13 June 2023

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The number of dentists soars in Spain to almost 41,000

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The number of registered dentists in Spain has grown exponentially in recent years to reach the current figure of 40,968 professionals. This is an increase of 26.3% more than a decade ago; 32,445 dentists were registered in 2013.

These data reveal that the national rate of active dentists per 100,000 inhabitants is 82, rising to 134 in the Community of Madrid, the region with the highest concentration of practicing dentistry professionals throughout the country. On the flip side, the community with the lowest rate is Castilla La Mancha, with 46 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants.

From 2013-2022, female dentists have increased their numbers from 17,241 in 2013 to 23,916 in 2022. In other terms, a decade ago, women represented 52.1% of the total, but they now constitute 58.4% of the population of dentists in Spain.

With regard to the degree in dentistry, the number of graduates in both public and private faculties has remained constant in recent years, currently reaching 1,775 students per year.

Based on these data and according to the projection analysis, the estimated number of dentists who will be active in 2030 stands at 44,600 professionals. These calculations are based on a drastic decrease in the percentage of members with respect to the total number of graduates. In 2022, only 31% were registered with respect to the total number of graduates, a figure that in the period 2017-2020 was above 50%.

These are the main conclusions drawn from the technical report on the demography of dentists in Spain, prepared by the General Council of Dentists based on data provided by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Ministry of Health.

Spain, the factory of dentists in Europe

"Spain is one of the countries with the highest number of graduates annually, more than 1,700, as a result of the proliferation of dental schools," said the president of the General Council of Dentists, Óscar Castro Reino. "But this problem is aggravated because in our country there is also very low dental care, which brings with it a pernicious equation that pushes dental professionals to emigration or underemployment."

In the opinion of the head of the Collegiate Organization, the fact that the excess of professionals will continue to worsen "constitutes a real problem that the competent authorities have to solve."

"It does not make sense that there is an overpopulation of dentists in our society and that there are only 960 dentists working in public health," he concluded. "If we really want to promote a dental health plan that covers the basic needs of the population, it is urgent to hire more professionals and put oral health at the center of public health policies."

This article originally appeared in Odontologia33.