Total enrollment for 73 dental schools in the U.S.
By Ariana Portalatin
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 is rising, which means practice owners and DSOs will soon see a larger, more competitive pool of new graduates, while current students and associates will face tighter job markets and potential wage pressure.
Key points
- Total 2025-26 enrollment stands at 28,925 students across 73 accredited U.S. dental schools (ADA data).
- Newest school, Lyon College (Little Rock), opens with 80 students—expanding the geographic pipeline into the central South.
- Largest single-school cohort (University of Alabama at Birmingham) is 379 students, illustrating scale differences that affect regional hiring patterns.
- Increased graduate supply may shift hiring leverage toward employers and influence contract terms, sign-on bonuses, and DSO recruitment strategies.
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.
Related
- ·Business
Why the dental assistant shortage could get worse
- ·Business
US Oral Surgery Management exec on M&A: ‘We’ve had to be even more disciplined’
- ·Research
Vertical dimension of occlusion restoration using a digital injectable composite resin technique: A 5-year clinical follow-up
- ·Research
A digitally guided workflow integrating tooth preparation and restoration positioning for minimally invasive veneer and partial-coverage restorations: A dental technique