DT News - Nordic - Sweden predicts continued shortage of dentists

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 11 May 2021

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JOHANNESHOV, Sweden: In 15 years’ time there will still be a shortage of dentists. That is the conclusion of a new forecast by the Swedish Chancellor’s Office and the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) which assesses the need for university graduates in the labour market and the number of training places for them in educational institutions.

As reported by the members’ magazine of the Swedish Dental Association Tandläkartidningen, the UKÄ’s forecast is that the number of dentists will have to increase by 10% by 2035. The study took into account both the number of students expected to complete training and the number of dentists moving to and from Sweden. The agency also noted that the demand for dentists is expected to increase by 10% over the same period, mainly owing to population growth.

Currently, the job market for dentists is good. Almost all of those who graduated in 2016/2017 secured jobs within a year and a half of graduating. However, the results also show that the needs of the labour market are growing in many areas, and the forecast is that the number of upcoming university graduates will not cover these needs. According to the experts, this is expected to be going to pose great challenges in the future not only for higher educational institutions but also for the activities concerned.

For most programmes in education and teacher training, there is a risk of increased labour shortages in 2035. The same is true for the majority of healthcare and social care education.

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