Students - the most overlooked orthodontic patients
Picture the patient who already wants treatment, can afford to pay, and has never once been asked. That patient exists - in your city, in enormous numbers. They're just at university.
native surveyed nearly a thousand students across the UK. What we found should matter to every practice owner thinking about where their next patients are coming from.
- 66% say their teeth would benefit from straightening
- 78% would book a free consultation if offered on campus
- 76% can afford a monthly payment plan
The demand is there, the affordability is there - what's missing is the offer
Only 10% of students have ever seen a teeth straightening offer aimed at them. Only 14% have ever had a consultation. The market on campus is, for now, completely uncontested.
Students aren't avoiding treatment because they can't afford it or don't care. They're avoiding it because nobody has made it easy. A free, no-obligation consultation offered on or near campus removes every barrier at once — and most say they'd take it. Almost a quarter say their family would cover the cost outright. Three quarters can manage a monthly payment plan. These are not patients who need to be convinced. They need to be found.
The numbers in your city
The national picture is striking. The local picture is what makes it actionable for you. Because across native's 53 exclusive campus partnerships - covering cities from Aberdeen to Brighton - the data gets even more specific.
At the University of Leeds alone, there are 19,614 students who would book a free teeth straightening consultation. Right now, not one practice is offering them one.
Every city in our network tells a similar story. The size of the opportunity varies. The opportunity itself doesn't.
*Survey of 960 students from native's opt-in panel. Fieldwork: March 2026. ±3.2% margin of error at 95% confidence.