New Report: The Dentist Workforce in South Carolina
July 16, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – July 16, 2012 – Dentists play an increasinglyimportant role in our health care system. There is growing evidencelinking poor oral health to a wide range of acute and chronic diseases. Having an adequate supply of dentists is an important healthcareresource for the people of South Carolina. The Office for HealthcareWorkforce Analysis and Planning has published a new report that providesinformation about the number and types of dentists practicing in thestate, their demographic and work characteristics, and information aboutwhere they are in short supply.
Although the dentist workforcein the state has grown slightly in recent years, our overall supply ofdentists relative to the state population is smaller than the nationalaverage: for every 10,000 persons in the United States there were 6.1practicing dentists in 2009 compared to an overall supply of 4.3 inSouth Carolina for each 10,000 persons. Of the 46 counties in thestate, 44 have been designated as dental shortage areas.
In addition to having a relatively small workforce, there is a largeimbalance in the supply of dentists between our urban and rural areas. In 2011, the rural areas of our state had 2.7 dentists for every 10,000people while urban areas had almost twice that number (5.7) for every10,000 persons. To address the lack of dentists in rural areas, theSouth Carolina General Assembly created and funded the Rural DentistProgram in 2006. This educational loan repayment program is a valuablerecruitment tool that encourages young dentists to establish theirpractice in a rural area. A collaborative effort between the SouthCarolina Area Health Education Consortium, the Medical University ofSouth Carolina and the South Carolina Dental Association, the programhas made awards to 33 dentists who established their practices in dentalshortage areas since the program began.
The federally-funded National Health Service Corp program awardsscholarships and loan repayments to dentists and other primary careproviders who, in turn, commit to serving for at least 2 years inapproved sites located within Health Professional Shortage Areas(HPSAs). Currently there are 13 dentists deployed by this programwithin the state, most of whom are serving in community health centers. Since 1994, the National Health Service Corp has supported a total of37 dentists in South Carolina.
These types of recruitment programs may become even more important inthe coming years as many of our dentists reach retirement age. Onequarter (25%) of those in practice in 2011 were age 60 or older, butamong dentists in rural areas, 34% were age 60 or older. Somespecialties within the dentist workforce are likely to be more affectedby retirement losses than others: 38% of practicing periodontists and29% of oral surgeons were age 60 or older in 2011.
The Dentist Workforce in South Carolina report can be downloaded at nocharge from the website of the Office for Healthcare Workforce Analysisand Planning: www.OfficeForHealthcareWorkforce.org
About the Office for Healthcare Workforce Analysis and Planning
The Office for Healthcare Workforce Analysis and Planning part of theSouth Carolina Area Health Education Consortium at the MedicalUniversity of South Carolina, is funded by a grant from The DukeEndowment. Located in Charlotte, NC, the Duke Endowment seeks tofulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by improving lives and communitiesin the Carolinas through higher education, health care, rural churchesand children’s services. Since its inception, the Endowment has awardednearly $2.9 billion in grants.
