- Supply of dentists in the U.S.: 2001-2021 (XLSX) (January 2022)
The dentist workforce
Insights from the ADA Health Policy Institute on the current and future supply of dentists and shifting demographics within the workforce.
Key workforce facts
Visualize trends of U.S. dentists by gender, age, ethnicity, practice type, and state-level supply.
Top publications
Compare racial/ethnic mix of dentists to U.S. population over time (PDF).
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Research shows that the supply of full-time-equivalent dentists is growing (PDF).
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How the dentist workforce can evolve to mirror the population it serves.
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More research and insights
Data reports
Journal articles
- A closer look at disparities in earnings between white and minoritized dentists (November 2022)
- US dental health care workers’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2022)
- Dentists who participate in Medicaid: Who they are, where they locate, how they practice (July 2022)
- COVID-19 vaccine intention and hesitancy of dental hygienists in the United States (PDF) (February 2022)
- Infection prevention and control practices of dental hygienists in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study (PDF) (February 2022)
- Employment patterns of dental hygienists in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: an update (PDF) (February 2022)
- Elevating dentistry through diversity (April 2021)
- Employment patterns of dental hygienists in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic (PDF) (February 2021)
- COVID-19 prevalence and related practices among dental hygienists in the United States (PDF) (February 2021)
- Practice ownership is declining (September 2017)
- Will we see more foreign-trained dentists in the United States? (July 2017)
- Does California project the future of dentistry? (January 2017)
- Do dentists from rural areas practice in rural areas? (December 2016)
- The “de-aging” of the dentist workforce (October 2016)
- Is the number of Medicaid providers really that important? (March 2016)
- Rethinking dentist shortages (May 2015)
Infographics
- Practice ownership among dentists continues to decline (PDF) (March 2022)
- Solo practice continues to decrease (PDF) (March 2022)
- Dentist retirements increase (PDF) (March 2022)
- Racial and ethnic mix of the dentist workforce in the U.S. (PDF) (April 2021)
- Racial and ethnic mix of dental students in the U.S. (PDF) (April 2021)
- The dentist workforce - key facts (PDF) (February 2021)
- Dentist migration across state lines (PDF) (February 2021)
- How big are dental service organizations? (July 2020)
Research briefs
- Estimating the impact of Medicaid expansions on dentist supply (PDF) (August 2021)
- Projected supply of dentists in the United States, 2020-2040 (PDF) (May 2021)
Webinars
- Who Goes Into Postgraduate Dental Training and What Do They Do After? (September 2022)
- The changing dentist workforce (March 2022)
Dentist workforce FAQs
As of 2021, there are 201,927 professionally active dentists in the U.S. There are 60.84 dentists per 100,000 U.S. population. Ratios vary by state.
Source: Supply of Dentists in the U.S.: 2001-2021 (XLSX).
No. It is the ADA’s view that a simple dentist-to-patient ratio cannot take into account the differing economic environments from region to region, state to state, or urban to rural.
For further explanation, see: Is the Number of Medicaid Providers Really that Important? (JADA).
Among the 201,927 dentists working in dentistry as of 2021, 35.9% are female.
Source: Supply of Dentists in the U.S.: 2001-2021 (XLSX).
As of 2021, about one in five professionally active dentists (21.1%) reported that their practice, research, or administration area is an ADA-recognized specialty.
Source: Supply of Dentists in the U.S.: 2001-2021 (XLSX).
Among the 201,927 dentists working in dentistry as of 2021, 17.6% are under age 35, 24.6% are ages 35-44, 21.8% are ages 45-54, 20.2% are ages 55-64, and 15.9% are age 65 and older.
Source: Supply of Dentists in the U.S.: 2001-2021 (XLSX).
As of 2020, 70.2% of U.S. dentists are White, 18.0% are Asian, 5.9% are Hispanic, 3.8% are Black, and 2.2% are other race/unknown.
Source: Racial and Ethnic Mix of the Dentist Workforce in the U.S. (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
In 2021, the average age of retirement among U.S. dentists was 67.9, close to 68.2 in 2020.
Source: Dentist Retirements Increase (PDF) (HPI Infographic).
The research brief Projected Supply of Dentists in the United States, 2020-2040 projects the future supply of dentists in the U.S. based on various sources of outflows from and inflows to the dental profession. Find full details in the brief.
Source: Projected Supply of Dentists in the United States, 2020-2040 (PDF) (HPI Research Brief).