The Growing Shortage of Dentists in the United States

Abstract

The maintenance of an adequate supply of dentists is one of the most serious challenges facing those concerned with the problem of dental health. How many dentists are needed? By what criteria? This paper presents a technizc for answering these questions.

Oral health for baby boomers: Past, present, and future

“…10 (Figure 1) During the 1957 American Public Health Association annual meeting in Cleveland, Ohio a state-by-state analysis of dental manpower was presented ending with a plea for the need to study and rectify the shortage problem. 11 The magnitude of this shortage of dentists was evident in data from 1960 that reported a high rate of caries, which was estimated at 700 million cavities or 4.5 teeth decayed per person. It is probable that the baby boomers were likely to have experienced these high rates of disease.…”

“…There were not enough dentists nor adequate opportunities for care available to the public became clear in the lead‐up to WWII, when military recruitment efforts resulted in 1 in every 8 men failing their military general service induction exam as a result of defects specifically of the teeth, the mouth and/or the gums 10 . (Figure 1) During the 1957 American Public Health Association annual meeting in Cleveland, Ohio a state‐by‐state analysis of dental manpower was presented ending with a plea for the need to study and rectify the shortage problem 11 . The magnitude of this shortage of dentists was evident in data from 1960 that reported a high rate of caries, which was estimated at 700 million cavities or 4.5 teeth decayed per person.…”