The Effects of High Dental Education Cost

Authored by: Valentine Kim

By the early 2010s, the debt amount of an average dental student had surpassed $200,000 by the time of graduation [1]. Today, this amount has increased to nearly $300,000 [2]. The road to a career in the healthcare industry is long and competitive with over 46% of students reporting concerns of making errors in their job and burnout [3]. However, aside from the mental and academic challenges of the path, the financial burden of the road to dentistry is immense in the United States. With average dental school tuition exceeding $100,000, there is no doubt that getting dental education is an expensive pathway [2]. The cost of dental education discourages students from pursuing the career; students either have to take a large sum of loan or rely on their families, both of which come with overwhelming financial burdens. The alternate option is to take a loan, which will affect students years after graduation [2]. As a result, many graduates are drawn to higher-paying positions in the private sector, contributing to the increasing privatization of dentistry where treatments are more expensive and exclusive [4].

There are implicit effects of high dental education costs. Many dental students claim a significant mental toll from having a high amount of debt, which may lead to more rushed procedures as well as a burnout symptom [3]. Taking care of patients’ health and curing illnesses is already stressful. Adding weight on the dentists’ shoulders will only return to the patients as a deficit [3]. 12.1% of dental clinics reported a suspicion of making dental error that was caused from burnout and fatigue while 3.6% of clinics were actively involved in dental malpractice lawsuits [3]. This shows that burnout is negatively linked to clinical performance and is ultimately tied to a higher rate of lawsuit and dispute between the patients and the dentists. 

It isn’t possible to decrease dental school tuition overnight as a high price that has been maintained over years cannot be changed drastically. Therefore, other methods must be considered to combat the negative consequences of high dental education costs. First, the Dental Service Organization (DSO) must be activated [1]. The DSO is responsible for supporting dentists with clinic and asset management [1]. By having the organization and network help out with this planning, the dentist can focus on the practice of dentistry itself. Dentists with debt can worry less about paying back the debt in time and simply push forward with their practice designed by these organizations. Currently, these organizations are not utilized by the majority of newly graduated dentists [1]. 

Of course, in the long run, the state and schools must work together to provide more affordable measures for dental school enrollment. Governmental financial aid that is provided for undergraduate students in many institutions can be considered as well as school-level grants. In fact, if the schools are not able to help their students, the government must step in to provide aid for aspiring dentists who will make important contributions to healthcare. In addition, the cost of attendance itself must be considered and an urgent question must be asked; how is the current tuition used and what elements are truly essential? 

References:

1. Nicholson, S. (2015). The effect of education debt on dentists’ career decisions. The Journal of American Dental Association, 146(11), 800-807. https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177%2815%2900602-9/fulltext

2. Center for Disease Control. (2024, October 21). Health and Economic Benefits of Oral Disease Interventions. CDC. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/priorities/oral-disease.html 

3. Yansane, A. (2021). Burnout, Engagement, and Dental Errors Among U.S. Dentists. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(8), 1050-1056. https://journals.lww.com/journalpatientsafety/abstract/2021/12000/burnout,_engagement,_and_dental_errors_among_u_s_.54.aspx 

4. Stafford, G. (2013). Dental student indebtedness: Where did it come from and where will it lead? The Journal of the American College Dentists, 80(4), 38-48. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261880188_Dental_student_indebtedness_Where_did_it_come_from_and_where_will_it_lead