The number of public health dentists in the U.S. has declined by 5.9 percent between 2001 and 2021, according to data from the American Dental Association.
The association collected data on the total number of dentists by specialty and the ratio per capita in a January report.
The supply of public health dentists reached its peak in 2005 with 1,004 dentists, but it has since dropped to 801 in 2021.
Listed below are the number of public health dentists practicing in the U.S. each year between 2001 and 2021:
2001: 958
2002: 909
2003: 894
2004: 900
2005: 1,004
2006: 999
2007: 963
2008: 962
2009: 942
2010: 959
2011: 929
2012: 911
2013: 871
2014: 846
2015: 869
2016: 853
2017: 827
2018: 835
2019: 835
2020: 823
2021: 801