DT News - Canada - Recent Canadian dental graduates taking longer to set up practices

Dental Tribune Canada

Wed. 6 November 2013

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TORONTO, Ontario, Canada: The tracking of a long-term trend shows that recent Canadian dental graduates are taking longer to set up practices than those who graduated in earlier decades. The continuing trend is revealed in the Dental Industry Association of Canada (DIAC) 17th annual “Future of Dentistry” survey.

In the past (based on responses from those with 16 or more years in practice), the vast majority dental school grads set up a practice within three years of graduation. However, the percentage for more recent grads (graduating zero to three years ago) has been declining steadily since 2008 — from around 40 percent at that time to 22 percent in 2011, 18 percent in 2012 and 11 percent in 2013.

There also has been a lengthening in the time leading up to opening a practice for those who graduated four to nine years ago; although, a far higher percentage of this group was able to set up during the first three years after graduation compared with the more recent grads. As survey findings move up the scale in “years in practice,” there is a noticeably higher percentages of these “older” groups that was able to set up a practice within three years of joining the profession (culminating with between 50 to 65 percent of those with more than 20 years in dentistry having been able to set up their practices within three years of graduation).

The survey results do not confirm precisely why this gap is expanding, but a likely explanation is that the trend has been driven by the economic downturn’s impact on patient loads combined with the increase in in education costs and funds needed to open a practice. Perhaps in conjunction with this lengthening of time before launching a practice, there also has been a decline in the percentage of sole practitioners today compared with five years ago (37 percent versus 44 percent), matched by an increase in practices with one additional dentist (32 percent versus 26 percent) and larger practices with four or more dentists (8.9 percent versus 5.9 percent). There also has been a slight increase in practices with greater numbers of operatories. The trends appear to reflect a growing interest in sharing expenses and the increasing numbers of older dentists bringing in one or more practitioners as part of an exit strategy.

Almost 1,000 practicing Canadian dentists responded to the survey (similar to the response achieved in each of the previous 15 years), with a good proportional distribution across all regions of the country. Based on this response rate, overall survey results have an accuracy of plus or minus 3.08 percent, 19 times out of 20.

(Source: 17th Annual Future of Dentistry Survey, Dental Industry Association of Canada and Eric P. Jones & Associates)

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