The growth in new dental jobs is driven by a number of factors. Population growth in B.C., especially the large number of aging baby boomers, means there will be more people requiring dental care. The aging of the population in Canada will result in a greater need for adult dental services, including diagnostic, preventive, operative, fixed prosthodontics, endodontics, implants and orthodontic services. More people realize the importance of keeping their teeth longer. The general increase in the income of many families has made preventive dental care increasingly affordable, and this may continue in the future.
Dentists can also create demand for their services through publicizing the benefits of dental care.
In addition, there is increasing demand for cosmetic dentistry. A couple of key factors will have a negative impact on the employment demand for dentists. Industry sources indicate that opportunities for and numbers of dentists have grown faster than population growth during the past several years, with both economic recovery and use of dental insurance providing the money for dental care. According to industry sources, employers are withdrawing their sponsorship of dental plans and are seeking to reduce the cost of providing care. These plans are cutting the fees dentists are paid for their services, which reduces dentists' ability to provide quality oral health care to patients.