Baby boomer retirement and the future of dentistry

The dental workforce, like the Australian population, is ageing. As the large baby boomer cohort retires dental shortages will likely increase.

Since 1986, the dental workforce has aged significantly (p<0.01). About half of the current dental workforce is projected to retire by 2026.

Generation X dentists are significantly less likely to work long hours than the baby boomer cohort of dentists. This is partly due to an increase in the proportion of women in the dental workforce and male Generation X dentists being less likely to work long hours than male baby
boomer dentists.

Ageing of the workforce will have an impact on dentistry later than on some other professions due to the 35 per cent of dentists who work beyond 65 years of age. Nonetheless, existing dental shortages are likely to be exacerbated over the short term by the 22 per cent of dentists projected to retire over the next 10 years.


Source: DJ Schofield, SL Fletcher Australian Dental Journal - June 2007