The face of dentistry is changing to a younger and more female workforce, according to a new report from the ADA Health Policy Institute.

In 2024, nearly 2 in 5 dentists in the U.S. were female, according to The U.S. Dentist Workforce – Update 2025. The share of dentists who are female has more than doubled since 2001, increasing from 16% to 39%. In addition, about half of dentists aged 35 and under are female as of 2024.

How does that compare to Virginia?

According to state licensure surveys analyzed by the Virginia Health Workforce Data Center, 61 percent of dentists under the age of 35 are now female. That represents a significant shift compared with the 18 percent of dentists in the workforce over the age of 60 who are female.

Source: Virginia Healthcare Workforce Data Center

These changing demographics are not unique among health professions to dentistry. Looking at licensees under the age of 35, women now comprise a majority of every healthcare profession in Virginia, including 98 percent of dental hygienists.

What other trends are we seeing?

“Younger dentists are delaying practice ownership and are more frequently practicing in group practice after graduation,” said Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., ADA chief economist and vice president of HPI.

According to the HPI report, while the dental workforce is changing in terms of demographics and practice modality, established dentists are experiencing a “fiscal squeeze” that is driving income down across all specialties and career stages. Dentists are also retiring later than they used to.

The supply of dentists has been stable for the past few years but is about to grow, Dr. Vujicic said. The retirement “surge” among baby boomer dentists is nearing its end while dental school enrollment is at an all-time high.

Dig in to the data

[U.S. Dentist Update from the ADA Health Policy Institute]

[Virginia Healthcare Workforce Data Center]