Oral & Dental Surgery Waiting Times Across the NHS

The NHS Oral & Dental Surgery waiting list in England has 322,166 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 16 weeks across 113 hospitals. In practice, Oral & Dental Surgery waiting times range from about 4 weeks at the fastest hospital to 28 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Oral & Dental Surgery appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 40 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 9,094 patients have been on the Oral & Dental Surgery waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Oral & Dental Surgery are about 0.7 week shorter than in February 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Feb 25→Feb 26
Typical wait
16.3weeks
â–¼ -0.7 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
6in 10
â–² +1.7 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
322k
â–¼ -5.1k
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
9.1k
â–¼ -5k
Been on the list for 12+ months
113
Hospitals you could choose from
16 weeks
How long most people wait
6 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
9.1k
Have waited over a year

Common reasons for referral

Wisdom tooth removal
Jaw surgery (orthognathic)
Dental implants
Removal of impacted teeth
Jaw joint problems (TMJ)
Mouth ulcer investigation
Cyst removal
Biopsies of mouth lesions

National trend

Average oral & dental surgery wait across England, month by month.

â–¼ -0.7 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
Tees Valley Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 4 wks
98.0%
-
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust London London 4 wks
92.5%
-
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 7 wks
91.2%
1
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
80.1%
-
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 8 wks
81.6%
1
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 8 wks
88.7%
-
Somerset Surgical Services HQ South West South West 9 wks
91.0%
-
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 9 wks
74.0%
26
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 10 wks
70.2%
4
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 10 wks
66.9%
8
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 10 wks
68.8%
62
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
71.6%
-
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 10 wks
80.3%
-
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 10 wks
86.3%
-
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust South West South West 11 wks
73.5%
1
Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 11 wks
71.2%
10
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 11 wks
65.8%
40
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 12 wks
68.5%
9
Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 12 wks
67.6%
-
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
66.8%
6
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
72.5%
11
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
73.8%
9
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 12 wks
65.2%
28
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 12 wks
67.1%
23
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 12 wks
68.8%
-
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
67.0%
-
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
66.2%
27
University Hospitals Bristol And Weston NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
66.1%
24
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
66.4%
78
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Emersons Green South West South West 13 wks
71.9%
-
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
66.9%
-
Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - Devizes South West South West 13 wks
73.4%
-
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust London London 13 wks
64.7%
23
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
71.4%
-
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
62.9%
27
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 13 wks
65.1%
16
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 14 wks
63.2%
12
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 14 wks
62.9%
39
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 14 wks
64.4%
-
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
61.8%
-
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
61.0%
44
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 14 wks
57.5%
87
The Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
61.2%
-
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
63.6%
3
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 15 wks
58.2%
138
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
61.4%
22
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
57.8%
6
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
57.5%
5
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
57.6%
-
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 16 wks
57.1%
58
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 16 wks
57.4%
15
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 16 wks
55.7%
123
Torbay And South Devon NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 16 wks
55.9%
61
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 16 wks
55.4%
3
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 16 wks
54.5%
35
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
56.7%
9
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Southampton South East South East 16 wks
54.8%
4
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 16 wks
52.6%
-
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 17 wks
52.8%
375
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 17 wks
53.0%
28
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust East of England East of England 17 wks
52.7%
75
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
52.0%
-
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 17 wks
51.3%
57
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 17 wks
51.0%
92
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 18 wks
50.8%
131
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 18 wks
50.8%
263
Ashford And St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 18 wks
50.8%
138
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 18 wks
50.6%
11
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust South East South East 18 wks
50.5%
22
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
50.0%
9
University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
50.0%
220
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
49.5%
8
The Westbourne Centre Midlands Midlands 18 wks
49.4%
14
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 18 wks
49.3%
29
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 18 wks
49.2%
44
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 19 wks
48.1%
17
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
47.9%
26
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 19 wks
48.0%
14
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 19 wks
47.1%
122
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 19 wks
46.9%
61
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust East of England East of England 19 wks
47.8%
106
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
47.3%
193
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 19 wks
46.8%
273
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 19 wks
47.0%
275
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 20 wks
46.3%
495
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 20 wks
46.5%
116
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
46.3%
135
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
46.2%
55
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 20 wks
45.0%
125
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 20 wks
46.4%
-
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 20 wks
44.8%
35
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 20 wks
44.4%
87
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 20 wks
44.9%
120
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 21 wks
43.5%
34
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 21 wks
44.4%
115
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 21 wks
43.4%
97
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 21 wks
43.4%
54
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 21 wks
41.8%
35
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 21 wks
44.4%
190
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 21 wks
43.2%
99
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 22 wks
41.1%
31
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 22 wks
42.0%
271
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 23 wks
39.8%
110
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 23 wks
41.6%
549
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 23 wks
40.9%
234
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 23 wks
35.5%
174
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 24 wks
38.1%
251
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 25 wks
37.1%
317
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 25 wks
35.1%
189
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 26 wks
34.5%
117
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 28 wks
37.3%
110
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 28 wks
33.4%
1,167
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 28 wks
32.6%
81

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the NHS Oral & Dental Surgery waiting list?

The NHS Oral & Dental Surgery waiting list in England has about 322,166 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 16 weeks (nearly 4 months), based on data from 113 hospitals. Waiting times vary significantly between hospitals, so it's worth comparing your options before accepting a referral.

How long will I wait to see an oral surgeon on the NHS?

The headline NHS waiting time is the wait from your GP's referral to your first outpatient appointment, which is the first time you actually see an oral surgeon. Nationally this currently averages about 16 weeks. In our data it ranges from as short as 4 weeks at the fastest hospital to 28 weeks at the slowest, so where you are referred matters. Any tests, procedures or treatment that follow that first appointment may have their own waits on top.

What percentage of Oral & Dental Surgery patients are seen within 18 weeks?

Across the NHS, 57% of Oral & Dental Surgery patients are currently seen within the 18-week target. The NHS constitutional standard is 92%.

Can I choose which hospital I'm referred to?

Yes. Under the NHS Constitution, patients in England have the right to choose which hospital they are referred to for a first outpatient appointment. You can use WaitRadar to compare waiting times and discuss your options with your GP.

Source: NHS England RTT statistics. about our methodology

This is informational data, not medical advice. Always discuss referral options with your GP. Full disclaimer.