8 numbers that define dental education

Periodically, DrBicuspid.com will examine some of the numbers that impact dentistry. The focus of this edition is on education and income. While none of the numbers themselves may be surprising, cumulatively, they create a picture of the state of dentistry in the U.S.

All sources are provided or linked to.

1
One new dental school is scheduled to open in 2015, the Bluefield College School of Dental Medicine in Bluefield, VA, according to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) 2013 Deans' Briefing Book (p. 8). No new dental schools are scheduled to open in 2014.

11.5
The percentage of students who graduated from a U.S. dental school in 2012 with no student loan debt, according to the ADEA 2013 Deans' Briefing Book (p. 22).

713
The total number of "underrepresented minorities" (that is, Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander) who graduated from U.S. dental schools in 2012, according to the ADEA 2013 Deans' Briefing Book (p. 23). More than 420 of these students identified as "Hispanic/Latino."

38,826
The average tuition and fees, in dollars, for an in-state student at a U.S. dental school in 2011-2012, according to the ADEA 2013 Deans' Briefing Book (p. 18).

12,000
On average, dental school graduates who are women have about $12,000 less debt than their male counterparts, according to the ADEA 2013 Deans' Briefing Book (p. 25).

192,680
The average net income, in dollars, for general dentists in 2009, according to the ADA's 2010 Survey of Dental Practice -- Income from the Private Practice of Dentistry.

221,713
The average debt, in dollars, a student from a U.S. dental school accumulates upon graduation, according to the ADEA 2013 Deans' Briefing Book (p. 20). For private schools, the average debt is greater than $263,000, while for state schools the average debt is greater than $190,000.

305,820
The average net income, in dollars, in 2009 for dental specialists, including orthodontists and dental surgeons, according to the ADA's 2010 Survey of Dental Practice.