A manpower study of orthodontic specialists for the State of Indiana: a preliminary report.
To develop current manpower data and project the future need for orthodontic specialists, a survey questionnaire was mailed to Indiana orthodontists (90 percent response). In addition, a telephone survey of orthodontic receptionists was conducted during the same time period (95 percent response). In general, orthodontists perceived a lower state of business than did their staffs. About 77 orthodontists are expected to retire by the year 2010. Based on maintaining the adjusted potential patient-to-orthodontist ratio (increasing adult and declining children in the population), it was projected that only about 66 (86 percent) of the retirees require replacement. To maintain manpower at eight percent fewer orthodontists than are currently in practice, three to four new orthodontists per year will be needed in Indiana over the next two decades.