Dental Expenditures

	1970- 4.7 Billion Dollars
		Overall healthcare cost are approximately one trillion dollars, 14% of GNP, highest per capita amount in the industrialized world
	1996 47 Billion Dollars
	2002 (approximately 10% growth)

Per Capita Dental Expenditures

	$22- 1970
	$173- 1996
			686.4% Growth Rate, average 8% increase per capita per year
			Dental Growth Rate In The CPI Was 6.79% From 1970-1996

Dental Expenditures

	In Constant Dollars (1970 Dollars), 1.37% Increase Annually
	42.5% In Overall Real Growth

Source of Payments

	Approximately Half Of All Dental Payments Come From Dental Insurance

Source of Payment (1987)

	Older Americans-
			$141 Average Annual Payment In 1977,
			90% Out Of Pocket, May Have Decreased To 79% In 1987
			Mean Out Of Pocket Expenditure-
	$164 For All Americans Who Made Visits

National Medical Expenditure Survey

	Detailed National Estimates Of Health Care Utilization
	Sources Of Payment
	Insurance Coverage

Dental Visits-
1987

	292 Million Visits
	57.6% Of The U.S. Population Had No Dental Visit In 1987
			15.7%- One Visit
			11.1%- Two Visits
			5.7%- Three Visits
			3.3%- Four Visits
			6.6%- Five Or More Visits
	Average visits per person 2.87

Dental Visits- 1987

	Poorer Respondents And Respondents With Less Education Were Less Likely To Report Having Visited A Dentist Than Respondents With More Income Or More Education
	Females And Employed Respondents Were More Likely To Report A Visit Than Were Their Counterparts
	Blacks And Hispanics Were Less Likely To Visit A Dentist Than Were Whites.

Dental Visits- 1987

			More Education- 3X More Likely To Have Multiple Visits Than Poorer Or Less Educated Counterparts

Dental Visits- 1987

	Preventive Services- 30%
	Restorative- 13%
	Prosthetic- 10%
	Periodontic- 1%
	Endodontic- 3%
	Oral Surgery- 6%
	Orthodontic- 8%
	Diagnostic Services- 26%

Dental Visits- 1987

			Blacks And Hispanics More Oral Surgery And Less Preventive Procedures Than Whites
			Females More Prosthetic And Fewer Restorative And Oral Surgery Procedures Than Males
			Poorer Respondents Fewer Preventive Or Orthodontic Procedures And More Restorative Or Oral Surgery Dental Procedures Than Respondents With More Income
			Less Educated Respondents Had More Prosthetic Oral Surgery And Orthodontic Procedures And Fewer Diagnostic Preventive And Endodontic Procedures Than More Educated Respondents

Services Provided to Patients at Discount or No Cost

	5.3%-  Free From Provider
	Unreimbursed Services ($10,871)

Active Practitioners

	140,000
		9% female in 1991
		In the near future the number of dentists retiring will outpace the number of entrants into the profession

Student Debt

	1997 survey of dental school seniors, average debt of $94,812
		First year tuition fees have risen 6% a year in the 1990’s
	May delay opening a practice
		Conservative cost of a new practice ($250,000) for equipment, instruments and supplies

Student Interest in Dentistry

	Approximately 8,000 students take the DAT’s per year