Benchmarking

Enrollment by first-year students in accredited dental hygiene programs has increased 4.3 percent since 2018, but dental assistant enrollment has decreased 21.9 percent over the same period, according to data from the ADA.

California has the highest number of dental professional shortage areas in the U.S. with 517 but offers a well-above-average salary for dental hygienists.

California has the highest number of dental professional shortage areas in the U.S. with 517, but has an above average salary for dental assistants. 

The United States needs 11,896 dental professionals to fill shortage areas, according to data from KFF.

The United States has 7,192 dental professional shortage areas, according to data from KFF.

More than 75 percent of dentists practice at single-location offices, according to data from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

The mean hourly wage for orthodontists across the U.S. is $104, according to the Bureau of Labor Statics, which is significantly higher than the minimum wage in each state.

Here are more than 100 stats that show how compensation for dental professionals stack up in 2023:

The percentage of female graduates of predoctoral dental education programs in the U.S. reached 52.9 percent in 2022, according to data from the American Dental Association.

First-year enrollment in dental anesthesiology programs has seen 31.8 percent growth since 2018, according to data from the American Dental Association.