#of dentist retiring/ graduating

[gyzeus]

Does anybody know how many dentists retire/ graduating dentists?
I think I read in one of the treads below 3 dentists retire/ 2graduating..
But for some reason it seems that all I see is a huge number of dentists graduating every year and hardly see any dentist around me ever retiring..
Are there any info on the ADA on this?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JMJRDH1]

Does anybody know how many dentists retire/ graduating dentists?
I think I read in one of the treads below 3 dentists retire/ 2graduating..
But for some reason it seems that all I see is a huge number of dentists graduating every year and hardly see any dentist around me ever retiring..
Are there any info on the ADA on this?

I am not sure of the numbers, but your logic is flawed regarding your preception of retiring/graudating dentists.

As a predent, you are keenly aware of the number of graduates every year. As far as non-retiring dentists, how many dentists do you actually know? Unless you know several hundred, which is possible, then your numbers cannot be compared to each other.

 

[NileBDS]

Something very important to consider regarding any of these statistics you read, is whether those practitioners are actually retiring or just hitting that sweet retiring age group. Just because they turn 60/70 or whatever, does not mean that they are actually closing shop. I know of a couple of dentists who have retired twice and went back.
People (specially doctors) are working (and living healthy productive lives) longer and longer than ever before.
In this regards OP, you may be correct. Several dentists around you may have hit retirement age, but just don't want to budge ! Regardless, there is, and will continue to be (for the foreseeable future) a significant discrepancy in the ratio of graduating/retiring dentists (and most health care professional for that matter).

 

[vize]

I tend to agree with nilebds. many older dentists practicing love dentistry and while they can retire, they choose not to. its that mentality that will make you a successful dentist. the degree to which you love your work.

 

[tinker bell]

They retire, but they don't sale their practices. They hire new grad in and pay new grads a few bucks a day slaving for them while they play golf. Or they bring associate in, but hang on to the practice and never wants to retire

 

[aphistis]

They retire, but they don't sale their practices. They hire new grad in and pay new grads a few bucks a day slaving for them while they play golf. Or they bring associate in, but hang on to the practice and never wants to retire

Only if the associate is foolish enough to accept such lousy terms. It takes two, after all.

 

[Cold Front]

Does anybody know how many dentists retire/ graduating dentists?
I think I read in one of the treads below 3 dentists retire/ 2graduating..
But for some reason it seems that all I see is a huge number of dentists graduating every year and hardly see any dentist around me ever retiring..
Are there any info on the ADA on this?

According to the ADA...

Based on that info, the rate of dentists retiring (let's say over 65) is about the same as new grads. However, one might argue that the retiring age (or starting to retire) could be defined as mid- to late 50's, which would change the ratio to 1:2 (new grads:retiring dentists) - this is what they mean by "more dentists are retiring than entering the profession".

I think we will notice the effects of this in the next decade, but then... there will be 5-10 new dental schools and more foreign dentist programs that will make supply of dentists level off again. But for now, the average age of a dentist will be in the early 50's.

 

[TucsonDDS]

Another thing to consider, not to sound sexist or anything, is that 30-40 percent of dental school graduates now days are female and historically women do not tend to work the same number of hours as their male counterparts. So if 1/3 of the workforce entering the profession is working part time it brings the total number of man hours down that are available to fill the positions of the retireing dentists. This provides even more job security on top of the increasing demand that is already there.

 

[gyzeus]

Another thing to consider, not to sound sexist or anything, is that 30-40 percent of dental school graduates now days are female and historically women do not tend to work the same number of hours as their male counterparts. So if 1/3 of the workforce entering the profession is working part time it brings the total number of man hours down that are available to fill the positions of the retireing dentists. This provides even more job security on top of the increasing demand that is already there.

I think this would be just for a couple of years until the baby grows up.. After that, the female dentists would most likely start working full time..
Not only female dentists but women in all fields tends to follow this trend nowadays..

 

[DrJeff]

I think this would be just for a couple of years until the baby grows up.. After that, the female dentists would most likely start working full time..
Not only female dentists but women in all fields tends to follow this trend nowadays..

The definition of "fulltime" tends to vary to between the sexes. For many female practitioners, especially post childbirth, "fulltime" is often just 24 to 30 hours a week for many post childbirth women.

 

[Cold Front]

Another thing to consider, not to sound sexist or anything, is that 30-40 percent of dental school graduates now days are female and historically women do not tend to work the same number of hours as their male counterparts. So if 1/3 of the workforce entering the profession is working part time it brings the total number of man hours down that are available to fill the positions of the retireing dentists. This provides even more job security on top of the increasing demand that is already there.

Actually, 40-45% of pre-doctoral students are females (my school is somewhere 45-50%). This growing trend continues every year and is likely to reach 50% within the next decade.

I read a JADA report somewhere that women in the field are more likely to work part time (< 30 hours per week) than men, and overall, women worked about 2.5 fewer hours per week than did men. So I am not sure that would be considered "part-time".

 

[diagnodent]

From statistics I've heard about they say women dentists work an average of 12 years.

 

[KOM]

Everything I've read points to there being a dental shortage in the future. The ADA does a pretty good job ensuring the field doesn't become saturated.

It's a GREAT time to be entering the field!

 

[armorshell]

Don't forget, there's a monstrous shortage of dentists in rural/urban areas. So there's tons of opportunity if you can give up Jamba Juices at the mall 🙂