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Job Outlook for dentists?
Started by greenbean4606
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I heard "a steady increase at least through the year 2012"... Wonder what they know about after that 😛
For the forseeable future (probably closer to through 2025 or so), more dentists each and every year will be reaching/nearing retirement age than will graduate from d-school each year👍 Over the last 20 or so years, there has been a significant reduction in the number of spaces available in dental schools for students(only within the last 5 or so years have any new schools opened, and even then, more schools closed prior to that than have opened recently) Additionally, most dental school classes these days are graduating between 1/3rd and 1/2 female dentists, and per ADA work surveys, female dentists on average, tend to work between 1/2 and 2/3rds the hours per week that male dentists do. The general population as a whole is living longer and retaining their teeth longer (and want care for their teeth too!).
Dentistry will be a very good profession for a long while to come!
Dentistry will be a very good profession for a long while to come!
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The most recent issue of Mouth, ASDA's newletter, had an article that warned of a trend that may severly impact the outlook of dentistry in the future. As most of us are aware, there has been an enormous push over the last couple Presidencies to restructure America's health care system. The article said that the democratic party is working heavily on research of multiple health care options including one called the single payer system. $3.5 billion, or so, has already been invested into this system and is likely to be promoted by the next democratic President. Anyway, in this system, the government would tax everyone to pay for a universal health insurance for everyone. Then, instead of the patient making payments, the government would "negotiate/dictate" payments for all doctors, hospitals, pharmac., etc. Go to covertheunisured dot org and do a search for "Single Payer" Find the powerpoint and look for the single payer system information.
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There is no doubt that our health care system is in disarray, but this has been discussed for several years. I believe that changes would be made in medicine first as it is a much larger problem. This socialization would almost certainly decrease the wages that these professions are accustomed to, which would eventually discourage would be physicians/dentists from entering the fields. The thought of repaying $200,K+ (in student loans) on a salary of $75,K or so would definitely make someone think twice about entering the profession. Even though many are not doing it "for the money"...working hard for 4 years (add another 4-6 years of residency for medicine) only to find yourself in a financial struggle is a little less than appealing.
In addition to changes in health care systems, should we also be worried about international accreditation as proposed by the ADA? Several states (California, Minnesota, FL) now include provisions for licensing internationally-trained dentists without further education.
California grants full approval to Universidad La Salle in Leon, Mexico, for state licensure. If this trend continues, there could be a flood of international dentists practicing in the US for us to compete with. This would certainly drive down salaries.
http://www.agd.org/library/2006/may/cover.asp
"The California Dental Board, under orders from its state legislature, also bypassed the traditional American Dental Association (ADA)-sanctioned process of accreditation, and since 2004 has independently granted full approval to a dental school program of Universidad La Salle in Leon, Mexico, for state licensure. Another program, Manipal College of Dental Sciences in Manipal, India, has applied to the California Dental Board for approval."
California grants full approval to Universidad La Salle in Leon, Mexico, for state licensure. If this trend continues, there could be a flood of international dentists practicing in the US for us to compete with. This would certainly drive down salaries.
http://www.agd.org/library/2006/may/cover.asp
"The California Dental Board, under orders from its state legislature, also bypassed the traditional American Dental Association (ADA)-sanctioned process of accreditation, and since 2004 has independently granted full approval to a dental school program of Universidad La Salle in Leon, Mexico, for state licensure. Another program, Manipal College of Dental Sciences in Manipal, India, has applied to the California Dental Board for approval."
I'm fluent in Spanish. I wonder how much tuition is in Mexico. This information is disturbing at first glance. I guess though, if this increasingly borderless trend in the dental world continues amid an increasingly socialistic America, maybe American dentists can immigrate to countries like Australia or England. For the time being, I'm not worried about these changes but I will be keeping my ears and eyes open to them.
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