CDA Essentials 2017 • Volume 4 • Issue 6

23 Issue 6 | 2017 | N ews and E vents News Canadian Dentists Continue to ShiftTheir Way of Practising Canadian dental practices are changing in ways that could be a reflection of economic pressures, according to the latest results from the Dental Industry Association of Canada (DIAC) 21st annual Future of Dentistry Survey. Responses to the DIAC survey reveal this snapshot of Canadian dental practices:  The majority (59%) of survey respondents were solo practitioners, more than a third (36%) were part of a group practice, and 4% were in a corporate dental practice.  The number of practices with five or more dentists is increasing. A record 13% of practices had five or more dentists, up from 3.4% in 2016, and an average of 6.3% for the last 14 years.  There are more operatories per practice—72% of survey respondents had four or more operatories. Of these, 30% had 5 or more operatories—an all-time high for the survey.  The number of hygiene days per practice is increasing. In 2017, 44% of respondents had five or more hygiene days per week, an increase from 40.4% in 2016, and an average of 38.5% for the last 10 years.  The average number of patients treated per day continues to decline. In an average day, dentists treated 12 patients, compared to the average of 12.5 patients over the last 10 years. The percentage of survey respondents who said they treated less than 15 patients a day grew to 83%, compared to an average of 77.5% over the last four years.  Top challenges for survey respondents were “getting more patients” and “financial/paying bills/ overhead.” In total, 335 practising Canadian dentists responded to the 2017 DIAC survey, with proportional distribution across the country. The survey results have an accuracy of +/-5.4% 19 times out of 20. a 44% Had 5 or more hygiene days 13% Practices with 5 or more dentists 59% Solo practitioners