NC's Dentist Workforce Continues to Grow, But Mostly in 5 Counties
By Angela Seo, Evan Galloway
Jul 31, 2023
![North Carolina increased the supply of dentists by 586 between 2017 and 2021. 60% went to 5 counties representing 31% of the population.](/images/posts/where_did_dentists_go_2017-2021_with_logo_notes.png)
Where did NC dentists go?
- NC has moved up in national rankings of dentists per capita, from 37th in 2017 to 24th in 2021.
- Most of the dentist growth in the state occurred in 5 counties already well-supplied with dentists: Durham, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Pitt, and Wake. Another 90 counties gained only 20% of new dentists despite representing 60% of NC’s population.