According to the NY Times, the dental industry is changing for the better. They state in a recent news article posted at (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/education/edlife/law-business-medicine-dentistry-education-engineering.html?_r=0) “Yet the market for dentists is growing again, thanks to vanity procedures like teeth whitening and boomer dentists hanging up their drills. By 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 16 percent growth, or a need for 23,000 dentists.
Since 1997, a dozen schools have opened and existing programs have expanded. Nationally, there are about 2.4 applicants for every seat in the nation’s 65 dental schools. But many programs are highly competitive. In 2010, the University of Southern California’s program enrolled 144 of more than 3,200 applicants, and Tufts 176 of about 4,400.”
But is this trend really just about new, flashy procedures or is something else at play? Perhaps it is a movement to recruit new dentists. There are still areas where enrollment numbers are alarmingly low, areas like New England.
"Historically Northern New England - Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire - have had the lowest number of applicants to dental schools in the country," said Dr. Jeffrey Doss, an oral surgeon and faculty member. Dr. Doss was quoted in http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Teen-Camp-Explores-Careers-in-Dentistry-269895421.html and the article goes on to say:
That's resulted in a serious shortage of dentists in the region; Maine has only one dentist for every 2,000 residents, and experts say the shortage could turn into a crisis. The average age of a dentist in Maine is 55, so in the next 10 years, hundreds of dentists will be needed to meet the need.
What is interesting to note is there are organizations trying to make a change. They are trying to increase awareness of the dental profession at an early age. There is a new camp allowing teenagers to experience what it is like to be a dentist. The NECN.com news article states:
Playing dentist may not be most teens idea of summer fun, but Noble High School Senior Jordan White couldn't wait to put on her surgical gown and mask.
"I just really like getting to know other people who want to do this," said White. "I didn't think there were that many other people who want to be a dentist!"
She and 13 other high school teens are spending three days at the University of New England's Dental Careers Exploration Camp in Portland, Maine.
I think this an awesome way to start to increase the awareness and stimulate our country’s future labor force. By the way, you may be asking what is the cost to the parents? NOTHING. The camp is completely free, reducing more barriers and making it more attractive.
Another interesting trend in dentistry is the growing number of females entering the profession. Rutgers University, which runs a prominent dental college, has published on their website (http://news.rutgers.edu/feature/mother-daughter-dentistry/20140803#.U-DF7Egu8k4), “Today, about 20 percent of the nation’s dentists are female, a figure that’s expected to grow with the increasing number of women enrolled in dental school.” This is in stark contrast to what the article begins saying:
It wasn’t easy being a woman dentist in 1978. Some prospective patients brought their children in for appointments but insisted on male dentists for themselves. Out of 6,000 members of the New Jersey Dental Association, only 56 were women.
It is encouraging to the see that the dental profession is starting to advance with an equality of females and male practitioners. It is also encouraging to see enrollment numbers increasing as it would be a tragedy to have our nation’s pool of professional dentists dwindle.
Additional Related News:
http://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/08/04/delta-dental-philanthropic-efforts-focus-on-todays-care-future-of-dentistry-a-539606.html#.U-DM9kgu8k4
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/07/116136/seeing-dentistry-new-light
http://www.dentaleconomics.com/articles/print/volume-104/issue-7/features/it-s-a-new-world-of-dentistry.html
