When it comes to choosing a location for your dental office, the ideal dentist-to-population ratio is an important factor to consider. In Canada, there are 1,622 people for every dentist. In Santa Barbara, California, the ratio is 323 people to every dentist. In rural or suburban areas of the Midwest and other select areas of the country, the ideal proportion of the population of dentists can be up to one dentist for every 6,000 people. To get an accurate picture of the dentist-to-population ratio in a potential location, it's important to do an individual Google search for all dentists within a 2 to 3 mile radius.
Checking their website (if they have one) can also provide valuable information. Surprisingly, I found that less than half of the 71 dentists within a 3-mile radius had websites. When starting a dental office from scratch or buying an existing one, it's important to consider how many dentists are already in the area that will serve your target population. Knowing the dentist-to-population ratio can help you make an informed decision about where to locate your office. To maintain a 32-hour workweek, a dental office needs 750 active patients.
