Dental Nurse Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 50,000 jobs.
Median salary
£23,729
gross, per year, all employees
Part-time work is common in this occupation, so the figure above sits 13.5% below the £26,923 median for people working full-time.
▲ 5.6% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£26,923
Part-time only
£17,752
Mean
£22,965
Jobs measured
50,000
What a typical dental nurse takes home
On the full-time median of £26,923, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£1,909
Take-home a year
£22,904
Income Tax
£2,871
National Insurance
£1,148
What most dental nurses actually earn
Half of dental nurses earn between £17,762 and £28,153. Earning above £28,153 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of dental nurses earn less than this.
Dental Nurse salary by region
8 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| South East | £25,693 | £24,246 |
| Scotland | £25,670 | £24,904 |
| West Midlands | £25,531 | £25,584 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £23,624 | £22,928 |
| South West | £23,314 | £22,264 |
| North West | £22,505 | £21,919 |
| Wales | £22,313 | £22,540 |
| East Midlands | £21,815 | £21,526 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Dental nurses
- SOC 2020 code
- 6133
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Dental Nurse salary FAQs
What is the average Dental Nurse salary in the UK?
The median is £23,729 a year and the mean is £22,965, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £26,923 and part-time employees £17,752.
How much does a dental nurse earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £14.70 excluding overtime, or £14.61 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Dental Nurse salary?
Half of dental nurses earn between £17,762 and £28,153. Anything above £28,153 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a dental nurse?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of dental nurses earn under £11,898 and the lowest quarter under £17,762 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has dental nurse pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +5.6% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many dental nurses are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 50,000 employee jobs in “Dental nurses” (SOC 6133) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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