Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[Train Guy]

Yeah, you don't much hear the insurance companies complaining about the prices dentists charge. They know there aren't enough to go around. And yet the average dentist doesn't make that much money. Hm, I wonder .... and the internet comes through again. Even after eight years on the net it still impresses me. Where else can you go type, type, type and 15 secs later, there's the answer. Not only the answer, but more than you even thought to ask.

http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/survey/faq.asp Here's a few of the more pertinent ones.

What is a dentist's average net income?

The average net income for an independent private practitioner who owned all or part of his or her practice in 2000 was $166,460 for a general practitioner and $261,280 for a specialist. For more information on this topic, see Survey of Dental Practice - Income from the Private Practice of Dentistry.

What are a dentist's average annual gross billings?

The average gross billing per owner dentist in 2000 was $500,910 for a general practitioner and $683,460 for a specialist.

What is the average hourly salary of a full-time hygienist and a full-time chairside dental assistant?

Independent dentists reported paying full-time dental hygienists $26.80 per hour in 2000. Full-time chairside dental assistants were reported to earn $13.90 an hour in 2000.

How many dental schools are there?

There are 56 accredited dental schools in the U.S. and 10 in Canada.

How many students are enrolled in dental school?

During the 2001/02 academic year, there were 17,487 students enrolled in predoctoral education programs, 5,266 students in advanced education programs, and 20,287 students in allied education programs.

Is dental school enrollment on the increase or decrease?

Predoctoral enrollment was at its highest level during the late 1970s/early 1980s, with peak enrollment of 22,842 in the 1980/81 academic year. Since the early 1990s, first-year predoctoral enrollment has risen an average of 0.9% annually.

How many dentists are there in the US?

As of 2001 there were 168,556 professionally active dentists (dentists using their dental degree in some fashion), and 155,716 active private practitioners in the U.S.

How often do people visit a dentist?

Most adults reported that they had seen a dentist within the past year. A total of 65% said they last saw a dentist less than six months ago, while an additional 18% saw a dentist between six months ago and a year.