Waiting Times UKEmergency? Call 999

Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026

Oral surgery waiting times at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led oral surgery care at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Oral surgery covers the mouth and jaw, for example wisdom teeth and other hospital dental surgery.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 1,708 pathways were waiting for consultant-led oral surgery care at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 16.6 weeks or less so far (England 16.4 weeks), 52.8% had waited under 18 weeks (England 53.8%; standard 92%) and 26 had waited over 52 weeks.

Source: NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.

16.6 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 16.4 weeks)
52.8%waiting under 18 weeks (England 53.8%; standard 92%)
1,708pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
26waiting over 52 weeks (1.5% of the list)

Figures are for patients waiting at the end of August 2026 (NHS England RTT, published 8 October 2026). They show how long people had waited so far, not how long a new referral will wait, and they are not a guarantee of any wait. A pathway is one patient’s wait for one specialty; a person can be on more than one list.

Oral surgery at Dorset County Hospital: summary

For patients waiting at the end of August 2026, the median wait so far for oral surgery at Dorset County Hospital was 16.6 weeks, close to the England median of 16.4 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 52.8%, was 5.0 percentage points below the figure for the South West region (57.8%). Of 107 NHS trusts with at least 20 oral surgery pathways waiting, 52 reported a shorter median and 54 a longer one, which puts Dorset County Hospital in the middle half. Waits lengthened between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median rose from 16.0 weeks to 16.6 weeks and the list grew by 368 pathways (27%). Over the same months the England median went from 16.5 weeks to 16.4 weeks. 26 pathways (1.5% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, below the England share of 2.4%. 5 of the 8 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were University Hospitals Dorset (about 21 miles away, median 15.6 weeks) and Salisbury (about 37 miles away, median 14.9 weeks).

How does Dorset County Hospital compare for oral surgery?

Oral surgery waits, end of August 2026
MeasureDorset County HospitalSouth West regionEngland
Pathways waiting1,70832,668316,357
Waited under 18 weeks52.8%57.8%53.8%
Median weeks waited16.6not calculated16.4
92nd percentile weeks waited43not calculated44
Waited over 52 weeks26 (1.5%)460 (1.4%)7,544 (2.4%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 14 NHS and independent providers in the South West region with this specialty. Medians and percentiles cannot be added up, so we do not show them for the region. The under-18-weeks share leaves out pathways with an unknown start date, as NHS England does.

Of the 107 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 oral surgery pathways waiting, 52 had a shorter median wait than Dorset County Hospital and 54 a longer one. See every trust on the oral surgery waits page.

Has the oral surgery wait at Dorset County Hospital changed?

At the end of February 2026, 1,340 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 16.0 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 1,708 pathways were waiting and the median was 16.6 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Dorset County Hospital: median oral surgery wait (weeks)1314151618Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

Dorset County Hospital: median oral surgery wait (weeks) England oral surgery

Oral surgery at Dorset County Hospital, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20261,34016.054.5%35
March 20261,54914.161.9%12
April 20261,56714.257.9%8
May 20261,64415.258.8%7
June 20261,69815.657.4%4
July 20261,65415.054.0%11
August 20261,70816.652.8%26

Which nearby trusts treat oral surgery?

Oral surgery: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trustabout 21 miles15.656.2%3,035
Somerset NHS Foundation Trustabout 36 miles23.936.9%3,449
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trustabout 37 miles14.960.4%2,091
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trustabout 46 miles12.666.1%2,930
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trustabout 47 miles17.551.9%2,363
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trustabout 47 miles17.651.1%2,998

Straight-line distance between the trusts’ registered addresses in the NHS Organisation Data Service. A trust may run several hospitals, so the site you are treated at can be elsewhere. Only trusts with at least 20 oral surgery pathways waiting are listed.

Find oral surgery waits near your postcode (England only).

Can I choose a hospital with a shorter wait?

In England you have a legal right to start consultant-led, non-urgent treatment within 18 weeks of referral, with some exceptions, and you can usually choose where you are referred for a first outpatient appointment. Each hospital has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) that can help with questions about your wait. Your waiting time rights explained.

Not medical advice. If your symptoms change or get worse while you wait, contact your GP or the team treating you. If it is not an emergency, NHS 111 online or calling 111 can tell you where to go, including urgent treatment centres, which often have shorter waits. Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or signs of a stroke.

More waiting times

Other specialties at Dorset County Hospital

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for oral surgery at Dorset County Hospital?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 1,708 pathways waiting for oral surgery at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust had waited 16.6 weeks or less, and 52.8% had waited under 18 weeks. This is how long people on the list had waited so far, not a prediction of how long a new referral will take.

How does Dorset County Hospital compare with England for oral surgery?

Across England the median oral surgery wait was 16.4 weeks and 53.8% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 107 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 52 had a shorter median wait.

Is this page from the NHS?

No. Waiting Times UK is an independent website, not part of the NHS, and this is not medical advice. The figures are NHS England’s, reproduced under the Open Government Licence.

How should I cite these figures?

Waiting Times UK, “Oral surgery waiting times at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/dorset-county-hospital-nhs-foundation-trust/oral-surgery (accessed [date]). Where possible, cite the official publisher too.

Who wrote this page and where do the figures come from?

Written and maintained by the Waiting Times UK editorial team at Oaknest Media Ltd, an independent publisher that is not part of the NHS. Every figure is taken from an official publication, shown with its date, and linked below; where we add up or compare figures ourselves we say so. This page has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not medical advice. Page last updated 2 November 2026, from the data files named below. Figures change when the publisher releases new data.

Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods and about Waiting Times UK.

Spotted a figure that looks wrong or out of date? Report a figure and we will check it against the original source.