More than 40 percent of dentists indicated they were "somewhat confident" in the economic recovery of their dental practices and the dental care sector as a whole, according to a recent poll by the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute.
The poll was taken as part of the ADA's monthly "Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry" report for the week of March 13. The Health Policy Institute surveyed 1,049 dentists about their confidence in economic recovery over the next six months.
Here is how confident dentists are in the economic recovery of their dental practices, the dental care sector and the U.S. economy:
Their dental practice
Very confident: 24.6 percent
Somewhat confident: 40.3 percent
Neither confident nor skeptical: 17.9 percent
Somewhat skeptical: 13.8 percent
Very skeptical: 3.4 percent
The dental care sector
Very confident: 13.1 percent
Somewhat confident: 43.8 percent
Neither confident nor skeptical: 22 percent
Somewhat skeptical: 17.3 percent
Very skeptical: 3.8 percent
The U.S. economy
Very confident: 4.5 percent
Somewhat confident: 21.4 percent
Neither confident nor skeptical: 17.8 percent
Somewhat skeptical: 34.3 percent
Very skeptical: 22 percent