US Dental Facts

American Dental Association

(ADA)WORKFORCE (latest data available 2002)
2004 Active Dentists Population/dentist:
(professionally active dentists) 169,894
men 141,104
women 28,190
in public services 3,095
in private practice 156,921
in universities 3,392
armed forces 2,426
in other related occupations
(Full-Time administrative posts, etc) 1,556
Chairside Assistants (dental nurses): N/A
Therapists: N/A
Dental Hygienists: N/A
Laboratory Technicians: N/A
Denturists: N/A
Other dental work categories – specify:
Based on primary occupation only
DENTAL EDUCATION 2004 Number of Dental Schools: (includes Puerto Rico) 56
List of Dental Schools (with addresses) Please attach attached
Do you have a vocational training? How long? N/A
Length of Curriculum: (except the University of the Pacific which has a 3-year curriculum) 4yr
Graduates Per Year: (latest data available 2002)* 4,349
Number of Schools for Therapists: N/A
Number of Schools for Hygienists: 278
Number of Schools for Chairside Assistants (dental nurses): 259
Number of Schools for Lab Technicians: 24
Recognised Specialities: No of Specialists
(these are practitioners with officially recognised qualificationsin a particular area):
(Among professionally active dentists)
General Practice No 143,7592
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery No 6,589
Endodontics No 4,176
Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics No 9,509
Pediatric Dentistry No 4,402
Periodontics No 5,097
Prosthodontics No 3,247
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology No 332
Dental Public Health No 851
Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology No 12

ORAL HEALTH CARE (latest available data 2002) 2004
Does your country have an oral health policy? If yes, please attach an electronic copy.
Varies by State
Oral health care free of charge for children up to what age
Varies by State
of all oral health care for children:
% delivered in public service:
% delivered in private practice
of all oral health care for adults:
% delivered in public service:
% delivered in private practice

Treatment costs covered by the social security system: (public sector ?) $4.5 Billion
Treatment costs covered by the private insurance: $34.8 Billion
Treatment costs entirely paid by patient: $30.9 Billion
Annual Expenditure on Oral Health as % of total expenditure on health 4.5%

LICENSURE
Authority: Authority to License dentists to practice dentistry belongs to each state, district ordependency regulatory agency known as the Board of Dentistry or the Board of Dental Examiners. Adental license issued by one jurisdiction (e.g., state) only applies to the geographic confines of that particular jurisdiction.
Requirements, Degrees, diplomas: To be eligible for dental licensure, dentists must have received a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) form a dental school accredited bythe ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation or the Canadian Commission on Dental Accreditation. For individuals already licensed in one state, opportunities to move from state to state exist depending onspecific requirements in the state where they wish to move to practice. These individuals may apply for and receive “licensure by credentials” if they have met all requirements, e.g., if they have practiced in thestate where they currently hold a license for at least 5 years and have no actions taken against theirlicense by the board of dentistry.
National or state examinations necessary for registration: Candidates for licensure are required tosuccessfully complete Parts I and II of the National Board Dental Examination, which assess theoretical knowledge. In addition, candidates must successfully complete clinical examinations conducted byindividual state boards of dentistry of by a regional dental testing agency. Reciprocal agreements with (list of countries that enter into agreements allowing mutualexchange of workforce): There are no agreements allowing mutual exchange of workforce. Withregard to evaluation of the dental education programs, by reciprocal agreement between the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation and the Canadian Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation, graduates of these programs may be eligible for licensure in each country.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Is continuing education mandatory?
Most states (47) one territory and one district of the U.S. have mandatory continuing education requirements for continued licensure. If mandatory, when was it introduced and how many hours or days per year? The first state to mandate CE for re-licensure was Minnesota in 1969. An additional few states and oneterritory mandated CE in the 1970s. Most states and one district mandated CE in the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000, additional states have mandated CE. The number and type of CE credits required and the frequency of auditing is established by the state, territory or district. The number of CE credits required varies from 15 hours to 30 hours per year, with most being 20-25 hours per year. For more detailed information (current as of September 1, 2004), see the attached document, CE Requirements of State Dental Boards for Dentists and Auxiliaries, ADA Department of State Government Affairs.

USEFUL ADDRESSES
Licensure Body See attached list of State Board of Dental Examiners
Ministry of Health N/A
Chief Dental Officers N/A

Dental Industry Associations
American Dental Trade Association, 4222 King Street West, Alexandria, VA 22302-1597
Dental Dealers of America, Suite 2030, 123 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19109-1020
Dental Manufacturers of America, Inc., Suite 2030, 123 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19109-1020

Other
American Association of Dental Examiners, Suite 760, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL60611-2616
American Dental Assistants Association, 35 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601-2211
American Dental Education Association, 1400 K Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005
American Dental Hygienists Association, Suite 3400, 444 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL60611-2616
National Association of Dental Laboratories, 1530 Metropolitan Boulevard, Tallahassee, FL 32308