Market · Southeast Asia
Thailand has 11.2 dentists per 100,000 people (employed basis, 2023)
Dental market data for Thailand: 14 sourced metrics with as-of dates, source links and comparability ratings; gaps are listed explicitly.
Dental Market Radar Editorial Team · Updated · Data as of
Thailand had 11.2 dentists per 100,000 people in 2023 (employed basis), derived from 8,059 employed dentists (NSO Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2025) divided by total population (World Bank WDI).
Key points
- Thailand had 8,059 employed dentists in 2023, according to NSO Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2025.
- Thailand had 23,274 dentists in 2026 (basis not stated; an estimate), according to Dental Council of Thailand Dental Council statistics page.
- Thailand had 6,639 licensed dental clinics in 2023, according to Dental Council of Thailand Dental Council statistics page. Scope: private clinics only.
- Thailand had 17,676 dental hygienists in 2018, according to WHO Global Health Observatory OData API - health workforce for Thailand.
Coverage of the expected metric set: 12 of 12 have a value (3 of them stale), 0 are documented as no reliable figure, 0 are not yet collected. See the coverage matrix.
Cite this
Dental Market Radar (dentalmarketradar.com), Thailand dental market data, https://dentalmarketradar.com/markets/th/
Permanent URL: https://dentalmarketradar.com/markets/th/. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Key stats
Versus the region
What is the population of Thailand?
Thailand had a population of 71,619,863 in 2025, according to World Bank World Development Indicators API.
What is the GDP per capita of Thailand?
Thailand had a GDP per capita of US$8,057 in 2025, according to World Bank World Development Indicators API.
How many dentists are there in Thailand?
Thailand had 23,274 dentists in 2026 (basis not stated; an estimate), according to Dental Council of Thailand Dental Council statistics page.
How many practising dentists are there in Thailand?
Thailand had 8,059 employed dentists in 2023, according to NSO Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2025.
How many dentists per 100,000 people does Thailand have?
Thailand had 11.2 dentists per 100,000 people in 2023 (employed basis), derived from 8,059 employed dentists (NSO Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2025) divided by total population (World Bank WDI).
How many dental clinics are there in Thailand?
Thailand had 6,639 licensed dental clinics in 2023, according to Dental Council of Thailand Dental Council statistics page. Scope: private clinics only.
How many dental hygienists are there in Thailand?
Thailand had 17,676 dental hygienists in 2018, according to WHO Global Health Observatory OData API - health workforce for Thailand.
How many dental technicians are there in Thailand?
Thailand had 93 dental technicians in 2015, according to WHO Global Health Observatory OData API - health workforce for Thailand.
How many dentists graduate each year in Thailand?
Thailand had 739 new dental graduates in 2025, according to Dental Council of Thailand Dental Council statistics page.
Tier-1 snapshot
| Metric | Value | Basis | As of | Comparability | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 71,619,863 persons | estimate | Comparability A | Value | |
| GDP per capita (US$) | US$8,057 | other | Comparability A | Value | |
| Dentists (total) | 23,274 persons | estimate | Comparability C | Value | |
| Dentists (practising) | 8,059 persons | employed (public-sector heavy (most private-clinic dentists not counted)) | Comparability C | Value | |
| Dentists per 100,000 population | 11.2 per 100,000 | employed | Comparability C | Value | |
| Dental hygienists total | 17,676 persons (stale) | other | Comparability C | Value (stale) | |
| Dental technicians total | 93 persons (stale) | employed | Comparability B | Value (stale) | |
| Dental graduates annual | 739 persons | registered (new registrants by graduation year (proxy for graduates)) | Comparability B | Value | |
| Dental schools total | 18 schools | licensed | Comparability A | Value | |
| Dental clinics total | 6,639 facilities | licensed (private clinics only) | Comparability B | Value | |
| Hospitals with a dental department | 899 facilities (stale) | other (MOPH hospitals only) | Comparability C | Value (stale) | |
| Dental public coverage | UCS 'one ID card, treat anywhere' (since 2024): UCS members can get dental care free of charge at participating private dental clinics ('คลินิกทันตกรรมอบอุ่น')… | other | Comparability A | 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 | 6,639 facilities | licensed (private clinics only) | Comparability B | Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) | Value | |
| Hospitals with a dental department | 899 facilities (stale) | other (MOPH hospitals only) | Comparability C | Sitthisettapong T, Tasanarong P, Phantumvanit P. Strategic Management of Early Childhood Caries in Thailand: A Critical Overview. Front. Public Health 2021;9:664541 | Value (stale) | |
| DSO share of dental clinics (%) (tier 2) | No figure found why No reliable figure found. Checked: SEC Thailand filing list for Dental Corporation PCL (SET: D, Bangkok International Dental Center / Smile Signature brands) - 56-1 One Report FY2025 exists (zip,… | other | Comparability not rated | SEC Thailand 56-1 filings list, Dental Corporation PCL (SET: D) | Not available | |
| Dental businesses total (tier 2) | No record | No record |
Self-pay
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implant procedures annual (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; NSO yearbook health chapter. Why: no national implant registry or claims count published. Best lead: NHSO/Department of Medical Services… | other | Comparability not rated | Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) | Not available | |
| Clear aligner cases annual (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page (556 orthodontic board certificate/diploma holders, not cases). Why: no public source counts aligner cases in Thailand. Best lead: Align… | other | Comparability not rated | Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) | Not available | |
| Self-pay share of dental spend (%) (tier 2) | No figure found why No dental-specific figure found. Checked: World Bank WDI SH.XPD.OOPC.CH.ZS (all-health out-of-pocket share of current health expenditure, Thailand 2023 = 9.93% - NOT dental). Why: Thai National… | other | Comparability not rated | World Development Indicators API (Thailand) | Not available | |
| Total dental spend (US$) (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found. Checked: World Bank WDI health-expenditure indicators (no dental line). Why: Thai NHA dental breakdown not published in reachable sources. Best lead: IHPP National Health… | other | Comparability not rated | World Development Indicators API (Thailand) | Not available | |
| Dental public coverage | UCS 'one ID card, treat anywhere' (since 2024): UCS members can get dental care free of charge at participating private dental clinics ('คลินิกทันตกรรมอบอุ่น')… | other | Comparability A | Dental Council news: private dental clinics in UCS 'one ID card, treat anywhere' project | 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. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; no official statistic exists. Best lead: distributor/manufacturer statements (tier-2 industry), Thai FDA device registration counts. | other | Comparability not rated | Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) | Not available | |
| Chairside cadcam installed base (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; no official statistic exists. Best lead: Dentsply Sirona / Ivoclar regional distributor disclosures. | other | Comparability not rated | Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) | Not available | |
| Dental 3d printer installed base (tier 2) | Not published why No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; no official statistic exists. Best lead: industry (tier-2) distributor data. | other | Comparability not rated | Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) | 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) | 11.4% (stale) | estimate | Comparability B | Tawaranurak K et al. Prevalence, risk factors and clinical manifestation of patients suspected as having OSA in Songklanagarind Hospital Sleep Center. J Health Sci Med Res 2019;37(4):305-312 | Value (stale) | |
| Oral appliance reimbursement (tier 2) | No figure found why No reimbursement found. Checked: TCC comparison of CSMBS/UCS/SSO dental benefits (no mandibular advancement device listed); Dental Council benefits page ('under revision'). Why: NHSO/SSO benefit… | other | Comparability not rated | Comparison table of dental benefits under CSMBS, UCS and SSO (working-age adults) | Not available |
Context
| Metric | Latest value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 71,619,863 persons | estimate | Comparability A | World Development Indicators API (Thailand) | Value | |
| GDP per capita (US$) | US$8,057 | other | Comparability A | World Development Indicators API (Thailand) | Value |
Local definitions
- Population
- Population, total (de facto, all residents regardless of legal status; mid-year)
- GDP per capita (US$)
- GDP per capita (current US$)
- Dentists (total)
- Cumulative dental practitioner licences ever issued by the Dental Council (ผู้ประกอบวิชาชีพทันตกรรม), incl. deceased/emigrated/inactive
- Dentists (practising)
- Dentists working in health facilities reported to MOPH Office of the Permanent Secretary health-resources survey (government 7,315; state enterprise 6; municipality 253; independent agency 68; private sector 417)
- Dentists per 100,000 population
- Headline rate (DECISIONS L4/L5): dentists_practising (employed) divided by World Bank total population, same year
- Dental hygienists total
- WHO NHWA ISCO-08 3251 dental assistants and therapists
- Dental technicians total
- WHO NHWA ISCO-08 3214 dental prosthetic technicians
- Dental graduates annual
- Dentists registered with the Dental Council, by year of graduation (Thai faculties + overseas)
- Dental schools total
- Thai institutions whose DDS (ทันตแพทยศาสตรบัณฑิต) programme is accredited by the Dental Council for the 2026 intake
- Dental clinics total
- Licensed private dental clinics (คลินิกทันตกรรม + คลินิกเฉพาะทางด้านทันตกรรม) at year-end
- Hospitals with a dental department
- Government (MOPH) hospitals in which dentists and dental therapists provide oral healthcare, per the MOPH 2020 directory of government health service units
- Dental public coverage
- UCS dental services delivered by private dental clinics registered as NHSO service units
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.
- DSO share of dental clinics (%): gap. No reliable figure found. Checked: SEC Thailand filing list for Dental Corporation PCL (SET: D, Bangkok International Dental Center / Smile Signature brands) - 56-1 One Report FY2025 exists (zip, received 25 Mar 2026) but market.sec.or.th did not respond to direct download from this environment, so branch count not… (record)
- Implant procedures annual: not_published. No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; NSO yearbook health chapter. Why: no national implant registry or claims count published. Best lead: NHSO/Department of Medical Services royal dental-implant project for elderly edentulous patients (UCS) - programme counts in NHSO annual report; industry… (record)
- Clear aligner cases annual: not_published. No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page (556 orthodontic board certificate/diploma holders, not cases). Why: no public source counts aligner cases in Thailand. Best lead: Align Technology investor materials (APAC only, no Thailand split). (record)
- Self-pay share of dental spend (%): gap. No dental-specific figure found. Checked: World Bank WDI SH.XPD.OOPC.CH.ZS (all-health out-of-pocket share of current health expenditure, Thailand 2023 = 9.93% - NOT dental). Why: Thai National Health Accounts (IHPP) do not publish a dental function line in sources reached. Best lead: IHPP National Health Accounts… (record)
- Total dental spend (US$): not_published. No reliable figure found. Checked: World Bank WDI health-expenditure indicators (no dental line). Why: Thai NHA dental breakdown not published in reachable sources. Best lead: IHPP National Health Accounts; NHSO dental capitation budget (UCS prevention & promotion dental line) for the public portion. (record)
- Intraoral scanners installed: not_published. No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; no official statistic exists. Best lead: distributor/manufacturer statements (tier-2 industry), Thai FDA device registration counts. (record)
- Chairside cadcam installed base: not_published. No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; no official statistic exists. Best lead: Dentsply Sirona / Ivoclar regional distributor disclosures. (record)
- Dental 3d printer installed base: not_published. No reliable figure found. Checked: Dental Council Stat page; no official statistic exists. Best lead: industry (tier-2) distributor data. (record)
- Oral appliance reimbursement: gap. No reimbursement found. Checked: TCC comparison of CSMBS/UCS/SSO dental benefits (no mandibular advancement device listed); Dental Council benefits page ('under revision'). Why: NHSO/SSO benefit lists unreachable; no evidence that any public scheme reimburses oral appliances for OSA. Best lead: NHSO benefit package… (record)
Data notes
Series breaks: a change in source or definition inside a series. A jump across a break is never growth.
- Dental hygienists total: series break at 2016 (between 2015 and 2016). WHO NHWA series jumps from 6,981 (2015) to 16,654 (2016), probably because chairside dental assistants were added to the hygienist-equivalent count
Desk notes on gaps
Weak or missing cells
| Metric | Status | Why | Best lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| dentists_total | estimate 23,274 (Oct 2026), low/C | The Dental Council publishes no live register total, only registrants by graduation-year cohort since 2552 (2009) and licence-number milestones | Ask the Dental Council ([email protected]) for the count of living licence holders. Press lead (not used): Nation Thailand, Feb 2025, quotes the Council as "approximately 22,000 registered dentists". |
| dentists_practising | 8,059 (2023), C | The MOPH health-resources count covers public facilities and private hospitals. Most dentists in about 6,600 private clinics are left out. | MOPH SPD "Health Resources Report" (spd.moph.go.th/public-health-resources-report/) is blocked to us by robots.txt (see below). The Dental Council's TDC Connect / CPD database could also give an active count. |
| dentists_per_100k | 12.38 (MOPH basis, C) and 32.5 (cumulative licences, low) | Both are off: one undercounts, one overcounts | Same as above: living licence holders divided by World Bank population. |
| dental_hygienists_total | null, plus WHO 17,676 (2018, C) | Thailand has no hygienist licence. The equivalent cadre is dental nurses / dental public health officers (ทันตาภิบาล, นักวิชาการสาธารณสุข/เจ้าพนักงานทันตสาธารณสุข). The WHO series mixes in chairside assistants. | MOPH SPD Health Resources Report, Thai Community Public Health Council register (สภาการสาธารณสุขชุมชน), Bureau of Dental Health (dental.anamai.moph.go.th) workforce reports. |
| dental_technicians_total | 93 (2015, WHO, B) | No statutory licence and no register. Commercial labs are not counted. | Thai Dental Technology Association; MOPH resource report. |
| hospitals_with_dental_dept | 899 (2020, MOPH hospitals only, medium/B), plus the 2023 null record | Round 2 found a peer-reviewed statement (Front. Public Health 2021) that oral care is provided by dentists and dental therapists in 899 government hospitals. The figure comes from the MOPH 2020 directory. It counts hospitals, not audited dental departments, and it leaves out university, military, BMA and private hospitals. No source states "every community hospital has a dental unit" with a count. | MOPH Health Resources Report (spd.moph.go.th, blocked to us); MOPH directory phdb.moph.go.th (no response); HSS private-hospital licence data. News lead, not used: Thansettakij says HSS oversees 4,588 private dental facilities, 344 of them clinics inside hospitals (undated, unverified). Older lead: a 1998 survey of all district hospitals found 88.5% had both dentists and dental nurses (search snippet only). |
| dental_public_coverage | 2022 consumer-council table (medium) plus 2024 Dental Council notice | nhso.go.th and sso.go.th timed out from this environment | NHSO benefit package page; SSO dental benefit page. 2026 news says the SSO medical board proposed paying public-hospital dental care at actual cost and a wisdom-tooth surgery cap of THB 2,500. Not verified. |
| gdp_per_capita_usd | World Bank only | NESDC (nesdc.go.th) robots.txt redirected (302) and was not followed up | NESDC national accounts (GDP per capita in THB and USD). |
| dso_clinic_share_pct | null | The FY2025 56-1 One Report of Dental Corporation PCL (SET: D) is a zip on market.sec.or.th, and direct download timed out | Download URL: https://market.sec.or.th/public/idisc/Download?FILEID=dat/f56/1361ONE250320260853350412T.zip. Read the branch count and divide by 6,639 clinics (2023). |
| osa_prevalence_adult_pct | 11.4% (2011, single centre, low) | No national survey exists. The primary paper's repository (ir.swu.ac.th) returned 403. | Neruntarat & Chantapant, Sleep Breath 2011;15:641-8 (publisher copy). |
| self_pay share / dental spend | null | No dental function line in the NHA sources we reached | IHPP National Health Accounts; NSO Health and Welfare Survey. |
| implants / aligners / IOS / CAD-CAM / 3D printers | null | No official statistic exists | Industry tier-2 sources; Thai FDA device registrations. |
Sites blocked or unreachable (not bypassed)
- moh.go.th / moph.go.th: 403, per the brief. Not retried.
- spd.moph.go.th (MOPH Strategy and Planning Division, host of the Health Resources Report): robots.txt has
Content-Signal: ai-train=noand explicitly disallows ClaudeBot, Claude-Web and anthropic-ai. Respected and not fetched. - bps.moph.go.th: curl timed out, and the fetch tool reported an expired TLS certificate. Not fetched.
- hdcservice.moph.go.th, statbbi.nso.go.th, www.nhso.go.th, www.sso.go.th: connection timed out, both for robots.txt and with the fetch tool.
- data.go.th: robots.txt returned 403 "Access Denied". Stopped.
- hfocus.org: 403 (news lead on ทันตาภิบาล numbers). Stopped.
- ir.swu.ac.th: 403. Stopped.
- market.sec.or.th: robots allows, but direct curl timed out. Only the filing list was read through the fetch tool.
- dental.anamai.moph.go.th: robots allows
*(blocks only OpenAI bots), but no workforce table was found in the time available.
- kb.hsri.or.th (HSRI repository; holds 'สถานการณ์แพทย์ ทันตแพทย์ และเภสัชกร ในโรงพยาบาลชุมชน'): robots.txt disallows ClaudeBot and anthropic-ai. Not fetched.
- opendata.moph.go.th: robots.txt disallows ClaudeBot. Not fetched.
- phdb.moph.go.th (MOPH directory of government health units) and gishealth.moph.go.th: no response (robots.txt timed out).
Notes on quotes
- The Dental Council tables (registrants by graduation year, specialists) are JPG images. Quotes are transcriptions.
- pdftotext dropped some Thai tone and vowel marks in the clinic PDF and the TCC PDF. Numeric rows are verbatim. The TCC Thai quote was restored to standard spelling.
- The NSO e-book text layer has broken glyphs in some Thai words (e.g. "ที� "). Quotes keep the clean parts.
Proposed metrics
dental_specialists_total: now recorded under the approved metricdentists_specialists_totalas th.dentists_specialists_total.2026 = 2,846 living holders (round 2). Original note: board-certified specialists. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Thailand counts 2,887 certificate/diploma holders across 14 specialties (2,846 living), on the Dental Council Stat page, data as of 15 Oct 2026. Orthodontics has 556 (useful for aligner potential) and prosthodontics 268.dental_new_registrants_annual: new licence registrations per year, a cleaner label than "graduates" for the Thai cohort table.dental_clinics_specialist_total: 137 specialist dental clinics (2023) out of 6,639.ucs_private_dental_clinics_participating: private clinics in the NHSO "treat anywhere" dental project. A count is needed from NHSO.
Sources
- Dental Council of Thailand (register and workforce) (Dental Council of Thailand)
- World Bank WDI: Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL) (World Bank (UN Population Division, national statistics offices and others))
- Dental Council statistics page (registrants by graduation year, specialists, dental clinic counts) (Dental Council of Thailand (ทันตแพทยสภา))
- Educational institutions accredited by the Dental Council in 2026 (DDS programmes) (Dental Council of Thailand)
- Dental Council news: private dental clinics in UCS 'one ID card, treat anywhere' project (Dental Council of Thailand)
- Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2025 (e-book) (National Statistical Office (NSO), Thailand)
- World Development Indicators API (Thailand) (World Bank)
- WHO Global Health Observatory OData API - health workforce (NHWA) for Thailand (World Health Organization)
- Comparison table of dental benefits under CSMBS, UCS and SSO (working-age adults) (Thai Consumers Council (สภาองค์กรของผู้บริโภค))
- Tawaranurak K et al. Prevalence, risk factors and clinical manifestation of patients suspected as having OSA in Songklanagarind Hospital Sleep Center. J Health Sci Med Res 2019;37(4):305-312 (Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University (JHSMR))
- SEC Thailand 56-1 filings list, Dental Corporation PCL (SET: D) (Securities and Exchange Commission, Thailand)
- Sitthisettapong T, Tasanarong P, Phantumvanit P. Strategic Management of Early Childhood Caries in Thailand: A Critical Overview. Front. Public Health 2021;9:664541 (Frontiers in Public Health (peer-reviewed))
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