Understand NHS dentistry
What is a UDA in NHS dentistry?
A UDA is a unit used to measure NHS dental activity. It helps explain why some practices pause new NHS patients.
Updated 21 May 2026
The short version
UDA means Unit of Dental Activity. NHS dental practices have a contract target for the number of UDAs they should deliver in a year.
A check-up may count as 1 UDA. More complex treatment counts for more. The exact contract details can vary.
Why patients should care
UDA targets affect capacity. A practice can be an NHS practice but still pause new NHS patients if its contract capacity is full.
This is one reason live acceptance checks are more useful than simply knowing whether a practice has an NHS contract.
How Dentist List uses UDA data
Where NHSBSA activity data is available, we show target, delivered activity, performance percentage and patient counts. These help show whether NHS work is happening at scale.
How to read the delivery gauge
The gauge compares the latest reported UDA delivery with the contract target. It uses NHSBSA year-end reconciliation bands as a guide: below 96% is below target, 96% to 100% is near target, 100% to 102% is on target, and above 102% is over target.
It is not a clinical quality rating or a guarantee of new NHS appointments. A high percentage means contract activity has been delivered against target.