By Dan Conti
Frankfort, KY – The dean of the University of Kentucky college of dentistry says the state is not developing enough young dentists. Doctor Sharon Turner testified Wednesday before a panel of state lawmakers in Frankfort.
"Forty percent of the dentists who are practicing in Kentucky today are 55 or older. Nearly half of our practicing profession, so that's a significant number."
Turner says there are about 19-hundred general practitioner dentists in Kentucky and 77 who provide pediatric care. She says the national average is 6 dentists per 10,000 people. Kentucky has 5.5.