In 2008, dentists earned an average of € 7,800 per month. Men earn more than women and wages are higher in areas where they are few.
How much does a dentist earn? This is the question answered by the Drees (1) in its last report on the income of dental surgeons in 2008. And obviously, the latter do not seem to be suffering from the economic crisis! Some disparities are however to be noted according to the nature of the acts performed and the place of the exercise, but not only …
7,800 euros of income per month on average
In 2008, liberal dentists working in Metropolitan France declared an average of € 93,820 in income related to their professional activities to the tax authorities. This income is broken down into € 90,520 of liberal income and € 3,300 of salary income.
Among the procedures performed, dental prostheses contribute the most to the average fees received by all dental surgeons. Conservative care is their second source of fees, then orthodontic procedures and finally surgery.
Significant regional disparities
The contrast in average earned income is very marked between the north and the south of France, the latter being much higher in the north. For example, between departments, the differences in declared average income almost double in one year, from € 74,800 in Haute-Garonne and € 74,500 in Corse-du-Sud to € 134,700 in Eure-et-Loir or € 127,150 in Yonne.
The premium goes to dentists practicing in medical deserts
The fluctuation in the average activity income of dentists according to the department is very strongly linked to the density of liberal dentists present in the territory. In fact, the more liberal dentists there are in a department, the lower the income per practitioner. According to figures from the DREES, the average income of dentists in departments with a density between 30 and 40 liberal dentists per 100,000 inhabitants is € 114,250. This average decreases with increasing density to reach € 84,030 where the density exceeds 70 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants.
Average income of dentists by department 
Men have 50% more income than women
Men, who represented 66% of liberal dentists in 2008, have an average income 50% higher than that of women (€ 105,540 compared to € 71,160). “The shorter working hours than men and the longer average consultation time for women are some of the explanations raised by the literature on the differences in activity income by sex among doctors”, note the authors of the report. . ”
Finally, as a privilege of age, the Drees notes that income from work increases with age, reaching its highest level (€ 104,050) between 40 and 49 years old. From the age of 50, it decreases.
(1) Department of research, studies, evaluation and statistics
.
