he dental industry is facing several obstacles fueling workforce shortages and making it harder for prospective students to pursue dental school. The factors straining the workforce pipeline have many industry leaders wondering, is the dental field headed for a perfect storm?
Rising tuition costs could be one of the first challenges that deter prospective students from enrolling in dental school. Dental school tuition overall has increased by 26.5% for first-year residents and 18% for first-year nonresidents since 2017, according to data from the American Dental Association.
In addition to baseline tuition costs, students also have to consider mounting debt from student loans. The average amount of dental school debt has increased by 587% since 1996, according to the Education Data Initiative.