The economics of dental practice in New Zealand, 1974-1993

New Zealand Dental Association survey data were used to explore trends in the principal indicators of dental practice economics over the last two decades. Gross income in the most recent financial year, 1992, was the highest during this period. However, the costs of dental practice have also risen, and now absorb close to 60 percent of revenue compared with around 50 percent in the early 1970s. As a result, real net income has yet to return to the "peak" levels achieved in the mid-1970s. Nevertheless, average real net incomes earned in 1992 (in 1988 dollar terms) of $85,701 is around 8 percent higher than the average real net income between 1974 and 1992 of $79,243. Furthermore, the lower income tax rates applying in the post-1990 period have produced post-1990 after-tax incomes which are higher in real terms than those in the pre-1990 period. The trends in real net dental income earned by dentists between 1982 and 1992 are shown to correspond closely to the trends in the average incomes of higher-income consumers. The rate of increase in the fees charged by dentists between 1978 and 1993 has, for most services, exceeded the rate of increase in consumer prices generally. A notable exception is the fee charged for complete dentures, which displayed much more modest increases. It is possible that this is attributable to the presence of competing suppliers (dental technicians) for this service.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)