Curious about the number of dentists in usa? Across cities and towns, they’re key to our health. This guide explores the numbers, showing there are over 202,000 dentists in America as of 2023.
That’s about 60 dentists for every 100,000 people, but it varies by state. We’ll see how the dental world is changing, with more dentists in some places and fewer in others.
Looking forward, expect more dentists, new tech, and better care, even as we face challenges like reaching underserved areas. Keep reading to learn more about America’s dental scene and its future.
What’s on this page:
Overview of Dentist Demographics in the US
As of 2023, 202,304 dentists are working across the United States. This works out to about 60.4 dentists for every 100,000 people. But this number is different everywhere; it changes from state to state.
In 2022, out of all these dentists, 159,741 were general practitioners. There were also 10,906 who specialized in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.
Looking to the future, the number of dentists compared to the population will likely increase. It’s predicted that by 2040, there will be around 67 dentists for every 100,000 people.
Number of Dentists in USA: State-by-State Breakdown
| State | 2019 Dentist Count | 2022 Dentist Count | Percentage Change |
| Florida | 10,066 | 10,333 | 2.7% Increase |
| Arizona | 3,711 | 3,866 | ~4% Increase |
| North Carolina | 5,100 | 5,250 | ~3% Increase |
| Idaho | 892 | 960 | ~8% Increase |
| South Dakota | 402 | 431 | ~7% Increase |
| New Hampshire | 757 | 811 | ~7% Increase |
| New York | 12,884 | 12,505 | ~3% Decrease |
| Pennsylvania | 6,666 | 6,458 | ~3% Decrease |
| Massachusetts | 5,199 | 4,925 | ~4% Decrease |
| New Mexico | 941 | 908 | ~3% Decrease |
| Louisiana | 2,004 | 1,941 | ~3% Decrease |
Between 2019 and 2022, about 6% of dentists in the USA moved to different states. This info comes from the ADA Health Policy Institute. Florida welcomed the most new dentists. Idaho, on the other hand, had the biggest percentage increase.
At the same time, Massachusetts saw the largest percentage drop in dentists. But New York lost the highest number of them. The ADA Health Policy Institute figured this out by tracking where dentists worked from 2019 to 2022.
They counted dentists who were licensed and working. This included those in private practice, dental schools, the military, or similar places. They had to be in the 50 states or Washington D.C. Dentists outside the U.S. or in U.S. territories weren’t included. There were 181,412 active dentists in both 2019 and 2022.
Moving South and Further
In Florida, the number of dentists grew from 10,066 in 2019 to 10,333 in 2022. This 2.7% increase was mainly due to 267 dentists moving there, as reported by HPI.
Arizona and North Carolina were next in line. They saw the second and third biggest increases in dentists. Arizona’s count went from 3,711 to 3,866, and North Carolina’s from 5,100 to 5,250 during the same period.
Meanwhile, Idaho experienced a nearly 8% jump in its number of dentists. Between 2019 and 2022, the count there went from 892 to 960. South Dakota and New Hampshire also saw significant growth, around 7% each. In South Dakota, the number increased from 402 to 431, and in New Hampshire, from 757 to 811.
Shifting Eastward: A Look at Dentist Migration
In 2022, New York had 12,884 dentists, 379 less than in 2019. Pennsylvania had the second-largest drop, losing 208 dentists. By 2022, it had 6,666 dentists.
Massachusetts experienced the third-largest dentist exodus and the biggest percentage drop – nearly 4%. It lost 194 dentists, going from 5,199 in 2019 to 4,925 in 2022.
Close behind were New Mexico and Louisiana, each with about a 3% decrease. New Mexico’s number fell from 941 to 908, and Louisiana’s from 2,004 to 1,941 during the same period.
Number of Dentists Per Capita by City to Grow 10% By 2040
Over the next 20 years, each city in the U.S. is expected to have about 10% more dentists per person. This increase is due to more new dentists starting to work while the population growth slows down.
The ADA Health Policy Institute published this finding on May 13. They predict that the number of dentists by state compared to the population will keep growing until 2040.
This considers likely changes, such as the number of hours dentists work, and how these hours vary with their age and gender.
The Shortage of Dentists
Right now, the U.S. is short by about 11,000 dentists. This fact comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration, a part of the U.S. government focused on health. To tackle this issue, new dental schools are opening, aiming to train more dentists.
Why Numbers Alone Aren’t Enough
It’s not just about having more dentists, other things matter too. Things like what types of dental services people need and where they live play a big role.
Also important is who pays for the dental care, whether it’s the patients, insurance companies, or government programs.
Areas with Greater Needs
Some areas, especially where poorer communities are, don’t have enough dentists. This is a big problem that needs addressing.
Research Behind the Numbers
To figure out how many dentists we need, researchers looked into lots of data. They collected data from two places: the U.S. Census Bureau for population details, and the National Bureau of Economic Research for economic information.
They also looked at the ADA masterfile, which has detailed info about dentists from 2002 to 2020. This includes their ages, graduation years, where they work, and retirement dates.
Researchers also looked at ADA surveys. These surveys give insights into how many graduates are coming out of dental schools, how dental schools are doing right now, and the working patterns of dentists. This includes the number of hours they work and how many patients they see.
Future Projections
Based on all this info, researchers made some educated guesses about the future:
- The U.S. population won’t grow much, staying at the recent low levels.
- More students will graduate from dental schools in the U.S. until 2026, and then this number will stabilize.
- Dentists will retire at the same rate as they have been for the next five years.
Dentist Numbers on the Rise
In 2020, the U.S. had about 201,000 dentists. That’s like having 61 dentists for every 100,000 people. Experts think this number will go up by 10.4%. By 2040, we might see 67 dentists for every 100,000 people.
Over the next 20 years, the number of male and female dentists is expected to be about the same. However, there’s a difference in how much they work. On average, women dentists work fewer hours than men.
Both women and men dentists tend to work less as they get older. When you take into account these changes in working hours, the actual increase in dentist numbers is a bit lower, around 9.7%. This is what the researchers have found.
Benefits of Using the Dentist Mailing List from Heartbeat
The following are some advantages of utilizing Heartbeat.AI’s dental mailing list:
Making Recruitment Easier
At Heartbeat.AI, we’ve got a list that makes hiring dentists easier. It’s full of email addresses and phone numbers, so you can quickly find and reach out to dental professionals for job openings.
Always Fresh and Accurate Information
We work with over 200 partners in healthcare data. This means our dentist contact info is always up-to-date. You get the latest information, which is usually more accurate than what you’d find elsewhere.
A Rich Resource of Contacts
Our directory is huge, packed with over 11 million contacts. This includes a big list of 395,425 dentists, complete with their emails, phone numbers, and postal addresses. Every one of these contacts is a certified healthcare worker.
We’re proud of our data’s accuracy — it’s right more than 95% of the time. This makes our list a dependable resource for anyone looking to connect with healthcare professionals.
Need a dentist or healthcare professional? Start searching in our directory now. It’s easy to use, and you’ll quickly find the right person to help you.
Final Word
To wrap it up, Heartbeat.AI is super helpful for anyone who needs to get in touch with a large number of dentists in the USA.
It’s got a huge list of contacts that makes jobs like marketing and hiring much easier. This resource gives you a clear picture of the dental world, all in a simple, user-friendly way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dentists in California?
As of May 2023, the Dental Hygiene Board of California estimates around 40,000 dentists in the state. That’s about 14% of all U.S. dentists. Back in 2020, California had the most active dentists in the country, over 31,000. But by 2022, it ranked 78.73th in the country for the number of dentists per person.
How many dentists are there in the world?
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are almost 4 million oral care providers all over the world. More than a million of these are dentists who are part of the FDI World Dental Federation.
What is the average age when dentists retire?
In 2019, the American Dental Association noted that 16.1% of dentists were 65 or older and 21.9% were between 55 and 64. Back in 2018, dentists retired on average at 69.4 years old.
