The dental industry is facing several obstacles fueling workforce shortages and making it harder for prospective students to pursue dental school. The factors straining the workforce pipeline have many industry leaders wondering, is the dental field headed for a perfect storm?
Rising tuition costs could be one of the first challenges that deter prospective students from enrolling in dental school. Dental school tuition overall has increased by 26.5% for first-year residents and 18% for first-year nonresidents since 2017, according to data from the American Dental Association.
In addition to baseline tuition costs, students also have to consider mounting debt from student loans. The average amount of dental school debt has increased by 587% since 1996, according to the Education Data Initiative.
“There are plenty of qualified candidates for dental school admission, but it’s a cost issue. They are considering the return on investment, and it’s becoming more and more upside down,” Thomas Allen, DDS, told Becker’s. “It’s a rewarding profession in many ways, but the pathway to join will continue to cause many qualified students to consider less costly careers to pursue.”
Dental students are also facing new pressures this year after the federal government introduced new borrowing limits and plans to phase out the GRAD Plus loan program. The new rules, which are part of the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, went into effect July 1 and limit borrowing to $50,000 per year for professional degree programs.
Seventy-nine percent of dental school graduates take out loans to pay for dental school, according to data from the Education Data Initiative. More than 80% of 2025 graduates who took out loans to fund dental school used federal student loans. Seventy-six percent of 2025 dental school graduates with debt took out federal direct Grad PLUS loans, while 13% used Health Professions Student Loans.
Fewer federal loan options could lead to additional financial barriers for students who seek alternative borrowing options from private lenders with higher interest rates and credit score requirements, the ADA said.
“Dental student loan debt directly shapes the career paths young dentists choose, whether they go into private practice, join a DSO or pursue specialty training,” Mollie Rojas, DMD, told Becker’s. “After borrowing so heavily just to become a dentist, the idea of taking on additional loans to sub-specialize can feel daunting, especially since postgraduate dental education, unlike medical residency, is largely tuition-dependent. If tuition keeps rising and federal borrowing becomes more complicated, fewer dentists will apply for residencies at all.”
Dr. Rojas added that the recent student loan reforms could potentially push students to pursue medicine over dentistry because medical school is typically cheaper, further exacerbating staffing shortages.
Those who do decide to enter the field will most likely work toward higher salaries, a challenge already straining practices. The ADA reported in April that hourly earnings for dental staff increased by 2% during the 12 month period ending in February. The demand for high wages and benefits was among the many challenges dentists have described facing while recruiting staff.
Debra Bafia, office manager at Ethos Dental Group in Munster, Ind., told Becker’s she expects rising staff wages to remain a dominating trend due to rising education costs and the high cost of living.
“From an employer’s perspective, applicants are requesting higher wages to account for the increasing cost of living (as well as being able to pay back their student loans), which makes being competitive in this market that much more difficult,” she said. “I am optimistic that the right candidates will still find a way to their ‘dental home,’ but I think the industry is going to have its fair share of struggles for quite some time.”
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