Hi - how many licensed dentists are there in the USA?

Hello Gatvol,

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2006-07, there are  150,000 licensed in the United States

Excerpts:

All 50 States and the District of Columbia require dentists to be licensed.

Dentists held about 150,000 jobs in 2004.

Employment was distributed among general practitioners and specialists as follows:

Dentists, general 128,000 
Orthodontists 10,000 
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons 6,000 
Prosthodontists 1,000 
Dentists, all other specialists 5,000 

"About one third of dentists were self-employed and not incorporated.
Almost all dentists work in private practice. According to ADA, 78
percent of dentists in private practice are sole proprietors, and 14
percent belong to a partnership. A few salaried dentists work in
hospitals and offices of physicians."

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational
Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition,
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos072.htm
(visited November 30, 2006).


Search terms:
number of licensed dentists in the United States


I hope the information provided is helpful!

Best regards,
Bobbie7

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Clarification of Answer by bobbie7-ga on 30 Nov 2006 13:09 PST

American Dental Association claims there are 175,705 professionally
active dentists.

How many dentists are there in the US?

"As of 2004 there were 175,705 professionally active dentists
(dentists using their dental degree in some fashion), and 162,181
active private practitioners in the U.S."
ADA
http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/survey/faq.asp#howmany

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Clarification of Answer by bobbie7-ga on 30 Nov 2006 13:24 PST

In the following publication you will find the number of dentists by State

http://www.ada.org/ada/international/dml_brochure.pdf