The number of dentists in Arizona has declined significantly in recent years, with more than 100 dental offices in the Phoenix area reportedly closing last year alone, according to a story in the Phoenix Business Journal.
Kevin Earle, executive director of the Arizona Dental Association, told the Journal that many dentists in Arizona followed population growth during the real estate boom of 2005-2006 and ended up locating "almost on top of one another," making it difficult to compete.
Others spent too much to set up "extravagant offices," Robert Griego, D.D.S., of Phoenix told the Journal.
The trend is being blamed primarily on the recession, which has also hurt Delta Dental's business in Arizona. So far this year, Delta Dental has received 600 dental contracts, with more than 100 of them showing dentists moving from one office to another, the Journal reported.
The Arizona Dental Association currently has about 2,400 members, which is down from previous years. In 2005, 4,026 dentists were licensed in Arizona; at present, there are 4,254, according to the Journal.
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