Female dentists are less likely to be practice owners compared with male dentists, with 59.9% of female dentists being owners in 2023 and 79.9% of male dentists owning a practice. In 2005, 68.1% of female dentists and 88.5% of male dentists were practice owners.
Age also plays a large factor in practice ownership. In 2023, more than 80% of dentists 65 and older are practice owners, but just 8.8% of dentists under 30 own practices.
Here are the percentages of dentists that were practice owners in 2005 and 2023 based on age:
Younger than 30
2005: 25.4%
2023: 8.8%
Ages 30-34
2005: 55%
2023: 32.5%
Ages 35-44
2005: 85.9%
2023: 70.9%
Ages 45-54
2005: 93.9%
2023: 88.6%
Ages 55-64
2005: 93.4%
2023: 89.7%
65 and older
2005: 85%
2023: 83.5%
