More Women, Minorities Enter Dental School

After reviewing results of the Commission on Dental Accreditation’s Survey of Dental Education, the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (ADA HPI) announced that 56% of first-year dental students were women in the fall of 2021. The number of Black and Hispanic first-year dental students also increased. Nearly 50% of all new dental students were white, 7.3% were Black (up from 5.6% in 2011) and 10.7% were Hispanic (up from 7.2% in 2011). Asians comprised 22.5% of first-year students compared to 23.8% in 2011.

Regarding these changes in dental school demographics, ADA HPI Chief Economist and Vice President Marko Vujicic, PhD, commented, “The trends we see in enrollment are going to accelerate dental practice trends like the growth of large group practice and the decline in ownership. We know from our research that, all else equal, women and nonwhite dentists are more likely to practice in larger groups, for example. They are also more likely to treat Medicaid patients.” Click here to read more.