There were more than 8,600 first-year students enrolled in dental hygiene programs during the 2022-23 academic year.
The American Dental Association has tracked dental program enrollment since the 2012-13 academic year.
Here is the number of first-year dental hygienist students for each academic year since 2012-13:
2012-13: 8,258
2013-14: 8,287
2014-15: 8,472
2015-16: 8,279
2016-17: 8,370
2017-18: 8, 265
2018-19: 8,288
2019-20: 8,322
2020-21: 7,745
2021-22: 8,197
2022-23: 8,642