicians) |
| dental_graduates_annual | filled, comparability B | 114 approved NZ-graduate dentist registrations (year to 31 Mar 2025); 86 the year before |
| dental_schools_total | filled, derived | 1 (University of Otago BDS) |
| dental_clinics_total | filled, medium, comparability C | 2,568 enterprises in ANZSIC Q8531 Dental services (Feb 2025, Stats NZ data via Figure.NZ). These are enterprises, not sites |
| hospitals_with_dental_dept | null (documented) | No published count |
| dental_public_coverage | filled | Free basic care until the 18th birthday. Adults pay privately, apart from limited emergency care (Community Services Card), hospital referral, and Work and Income help |
Tier 2 scan
| Metric | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| osa_prevalence_adult_pct | filled, low (modelled) | 3.0% (AHI≥15, ages 30-69, Benjafield 2019) |
| dental_spend_total_usd | null | OECD SHA has no dental function line for NZ |
| self_pay_share_of_dental_spend_pct | null | Same reason |
| oral_appliance_reimbursement | null | No Health NZ or Pharmac rule located |
| implant / aligner / IOS / CAD-CAM / 3D printer / DSO share | null | No public data |
Why cells are weak, and best leads
- Clinics: The Stats NZ release files on stats.govt.nz stop at 3-digit ANZSIC (Q853 Allied health services). The 4-digit dental class was read from Figure.NZ's republication of the Stats NZ dataset. A better route is Aotearoa Data Explorer (needs an API key, which we did not create) or the Stats NZ "enterprises by detailed industry" table. A site-based count (geographic units) exists by region on Figure.NZ but was not summed.
- Practising dentists: The Dental Council publishes only a percentage holding an APC in the annual report. Its Workforce Analysis reports (latest covers 2020-2022) give exact practising headcounts and FTE. The NZ Dental Association cites 2,724 practising in 2024 (secondary).
- Hospitals with a dental department: Lead is a district-by-district list of Health NZ hospital dental services.
- Dental spend: Leads are the Health NZ / Ministry of Health health expenditure trends and the Stats NZ Household Economic Survey (household dental spending only).
- Health NZ workforce plan: It gives a current shortage of 380 dentists (15.1% of need) and says about 3.7% of dentists work for Health NZ. We recorded no facts from it.
Cross-check notes
crosscheck.py --countries NZ: nz.population.2025 (stats.govt.nz) and nz.dental_clinics_total.2025 (figure.nz) FAIL automatically because both pages render with JavaScript. Both were read in a browser. The Figure.NZ quote joins two table cells (caption and 2025 row). All Dental Council PDF records PASS.
Proposed metrics
See gaps/AU.md. oral_health_therapists_total and dental_prosthetists_total (NZ "clinical dental technicians") matter more for NZ, where the OHT workforce (1,066) is larger than the hygienist workforce (435).
Block 2 update (2026-11-09)
- Clinic sites: 2,724 dental geographic units (Feb 2025), a derived value (
nz.dental_clinics_total.2025-gu). It sums 65 territorial-authority counts of Stats NZ geographic units (single-location operating units) in ANZSIC Q8531, read from Figure.NZ. - Stats NZ randomly rounds each cell to base 3, so the total is approximate.
- The Dental Council does not register practices, so there is no registry route.
- The enterprise count (2,568) is now
nz.dental_businesses_total.2025(moved by desk A).
Sources
- Dental Council of New Zealand Annual Report 2024 (workforce) (Dental Council of New Zealand)
- Stats NZ population estimates (Stats NZ)
- World Bank WDI: Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL) (World Bank (UN Population Division, national statistics offices and others))
- Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) (Dental Council (Te Kaunihera Tiaki Niho))
- National population estimates: At 30 June 2025 (Stats NZ)
- World Bank WDI: GDP per capita (current US$), New Zealand (World Bank)
- Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand (enterprises, ANZSIC06 Q8531), republished from Stats NZ business demography statistics (Figure.NZ (data provider: Stats NZ))
- Dental care (public information page) (Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora)
- Health Workforce Plan 2024: dentistry analysis (Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora)
- Benjafield AV et al. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea. Lancet Respir Med 2019 (The Lancet Respiratory Medicine (PMC author manuscript))
- OECD Health Statistics: System of Health Accounts (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA) (OECD (data supplied by Ministry of Health NZ))
- Businesses in the dental services industry in New Zealand, by territorial authority, Feb 2025, number of geographic units (Stats NZ business demography, republished) (Figure.NZ (data provider: Stats NZ))
Source registry for New Zealand
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