ArticleInternational dental journal2018
Analysis of human resources for oral health globally: inequitable distribution.
Article in International dental journal, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Teledentistry for Ageing Populations: Toward Intelligent Intermediary Support in Home-Based Oral Care.International dental journal · 2026Article
- Dental Workforce Trends and Emerging Workforce Challenges: Perspectives from a 15-Year Longitudinal Analysis of the Israeli Experience (2008-2023).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The Current State of Global Awareness and Knowledge on Oral Cancer: A Narrative Review.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Making the Case for Dental Therapists in the United States.Annals of global health · 2026Article
- Factors Influencing the Inter-Country Movement Intentions of Future Dentists in Ireland: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of dentistry · 2026Article
- Mortality Among Dental Healthcare Workers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Public Domain Database Study.International dental journal · 2025Article
- Efficiency analysis of oral health resource allocation in public medical institutions in Yunnan Province at the end of the 13th five-year plan in China.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Workforce trends and distribution of endodontists in Saudi Arabia.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Imbalances in the oral health workforce: a Canadian population-based study.BMC health services research · 2024Observational
- Impact of dental visiting patterns on oral health: A systematic review of longitudinal studies.BDJ open · 2024Review
- The Presence of Women in the Dental Profession: A Global Survey.International dental journal · 2024Article
- Evaluation of oral health services and challenges faced by oral health practitioners working in Nyarugenge, Rwanda.PloS one · 2024Article
- A typology of internationally qualified dentists in the United Kingdom.Journal of migration and health · 2024Article
- Article
- Validity of a Mobile Application to Diagnose Temporomandibular Disorders.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Utilising the dental workforce in England, United Kingdom, to optimise the response to COVID-19.Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2023Article
- Anaesthesia and Caries Treatment by Dental Hygienists: A Worldwide Review.International dental journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOral diseases affect most of the global population. The aim of this paper was to provide a contemporary analysis of 'human resources for oral health' (HROH) by examining the size and distribution of the dental workforce according to World Health Organization (WHO) region and in the most populous countries.
methodPublically available data on HROH and population size were sourced from the WHO, Central Intelligence Agency, United Nations, World Bank and the UK registration body. Population-to-dentist and dental-workforce ratios were calculated according to WHO region and for the 25 most populous countries globally. Workforce trends over time were examined for one high-income country, the UK.
resultsThe majority of the world's 1.6 million dentists are based in Europe and the Americas, such that 69% of the world's dentists serve 27% of the global population. Africa has only 1% of the global workforce and thus there are marked inequalities in access to dental personnel, as demonstrated by population to dental-workforce ratios. Gaps exist in dental-workforce data, most notably relating to mid-level clinical providers, such as dental hygienists and therapists, and HROH data are not regularly updated. Workforce expansion and migration may result in rapid changes in dentist numbers.
conclusionMarked inequalities in the distribution of global HROH exist between regions and countries, with inequalities most apparent in areas of high population growth. Detailed contemporary data on all groups of HROH are required to inform global workforce reform in support of addressing population oral health needs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.