Supply, Demand, and Recruiting Considerations in Dentistry
A Maldistribution of Dentists
Like physicians, dentists are not distributed evenly across the country, and many mostly rural and inner city areas have an insufficient number of dentists to meet patient needs.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) identifies dental Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas, which are areas that fall below a ratio of one dental professional to 5000 people. HRSA dental HPSA numbers are provided below.
32 % of Needs Met
6,825 Total Dental HPSAs
58 million Dental HPSA Population
9,214 Number of Dental Professionals Needed
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), April 2024
As these numbers indicate, close to 60 million Americans live in dental HPSAs, in which only 32% of dental care needs are being met. HRSA estimates it would take 9,214 dental professionals distributed across these HPSAs to remove the shortage designations. It also now designates 6,826 dental HPSAs nationwide, compared to 5,493 less than ten years ago.
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