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The Economic Costs And Benefits Of Dental Education: An Empirical Analysis, Gary L. Stafford, Farrokh Nourzad, William K. Lobb, Jason R. Beall

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

The rising costs associated with obtaining a dental education have caused some to question the financial benefit of pursuing a dental degree. There is a concern that recent graduates may have difficulty finding professional opportunities that provide the income necessary to service their accumulated educational debt. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trends in educational costs to aid in making an accurate appraisal of the financial benefit of a dental education. Adjusted into constant dollar terms, data from a variety of sources were collected for economic variables such as tuition, fees, student indebtedness, and dentists’ earnings. These …