The aging and diminishing dental faculty.

A dire need for additional dental educators is emerging. This article reflects on the heavily skewed age groups of our current dental educators and the lack of sufficient new faculty to undertake the tasks of faculty members. A literature review is presented of previous studies monitoring the current demographics of dental faculty, projected trends, and factors that influence an individual's career choices concerning dental education involvement. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors are explored to offer potential avenues for interesting, recruiting, and retaining qualified individuals as dental faculty. The goal of this article is to stimulate thought-provoking discussions and/or solutions within academic dentistry in regard to the question: Who will be our dental school faculty in the next decade?