Private Practice of Prosthodontists in the United States: Results from the 2017 Survey of Prosthodontists and Trends Since 2001.

PURPOSE: To review data and results from past surveys of prosthodontists sponsored and conducted by the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP). Specifically, results are examined and presented from the most recently conducted survey in 2017. Trends and changes in characteristics impacting the private practice of prosthodontists over time are discussed using results from six surveys completed in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Results from the past surveys of prosthodontists are statistically examined and used to estimate several characteristics of the current population of practicing prosthodontists. The selected characteristics include age, gender, hours in the practice, employment of staff, referral sources, and financial conditions (e.g., gross receipts, expenses in the practice, and net income of prosthodontists). While the most recent survey was conducted during the year 2017, the respondents reported survey data for the previous year of 2016. RESULTS: The average age of private practice respondents in 2016 was 50 years; 23 years since graduation from dental school and 18 years since completion of residency; an average of 18 years since starting practice as a prosthodontist, with 52% in solo practice. The mean number of hours per week in the practice was 33.9 hours and the mean number of hours treating patients averaged 28.3 hours per week. The single largest source of referrals is the prosthodontist's patients (24.8%), while general practitioners are a close second source of referrals (21.8%). Salaries paid by prosthodontic practices reached 55% of total practice expenses. The mean nominal net income in 2016 of prosthodontists in private practice was $231,140 while the mean total net income from all prosthodontic sources was $263,850. CONCLUSION: Changes have continued to take place in the private practice of prosthodontics during most of the last decade. The average age of prosthodontists has declined since 2010. Hours in practice and hours treating patients have declined at a rate of about 1% per year since 2001. Mean net earnings of prosthodontists have declined at a rate of 1.6% since 2001 and 3.1% per year since 2007. The prosthodontist private practice industry, not unlike dentistry as a whole, has undergone economic and practice challenges that have affected the conditions of private practice during the last decade.

Private Practice of Prosthodontists in the United States: Results from the 2008, 2011, and 2014 Surveys of Prosthodontists.

PURPOSE: To review data and results from past surveys of prosthodontists sponsored and conducted by the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP). Specifically, most results are examined and presented from the surveys conducted in 2008, 2011, and 2014. Selected survey results are examined for prosthodontists in private practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Results from past surveys of prosthodontists were statistically examined and used to estimate several characteristics of the current population of practicing prosthodontists. The selected characteristics included age, gender, number of patient visits, hours in the practice, employment of staff, referral sources, and financial conditions (e.g., gross receipts, expenses in the practice, and net income of prosthodontists). While the most recent survey was conducted during the year 2014, the respondents reported survey data for the previous year of 2013. RESULTS: The average age of a private practice prosthodontist in 2013 reached 52 years; 26 years since graduation from dental school and 20 years since completion of residency; an average of 20 years since starting practice as a prosthodontist, with 52.2% in solo practice. The mean number of hours per week in the practice was 32.6 hours, and practicing prosthodontists treated an average of 33 patient visits per week. The single largest source of referrals is the prosthodontist's patients, while general practitioners are a close second source of referrals. The largest percentage of time spent treating patients is for fixed prosthodontics (21%), which has declined from a mean of 24.1% reported in 2007. The mean amount of nominal gross billings in 2013 was $654,270 per prosthodontist, which was lower than the mean gross billings in both 2007 and 2010; average total practice expenses were $577,480; and the mean nominal net earnings in 2013 of prosthodontists in private practice was $225,280. CONCLUSION: Changes have continued to take place in the private practice of prosthodontics during most of the last decade. The prosthodontist private practice industry, not unlike dentistry as a whole, has undergone economic and practice challenges that have affected the conditions of the private practice of prosthodontists.

Private practice of prosthodontists in the United States: results from the 2008 & 2011 surveys of prosthodontists.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to review data and results from past surveys of prosthodontists sponsored and conducted by the American College of Prosthodontists. Surveys were conducted in 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011. Selected survey results are examined for prosthodontists in private practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Results from past surveys of prosthodontists were statistically examined and used to estimate several characteristics of the current population of practicing prosthodontists. The selected characteristics included age, gender, number of patient visits, hours in the practice, employment of staff, referral sources, and financial conditions (e.g., gross receipts, expenses in the practice, and net income of prosthodontists). While the most recent survey was conducted in 2011, the results reported by respondents are for the previous year, 2010. RESULTS: The average age of a private practicing prosthodontist in 2010 reached 53 years; 26 years since graduation from dental school and 20 years since completion of residency; an average of 13 years in their current practice. Sixty percent were in solo practice. The mean number of hours per week in the practice was 35 hours, and practicing prosthodontists treated an average of 35 patient visits per week. The patient was the single largest source of referrals, while general practitioners were a close second. The largest percentage of time spent treating patients was for fixed prosthodontics (21%), which declined from a mean of 24.1% in 2007. The mean amount of gross billings in 2010 was $721,970, which was a decline from 2007. Average total practice expenses were $538,230, and the mean net earnings of prosthodontists in private practice were $238,010. CONCLUSION: Changes have occurred since the last survey of prosthodontists in 2008 (with results for the year 2007). The prosthodontist private practice industry, not unlike dentistry as a whole, has undergone economic challenges that have affected the private practice of prosthodontists.

Compliance of resilient denture liners immersed in effervescent denture cleansers.

PURPOSE: Six resilient denture liners (RDL) were exposed to two immersion effervescent denture cleansers to evaluate change in compliance over a simulated 1 year time interval. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten samples of each material, Molloplast B, Mollosil, MPDS-SL, Permasoft, Softline, and Sofreliner were exposed to either Fixodent or Efferdent denture cleanser. A cyclic load was applied in a squarewave fashion to derive a load displacement curve to measure compliance at 0, 7, 30, 180, and 360 simulated days. RESULTS: All 12 of the material/cleanser combinations demonstrated a significant change in compliance at each time interval relative to baseline. Mollosil had the greatest increase in flexibility from baseline, and MPDS-SL had the smallest increase in flexibility. In general, chairside materials demonstrated greater change in compliance from baseline compared to laboratory materials. Materials subjected to Fixodent cleanser, when averaged over time, were significantly more flexible than materials exposed to Efferdent cleanser. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure of resilient soft liners to two common cleansers resulted in a significant increase in flexibility. This change in flexibility depended slightly, though significantly, on the type of cleanser, and appeared to be more significant with time. In general, chairside materials seemed to change more than laboratory-processed liners. The exception was Permasoft that was fabricated as a laboratory material but behaved like a chairside material. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The initiator of the polymerization reaction rather than the mode of polymerization may be more important in predicting a change in the flexibility of RDLs. Constituents within the oral environment may be more responsible for changes in RDL flexibility than denture cleansers.