Fact Sheet: Minnesota’s
Dentist Workforce 2009-2010
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), in cooperation with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, collects information
on education, career and future plans of dentists and dental specialists. Minnesota dentists complete workforce surveys during the biennial licensing renewal process. Unless noted, all data presented are based on information collected from dentists (including dental specialists and oral surgeons) renewing licenses from 2009 to 2010. Contact MDH
with questions or data requests about dentists or other Minnesota health care professionals at 651-201-3838,
or visit MDH at: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/workforce.
Overall:

According to the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, 3,908 dentists renewed their Minnesota licenses between 2009
and 2010, and 3,249 or 82 percent reported practicing in Minnesota. The remaining 659 dentists were keeping
their licenses active, but not practicing or they were practicing outside Minnesota.

MDH received a total of 1,867 survey responses, representing an overall response rate of 48 percent.

Thirty six counties in Minnesota are entirely designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
A portion of an additional 7 are also designated Dental HPSAs.
Sex, Race and Ethnicity:
Training and Education:

Licensed dentists were predominately male
(77 percent).


More women are becoming dentists compared to
previous years. Fifty percent under age 35 are
female (Graph A).
Most dentists (76 percent) received their training in
Minnesota (Graph B) at the University of Minnesota’s
Dental School, while almost 24 percent received
dental training out of the state. 
The second most common location where dentists in
Minnesota received dental education was the
University of Iowa (4 percent).

Most dentists identified their race as White
(94 percent).

Only 6 percent of dentists identified themselves
as African American, Native American, Asian or
multiracial. Two percent identified their ethnicity
as Hispanic.
Minnesota Department of Health P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164 651‐201‐3838 May 2011 Geographic Distribution:
Primary Practice Setting:

Three fourths of dentists practicing in Minnesota
were mainly concentrated in the urban areas of the
state (Graph C).

Solo private practices remain the most common type
of practice setting (44 percent) for dentists followed
by small group practices (37 percent) (Graph E).

The largest concentration of dentists was in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan statistical area
(69 percent).

Dentists worked an average of 15 years at their
current worksite or facility.

On average, dentists worked 32 hours per week at
their primary worksite or facility.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2009
a Minnesota general dentist’s annual average salary
was $172,560; an oral and maxillofacial surgeon’s
average salary was $228,570.

Solo practices were more common as work locations
became more rural. Sixty-eight percent of dentists
practicing in an isolated rural area had a solo private
practice, compared to 40 percent of dentists in
urban areas.
Age Range:

Based on licensing data, more than half of all dentists
practicing in Minnesota were 45 years or older
(70 percent) and almost half (47 percent) were
55 years or older.

Dentists practicing in large, small and isolated rural
areas were older with a combined median age of
57 years compared to 53 years in urban areas of
Minnesota (Graph D).
Practice Longevity Plans:

Most dentists (57 percent) planned to practice in
Minnesota longer than 10 years.

Forty two percent of survey respondents said they
plan to stop practicing in Minnesota within 10 years.
Of those, half (21%) plan to stop practicing within
the next five years.
Collaborative Agreements:

Only 7 percent of dentists had a collaborative
agreement with a hygienist.

Nine percent did not know if they had a
collaborative agreement with a hygienist.

Thirteen percent of dentists delegated expanded
restorative functions to hygienists, as authorized in
Minnesota Statute 150A.10, Subd. 4.
Minnesota Department of Health P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164 651‐201‐3838 May 2011