NEW ZEALAND HEALTH INFORMATION SERVICE
New Zealand Health Workforce Statistics
Dentists
This section contains data for the active dentist workforce in New Zealand. The statistics used are based on the Dental Council of New Zealand annual workforce survey 2003 and the Dental Register. An active dentist is defined as a person who is on the Dental Register and holds an annual practising certificate (APC) in New Zealand.
A workforce questionnaire accompanies the APC application form sent by the Dental Council of New Zealand. This survey and information from the Dental Register provides statistical information about the active New Zealand dentist workforce as at 30 November 2003.
The completion of the workforce survey is voluntary. In 2003, a total of 1662 dentists were on the Dental Register and had purchased an APC for the 2003/2004 year. The overall response rate for the active dentist workforce to the questionnaire was 95.2 percent. However, the response rate to individual questions varied.
Number of active dentists, by sex, 1994–2003.
Year | Males | Females | Total | ||
Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | ||
1994 | 1036 | 85.3 | 178 | 14.7 | 1214 |
1995 | 1120 | 83.0 | 226 | 16.8 | 1349 |
1996 | 1066 | 81.4 | 237 | 18.1 | 1309 |
1997 | 1171 | 79.5 | 302 | 20.5 | 1473 |
1998 | 1182 | 79.0 | 314 | 21.0 | 1496 |
1999 | 1203 | 77.2 | 355 | 22.8 | 1558 |
2000 | 1215 | 76.4 | 376 | 23.6 | 1591 |
2001 | 1222 | 76.3 | 379 | 23.7 | 1601 |
2002 | 1186 | 76.4 | 366 | 23.6 | 1552 |
2003 | 1182 | 74.7 | 400 | 25.3 | 1582 |
| Note: In 1995, 0.2 percent did not specify their sex and in 1996, 0.5 percent did not report their sex. Source: The Dental Council of New Zealand 2004. | |||||
Age groups | Females | Males | Total |
20–24 | 13 | 19 | 32 |
25–29 | 67 | 74 | 141 |
30–34 | 72 | 84 | 156 |
35–39 | 87 | 107 | 194 |
40–44 | 78 | 196 | 274 |
45–49 | 56 | 174 | 230 |
50–54 | 19 | 150 | 169 |
55–59 | 6 | 149 | 155 |
60–64 | 2 | 118 | 120 |
65+ | 0 | 111 | 111 |
Total | 400 | 1182 | 1582 |
| Source: The Dental Council of New Zealand 2004. | |||
Ethnicity | Number | Percentage |
| NZ European | 1002 | 63.3 |
| Māori | 31 | 2.0 |
| Samoan | 3 | 0.2 |
| Cook Island Maori | 1 | 0.1 |
| Tongan | 1 | 0.1 |
| Fijian | 5 | 0.3 |
| Chinese | 164 | 10.4 |
| Indian | 73 | 4.6 |
| Other | 250 | 15.8 |
| Do not wish to state or Unknown | 52 | 3.3 |
| Total | 1582 | 100.0 |
| Note: Up to three ethnic group codes can be reported. Where a dentist reports more than one ethnic group code, the Statistics New Zealand prioritisation order is used to report one value. Source: The Dental Council of New Zealand 2004. | ||
Employer | Female | Male | Total | Percentage |
| Solo practice (self-employed) | 64 | 422 | 486 | 30.7 |
| Group practice (self-employed) | 183 | 525 | 708 | 44.8 |
| Private practice (employed) | 67 | 95 | 162 | 10.2 |
| DHB | 32 | 61 | 93 | 5.9 |
| University dental school | 14 | 41 | 55 | 3.5 |
| Government department or ministry | 8 | 9 | 17 | 1.1 |
| Other | 10 | 16 | 26 | 1.6 |
| Do not wish to state or Unknown | 22 | 13 | 35 | 2.2 |
| Total | 400 | 1182 | 1582 | 100.0 |
| Source: The Dental Council of New Zealand 2004. | ||||
Geographical region | No. of dentists | Rates per 100,000, aged 14+ | New Zealand population 14+, 2003 |
| Northland | 53 | 50.5 | 104,946 |
| Waitemata | 133 | 40.0 | 332,517 |
| Auckland | 328 | 111.1 | 295,314 |
| Counties Manukau | 65 | 23.6 | 275,592 |
| Waikato | 108 | 44.9 | 240,702 |
| Bay of Plenty | 64 | 47.2 | 135,486 |
| Lakes | 34 | 47.4 | 71,679 |
| Tairawhiti | 10 | 31.4 | 31,884 |
| Hawke’s Bay | 39 | 35.9 | 108,705 |
| Taranaki | 30 | 38.2 | 78,630 |
| MidCentral | 53 | 110.0 | 48,183 |
| Wanganui | 17 | 14.2 | 119,868 |
| Hutt | 53 | 52.8 | 100,416 |
| Capital and Coast | 140 | 71.8 | 195,087 |
| Wairarapa | 8 | 27.2 | 29,400 |
| Nelson-Marlborough | 57 | 59.4 | 96,009 |
| West Coast | 6 | 25.6 | 23,481 |
| Canterbury | 180 | 52.8 | 340,950 |
| South Canterbury | 23 | 55.2 | 41,688 |
| Otago | 134 | 97.1 | 138,027 |
| Southland | 40 | 49.6 | 80,571 |
| Not reported | 7 | - | - |
| Total | 1582 | 54.8 | 2,889,135 |
| Note: Rates are calculated using the projected population aged 14+ for 2003, based on the 2001 census, from Statistics New Zealand. Source: The Dental Council of New Zealand 2004. | |||
| Branch of dentistry | No. of dentists |
| General dental practitioner: | |
| General dentistry | 1322 |
| Teaching | 10 |
| Administration/management | 42 |
| Specialist: | |
| Community dentistry | 9 |
| Endodontics | 15 |
| Hospital dentistry | 8 |
| Oral medicine and pathology | 12 |
| Oral surgery | 9 |
| Oral and maxillofacial surgery | 34 |
| Orthodontics | 71 |
| Paediatric dentistry | 12 |
| Periodontics | 25 |
| Research | 13 |
| Restorative dentistry | 19 |
| Prosthodontics | 15 |
| General dentistry | 14 |
| Teaching | 27 |
| Administration/management | 9 |
| Other | 1 |
| Did not respond | 0 |
| Total | 1667 |
| Note: Dentists can report that they work in more than one branch of dentistry for their main employer. Source: The Dental Council of New Zealand 2004. | |
Related web site – The Dental Council of New Zealand, www.dentalcouncil.org.nz.
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