State of dentistry under economic uncertainty
New 2025 data from the ADA Health Policy Institute highlighted changes in net income, revenue and the daily workload in the dental profession.
Economic issues such as a higher unemployment rate and cost of living may be signaling an upcoming recession, according to a news article from Dental Economics. The ADA HPI data indicated that per-dentist practice costs have risen by 3% and revenue has dropped by 1.2% between two time ranges: from 2015 to 2019 and from 2020 to 2024.
The changes could be forcing declines in the net incomes of general practitioner dentists in 2025. For instance, over a 14-year period, the average net income has fallen to nearly $208,000 for general practitioner dentists in 2024 and about $166,500 for those five years out from graduation in 2022. However, the gap in sex-based differences in pay shrank to $41,000, demonstrating a higher loss in the incomes of male general practitioner dentists ($23,000) compared with those of female general practitioner dentists ($3,000).
In addition, dentists — particularly early-career dentists — reported working longer days. While they worked for about 35 hours per week between 2010 and 2019, dentists worked more than 36 hours per week between 2021 and 2024. Owner dentists worked an average of 37 hours, whereas employee and associate dentists worked an average of nearly 32 hours per week.
The Dental Economics article suggested that the economy could continue to impact the dental profession in 2026.
Read more: Dental Economics
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