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Central Valley · 2026-08-12

Central Valley cities with the fewest dentists

Compare how many dentists are listed for every 10,000 people. Lower numbers can point to communities where finding care may be harder.

In this snapshot, the fewest dentists per person are in Winton, Los Banos, Chowchilla. That can mean fewer local choices, but it does not prove that no other dentist practices there.

Federal records list 18 dentists in Los Banos (3.7 per 10,000 people), compared with 97 in Merced (9.9 per 10,000).

City comparison

Dentists listed by city

Sorted from the highest to lowest number of individual dentists in federal records. These are not dental-office counts, and the records do not show who is accepting new patients.

Fresno
Fresno County
Dentists listed
542
Per 10k
9.7
Modesto
Stanislaus County
Dentists listed
271
Per 10k
12.3
Stockton
San Joaquin County
Dentists listed
264
Per 10k
8.2
Visalia
Tulare County
Dentists listed
168
Per 10k
11.4
Merced
Merced County
Dentists listed
97
Per 10k
9.9
Turlock
Stanislaus County
Dentists listed
91
Per 10k
12.6
Madera
Madera County
Dentists listed
81
Per 10k
12.2
Atwater
Merced County
Dentists listed
19
Per 10k
6.0
Los Banos
Merced County
Dentists listed
18
Per 10k
3.7
Chowchilla
Madera County
Dentists listed
11
Per 10k
5.9
Livingston
Merced County
Dentists listed
10
Per 10k
6.9
Planada
Merced County
Dentists listed
4
Per 10k
9.6
Winton
Merced County
Dentists listed
None found
Per 10k
—

“No federal records found” means the latest registry search returned no matching individual dentist for that city. It does not prove that no dentist practices there.

Common questions

Understanding Central Valley dentist shortages

What this city comparison can — and cannot — tell you.

Which Central Valley cities have the fewest dentists?
Winton, Los Banos, Chowchilla have the lowest number of dentists per 10,000 people in this current snapshot.
What does “dentists per 10,000 people” mean?
It adjusts the dentist count for population, so a small city and a large city can be compared more fairly. A lower number means fewer listed dentists for the number of people who live there.
Does a low count mean no dentist is accepting patients?
No. Federal records show where dentists are listed, but they do not tell us who has an open appointment. Always contact an office to confirm.

About the numbers

Where these numbers come from

A dentist, a dental office, a Medi-Cal location, and a license are not the same thing. Each card below names the local count and what it means.

Federal provider registry

1,965

Dentists listed in Central Valley cities

The city-by-city counts used in these reports · As of 2026-08-12

Medi-Cal Dental file

2,919

Enrolled dental locations

Fresno County, Kern County, Madera County, Merced County, San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, Tulare County · As of 2025-09-18

Dental Board licenses

1,502

Local dentists with a current California license match

Dentists in the Central Valley city data above · As of 2026-08-13

Federal shortage areas

7

Local offices with an exact current match

Exact facility or full-county matches only · As of 2026-08-13

Practice directory

585

Published Central Valley office pages

Office listings, separate from individual dentists · As of 2026-08-17

Find a dentist in one of these cities

Use the comparison to understand local options, then browse the directory to find an office.

Dentists in FresnoDentists in BakersfieldDentists in ModestoDentists in StocktonDentists in VisaliaBrowse all citiesSpecialists

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