Dental education

Findings from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) annual surveys of dental education programs and other HPI research.
Trends in U.S. Dental Education Programs graduates enrollees 2024-25 graph
Trends in dental enrollment and graduates

View enrollment and graduate trends for accredited DDS/DMD, advanced, and allied dental education programs from 2020 to 2024.

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Dental Schools and Predoctoral Dental Education Programs

CODA Survey of Dental Education - Report 1: Programs, Enrollment, and Graduates

National and program-level survey information on admission requirements, financial assistance, instruction methods, patient care, and support personnel at CODA-accredited dental schools. Also features trends in applications, enrollment, and graduates by gender and race/ethnicity.

CODA Survey of Dental Education - Report 2: Tuition, Admission, and Attrition

Survey with program-level and national data on tuition and fees as well as admissions criteria and policies of CODA-accredited dental schools. Also includes academic qualifications of first-year students, advanced placement and international dental school graduates, and student attrition and withdrawal information.

CODA Survey of Dental Education - Report 3: Finances

Survey on financial information from the previous fiscal year from CODA-accredited dental schools in the U.S., including revenue and expenditures per student and comparisons between public and private schools. School-level data is presented anonymously.

CODA Survey of Dental Education - Report 4: Curriculum 

Survey, conducted every other year, offers an internal benchmarking tool monitoring compliance with CODA accreditation standards. Features national-level data on instructional methods, evaluation methods, curriculum format, clock hours of instruction, and data on patient care in dental schools.

Predoctoral Dental Education Programs - Additional Research and Insights

Advanced Dental Education Programs, Residencies, Fellowships

CODA Survey of Advanced Dental Education report

Survey of accredited advanced dental education programs, including advanced education in general dentistry (AEGD), general practice residency (GPR), dental anesthesiology, orofacial pain, oral medicine, dental public health (DPH), endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics.

Features data on program directors; student enrollment and graduates by gender, race/ethnicity, and program type; tuition and stipends; instruction methods; international dental school graduates; off-campus training; and non-accredited programs offered by dental schools.

Advanced Dental Education Programs - Additional Research and Insights

Trends in Advanced Dental Education Programs - Infographics by Specialty/Program Type

Allied Dental Education Programs

Surveys of accredited dental assisting, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology education programs. Includes program-level data on admission requirements, applications, student costs, and national-level data on enrollment and graduates, student and faculty characteristics, and curriculum. Also features trend data on program capacity, applications, enrollment, graduates, and student costs.
CODA Survey of Dental Hygiene Education Programs report
Allied Dental Education Programs  - Additional Research and Insights

Dental education FAQs

How many dental schools are there in the U.S. and Canada?

There are 77 accredited dental schools in the U.S. and 10 in Canada.

The U.S. predoctoral dental education programs that have most recently been granted accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) are:

  • University of Pikeville Tanner College of Dental Medicine in Pikeville, KY (2025)
  • Lyon College School of Dental Medicine in Little Rock, AR (2025)
  • PNWU School of Dental Medicine in Yakima, WA (2024)
  • Northeast Ohio Medical University - College of Dentistry in Rootstown, OH (2024)
  • Universidad Ana G. Mendez - Gurabo, School of Dental Medicine in Gurabo, PR (2024)
  • High Point University Workman School of Dental Medicine in High Point, NC (2023)
  • Ponce Health Science University School of Dental Medicine in Ponce, PR (2023)
  • Lincoln Memorial University College of Dental Medicine in Harrogate, TN (2022)
  • Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine in Kansas City, MO (2022)
  • California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine in Elk Grove, CA (2021)
  • Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (2020)

In August 2019, CODA granted accreditation to an international predoctoral dental education program based outside the United States for the first time. There are now two international predoctoral dental education programs accredited by CODA:

  • Yeditepe University Faculty of Dentistry in Istanbul, Türkiye (2024)
  • King Abdulaziz University Dental School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2019)

Related item: Visit the CODA Search DDS/DMD Programs page.

How many people applied to dental schools in the most recent year?
There were 12,491 applicants for the Fall 2024 entering class; of these, 6,719 enrolled as  first-year students. Visit the American Dental Education Association's (ADEA) page for free data reports on U.S. Dental School Applicants and Enrollees.
How many students are enrolled in/graduate from dental schools?

During the 2024-25 academic year, there were 27,920 students enrolled in predoctoral dental education programs, up from 27,082 the prior year. The class of 2024 had 6,872 graduates, up from 6,869 in 2023.

Source: Dental Education Program Enrollment and Graduates Report: 2024-25 (XLSX)

How many dental students/graduates are female?

In 2024-25, 57.7% of all dental students enrolled in predoctoral programs were female, and 55.6% of graduates of the class of 2024 were female. In comparison, the percentage of graduates who were female was 47.5% in 2014, 41.7% in 2004, 39.2% in 1994, and 21.3% in 1985.

Source: Dental Education Program Enrollment and Graduates Report: 2024-25 (XLSX)

Is dental school enrollment increasing or declining?

Total predoctoral enrollment is currently at its highest level historically, with 27,920 students enrolled in the 2024-25 academic year compared to 23,589 in 2014-15.

Source: Dental Education Program Enrollment and Graduates Report: 2024-25 (XLSX)

What is the average first-year cost of dental school?

In 2024-25, the average first-year cost of dental school (including tuition and mandatory general fees) was $46,865 for residents and $76,060 for non-residents in public programs. Also in 2024-25, the average resident first-year cost of private dental school programs was $87,078.

Source: 2024-25 Survey of Dental Education – Report 2: Tuition, Admission and Attrition (XLSX)

What is the average debt carried by dental school graduates?

Visit the American Dental Education Association's (ADEA) page for free data reports from the Survey of Dental School Seniors.

How many international students attend or graduate from U.S. dental schools?

In 2024-25,  915 graduates of international dental schools were admitted to U.S. dental schools with advanced standing, up from 852 the previous year.

In 2024-25, non-resident aliens made up 3.8% of first-year students and 6.7% of graduates.

Source: 2024-25 Survey of Dental Education – Report 2: Tuition, Admission and Attrition (XLSX).