The ADA collected the employment and job count data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 202,536 general dentists in 2022 also represents a 0.3% increase over the 2021 figure.
Here is the number of general practitioner dentists in the U.S. since 2001:
2001: 163,409
2002: 165,659
2003: 167,528
2004: 169,765
2005: 171,586
2006: 172,638
2007: 176,121
2008: 178,399
2009: 181,388
2010: 183,212
2011: 186,099
2012: 188,884
2013: 191,389
2014: 192,271
2015: 195,770
2016: 196,468
2017: 198,517
2018: 199,486
2019: 200,419
2020: 201,117
2021: 201,927
2022: 202,536