- The effect of the great recession on the demand for general oral health care and orthodontic care (April 2019)
- The impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion on dental care use through 2016 (November 2017)
- Early impact of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion on dental care use (PDF) (November 2016)
- Rethinking how U.S. health care policy approaches the mouth (March 2016)
- The relationship between periodontal interventions and health care costs and utilization. Evidence from an integrated dental, medical and pharmacy commercial claims database (PDF) (January 2016)
- Simple indicators for projecting short-term dental market fluctuations (December 2015)
- Solving dentistry’s ‘busyness’ problem (August 2015)
- Where have all the dental care visits gone? (June 2015)
- Of lawyers, lattes and dentists (March 2015)
- The impact of Medicaid reform on children’s dental care utilization in Connecticut, Maryland and Texas (December 2014)
- The ‘invisible hand’ and the market for dental care (November 2014)
- The effect of growing income disparities on U.S. adults’ dental care utilization (May 2014)
- A decade in dental care utilization among adults and children (2001–2010) (December 2013)
- Health reform in Massachusetts increased adult dental care use, particularly among the poor (September 2013)
The dental care market
Explore ADA Health Policy Institute findings on dental care utilization and expenditures across the U.S.
U.S. dental expenditures down in 2020
National dental expenditures declined in 2020 from 2019. See data breakdowns by payer type.
More research and insights
Journal articles
Infographics
- U.S. dental spending down in 2020 (PDF) (December 2021)
- Dental care utilization among the U.S. population, by race and ethnicity (PDF) (April 2021)
- Dental care use among children, 2016 (PDF) (July 2018)
- Dental care utilization in the U.S. (PDF) (November 2017)
- Are millennials interested in receiving dental care in a retail setting? (PDF)(July 2016)
Research briefs
- U.S. dental expenditures, 2017 update (PDF) (December 2017)
- Recent trends in the market for oral surgeons, endodontists, orthodontists, periodontists, and pediatric dentists (PDF) (February 2017)
- Trends in fees and reimbursement rates for the most common procedures in endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery (PDF) (February 2017)
- U.S. dental spending up in 2015 (PDF) (December 2016)
- Recent trends in the market for endodontics (PDF) (September 2016)
- Dental care utilization steady among working-age adults and children, up slightly among the elderly (PDF) (October 2016)
- An analysis of dental spending among adults with private dental benefits (PDF) (May 2016)
- An analysis of dental spending among children with private dental benefits (PDF) (April 2016)
- The per-patient cost of dental care, 2013: a look under the hood (PDF) (March 2016)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ spending projections for dental care less accurate than for other health care spending components (PDF) (January 2015)
Dental market FAQs
Among children, disparities in dental care use have been narrowing over time among income and racial/ethnic groups and between the privately and publicly insured. Among adults, disparities remain.
Source: Dental Care Utilization Among the U.S. Population, by Race and Ethnicity (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
Dental Care Use Among Children: 2016 (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
For up-to-date insights into dental care utilization by patient demographics, procedure type, and payer type, see HPI's annual dental industry report.
Source: Dental Care Utilization Among the U.S. Population, by Race and Ethnicity (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
Dental Care Use Among Children: 2016 (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
For up-to-date insights into dental care utilization by patient demographics, procedure type, and payer type, see HPI's annual dental industry report.
Top reasons adults cite for avoiding the dentist include cost, fear of the dentist, and inability to find a convenient location or appointment time.
However, when adults are categorized by age, household income, and health insurance status, the top three reasons for not visiting a dentist vary.
Source: Oral health and well-being in the United States (HPI State Fact Sheets).
However, when adults are categorized by age, household income, and health insurance status, the top three reasons for not visiting a dentist vary.
Source: Oral health and well-being in the United States (HPI State Fact Sheets).
In 2020, national dental care expenditures amounted to $142.4 billion, down 1.8% from 2019 (adjusted for inflation). Private health insurance spending accounted for most of the expenditures in 2020, followed by out-of-pocket spending.
Source: U.S. dental spending down in 2020 (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
Source: U.S. dental spending down in 2020 (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
The ADA cannot quote fees for dental procedures and is forbidden by federal law to set or recommend fees. The ADA Survey of Dental Fees report contains data from a nationwide random sample of dentists who were asked to record the fees most often charged for different dental procedures. The report provides information on what dentists who completed the survey typically charge, but these are NOT "recommended" fees from the ADA or an ADA standard for fees.
Related item: 2020 survey of dental fees, available as a free download to ADA members.
The last published report, the 2005-06 Survey of Dental Services Rendered, is free to members or is available for purchase. At this time, we do not have an update scheduled for this report. For historic trends on dental utilization by procedure type, see HPI's annual dental industry report, which is available for purchase.