California, Alaska and Missouri are the three states with the highest number of dental professional shortage areas, with 1,231 shortage areas combined.
Here are five key statistics about the workforce and shortage areas in these states, using the latest data from the Health Resources & Services Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Dental Association:
California
Number of shortage areas: 567
Number of dentists: 30,201
Number of dental hygienists: 22,940
Number of dental assistants: 54,580
Net dentist migration 2019-2022: 1.3%
Alaska
Number of shortage areas: 334
Number of dentists: 580
Number of dental hygienists: 770
Number of dental assistants: 1,080
Net dentist migration 2019-2022: -1.1%
Missouri
Number of shortage areas: 330
Number of dentists: 3,066
Number of dental hygienists: 2,840
Number of dental assistants: 7,380
Net dentist migration 2019-2022: -6.6%
