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Volume3 Issue2
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One of themost rewarding parts ofmy job
is having the privilege of speakingwith
practicingdentists all over theUnited
States.As anonclinician, and someone
who spends a lot of time lookingat data,
I find these conversations tremendously
informative.Not onlydo they provide an
intimate understanding of thefrontline
challenges facing the profession, but they
also provide an opportunity to testwhether
the conclusions gleanedfrom the research
done by theHealthPolicy Institute on the
changingdental care systemare consistent
with the grassroots experience.
Results fromnumerousHealthPolicy Insti-
tute studies show that dental spendinghas
been sluggish for several years,
1
that adults
aregoing to thedentist less
2
—a trend
unrelated to the recent economicdown-
turn—and that a substantial shareofUS
adults report theydelaygettingdental care
theyneedbecause it is toocostly.
3,4
When I
askdentistswhether theyare seeing these
trends in their practices,most sayyes. And
then,with surprising frequency, theconver-
sations spontaneously turn to lattes, tattoos,
andcell phones—namely, dentists tellme
timeandagain that it isnot that dental care
isbecoming “tooexpensive” but rather that
patient priorities arechanging. Their patients
arechoosing to spend lessondental care
andmoreondiscretionary items suchas
$4,000vacations, $400cell phones, and$4
lattes. Tattoos, forwhatever reason, alsoare
mentionedoftenand seem togeneratea
particularlyvisceral response. I recall one
dentist comingup tomeafter apresenta-
tion, visiblyupset, and tellingmeabout a
patient “who just got a thousanddollars’
worthof new tattoos and then saidhedid
not haveenoughmoney for a root canal to
savehis tooth.”
Nowmyexperience is that dentists aregen-
erallyapretty straitlaced, tattoo-shunning
group. But onmywayhome, I kept thinking
tomyself that theremight be something
more to this story. So I didwhat economists
tend todo: get thedata.
Figure1
shows theaverageannual growth
rateof inflationadjustedhousehold spending
MarkoVujicic
Dr. Vujicic is chief
economist and vice
president,HealthPolicy
Institute, American
DentalAssociation.
OfLawyers,
Lattes and
Dentists
Reprintedwithpermissionof theAmerican
Dental Association.
Original citation: VujicicM. Of lawyers,
lattes, anddentists.
