Summary

  • The annual number of Australian citizen dentist graduates from Australian universities is anticipated to more than double, increasing to approximately 500 graduates by 2014.
  • The number of practising dentists is projected to increase by half (49.4%), to over 15,000, by 2020.
  • The number of dentists per 100,000 population is also expected to increase by just over one-quarter (27.9%), to 63.2 dentists per 100,000, by 2020.
  • Capacity to supply dentist visits is projected to increase by just over one-quarter (28.6%) by 2020 (‘medium’ supply scenario).
  • A comparison of projected supply with projected demand for total aggregate dental visits (‘medium’ scenarios) estimates approximate shortfall of 800 to 900 dental providers by the year 2020.