title: State-based Distribution of U.S. Pediatric Dentists in Private Practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine state-based and regional ratios of U.S. pediatric dentists to children in 2010 and determine changes since 2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  State-based enumeration of pediatric dentists in private practice (PDP) was determined from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's 2010 Membership Directory. Number of children in each state was obtained from U.S. Census 2010 data. PDP ratio for each state was computed per 100,000 children. Changes in state-based PDP number and ratio to children were compared with 2000 data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 4,453 pediatric dentists in private practice across the United States, with a ratio of 6.00 per 100,000 children. California (583), Texas (378), New York (310), and Florida (231) had the largest PDP numbers. The Southern region (1,609) had the largest PDP number, while the Midwest (706) had the lowest number. PDP ratio to children was highest in the Northeast (7.61) and lowest in the Midwest (4.38). With the exceptions of Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming, the PDP number and its ratio to children increased in all states between 2000 and 2010.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a generalized increase in practitioner number since 2000, noticeable differences persisted in 2010 among states in their pediatric dentist to children ratios.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. hashim.nainar@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: S M Hashim
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nainar
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003815:Dentists; D006801:Humans; D011331:Private Practice; D014481:United States