Dental school enrollment in the 10 states with the most dental shortage areas
By Cameron Cortigiano
Originally at beckersdental.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Dental school enrollment remains far below the 13,000-provider gap needed to close nearly 8,000 shortage areas, so practices in high-shortage states will continue to face recruitment challenges and elevated compensation costs.
Key points
- HRSA data show 7,998 dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) across the U.S. requiring an estimated 13,000 dentists.
- ADA reports 28,925 total U.S. dental students for 2025-26—still insufficient to meet projected demand.
- The article highlights the 10 states with the largest number of dental HPSAs, pinpointing where future practice owners and DSOs will face the stiffest hiring competition.
- States with persistent shortages may see continued growth in Medicaid dental program incentives, loan-repayment offers, or scope-of-practice changes aimed at attracting graduates.
Who should care
Read the original on Becker's Dental + DSO Review
Full reporting and any paywall content live on beckersdental.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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