Dental News - US dentist population could contract by 2012

Delta Dental Plans Association

Wed. 19 May 2010

save

OAK BROOK, IL / NEW YORK, NY, USA: If current trends continue, getting an appointment with a dentist might become more challenging in coming years. A survey by the independent research firm The Long Group and sponsored by the not-for-profit Delta Dental Plans Association found the dentist population could begin to contract as early as 2012.

In the study, researchers looked at current dentist retirement rates and at survey responses from dentists who expressed a desire to make a career change within the next five to 10 years and compared those numbers with the current dentist school graduation rate.

Projecting these trends into the future, the study found the 2009 dentist population of approximately 179,600 will increase through 2011, but retirement and career changes could outpace dentist school graduation beginning in 2012.

By 2019, the dentist population could be smaller by nearly 7,000, assuming consistent dental school graduates of 4,500 annually.

“As more people acquire dental coverage through an employer, an individual policy or through some form of government-assisted program, it is crucial that dentists are available to actually see and treat them,” said Kim E. Volk, president and CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association. “With more than 132,000 dentists participating in our network, we’re interested in helping affect, not just monitoring, these trends.”

Groups such as Delta Dental and others are having success attracting dentists to underserved areas and are providing prospective dentists with some hope that they won’t leave school with insurmountable debt.

According to the American Dental Education Association, graduates of dental school enter the workforce with an average of US$170,000 of debt. Increasingly, a dentist who is willing to practice in a federally designated dental health professional shortage area can see US$80,000 to US$100,000 of debt wiped away during three to five years.

Dr Arron McWilliams, who practices in rural Crawford County, Iowa, USA, thanks in large part to the Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) program, funded jointly by Delta Dental of Iowa and local business, government, health and civic organizations. With a population of just more than 7,000, the city of Denison might not have been the first choice of a dentist looking to establish a practice.

“If it was not for the FIND program, Dr McWilliams would be practicing in another community,” said Don Luensmann, executive director of the Chamber and Development Council of Crawford County.

A similar sentiment is expressed by leaders in other rural parts of the country.

“Our health-care providers play a key role in our community’s economy,” said Jeffrey Johnson, branch president of BankWest in Gregory, SD, USA, a town with fewer than 2,000 people. “Delta Dental’s loan repayment program is helping ensure that our city’s one dental practice remains open.”

“These types of programs are proving to be a win-win-win,” said Volk. They’re a win for the dentist who needs to pay down debt, a win for the local economy and a win for the residents in need of care.”

Delta Dental member companies currently support dental school loan repayment programs in Arkansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Delta Dental also invests millions of dollars in dental education throughout the country.

Delta Dental Plans Association is a national network of independent dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to 54 million Americans in more than 89,000 employee groups throughout the country.

(Edited by Fred Michmershuizen, DTA)

To post a reply please login or register

US election results not favoured by dentists

LEIPZIG, Germany: According to a recent survey, US dentists might be disappointed by the Democratic win in the US elections last month. Two out of three ...

Cold plasma tech could be 'a blast' for teeth

MEMPHIS & COLOMBIA, Tenn., USA: Human trials on a revolutionary method to prepare dental cavities are expected to begin soon in the U.S.. In ...

Dual anesthetics preferred by most U.S. dentist anesthesiologists

NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Anesthesia is commonly used by dentists when they want to ensure young patients remain calm during an operation and feel as little pain...

Implant market expected to exceed US$1 billion by 2013

NEW YORK, NY, USA: Although the current economic crisis is resulting in lower growth in the short term, the U.S. dental implant market will recover after ...

Global lab revenues projected to exceed US$14.5 billion by 2015

Increasing numbers of elderly people and more demand for high-quality dental esthetics are cited among reasons for an increase in global demand for the ...

Treatment acceptance: could have, should have, would have

When it comes to treatment acceptance — or lack thereof — it seems as though a lot of time and energy are wasted on that familiar trio ...

Dental tissue engineering products in the US market to double by 2015

Use of tissue engineering is a rapidly growing trend in dental offices across the United States. Used in dental bone graft procedures, tissue engineering ...

Best job of 2013: Dentist

NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Based on comprehensive analysis of seven components thought to define the desirability of a profession, U.S. News & World Report ...

Dentists get ‘wowed’ by Midwest Stylus

With the relaunch of its popular handpiece, the DENTSPLY Midwest Stylus ATC, DENTSPLY is back to ‘wowing’ the crowds at dental meetings. ...

Pilot safety protocol could help dentists reduce errors

ANN ARBOR, MI / NEW YORK, NY, USA: Pilots and dentists have more in common than one might think: Both jobs are highly technical and require teamwork. Both ...

Education

Live webinar
Mon. 22 April 2024
10:00 AM EST (New York)