Why Aren't More Pediatric Dentists Starting a Practice?

Even with a broad interest in practice ownership, giant student debt is negatively influencing future practice ownership. This was the summarized conclusion from a recent cross-sectional study in the AAPD journal evaluating practice ownership intentions and educational debt. On today's solo episode, I wanted to do a quick review of this article and share my thoughts. I receive inquiries several times a week from young pediatric dentists who express interest in starting a practice. I can tell you first hand that there is a lot of interest in the subject. Some dentists commit and make it happen right away, and for others it takes more time due to additional barriers. Even with the stresses of running a business, I still encourage practice ownership and I think this article does a great job shedding some light on restrictions that come with it. Shoutout to Dr. William Alexander, Dr. Joel Berg, Dr. JoAnna Scott, Dr. Roger Sanger, and Dr. Zheng Xu on publishing this study. The study is title, "Practice Ownership Intentions of Pediatric Dentistry Residents and the Influence of Educational Debt." Pediatric Dentistry V 44, No 1. Jan/Feb 2022.