The dental workforce, especially dental hygienists and dental assistants, continues to be a thorn in the side of DSOs and dental practices.
Here are 10 staffing and workforce stats concerning the industry:
- Around two-thirds of dental hygienists, dental assistants and associate dentists are unsatisfied with their compensation and benefits, according to a recent survey from GoTu, a dental talent marketplace.
- Nearly 60% of respondents did not receive a pay raise in the past year, and only 25.3% receive any form of performance-based bonuses or compensation.
- More than 54% of dental hygienists, dental assistants and associate dentists are affected by burnout.
- The total number of dental office jobs increased by less than 0.1% between January and February. There has only been a 0.5% increase in dental sector jobs over the last 12 months, according to a report from the American Dental Association.
- More than 90% of dentists who have actively been recruiting dental hygienists over the past three months said that it has been “very” or “extremely” challenging.
- There has been an 11.6% decline in dental job postings in the last year, according to new research from Indeed.
- Dental assistant hiring and retention is getting a negative forecast due to mounting workforce challenges, according to Dentalpost’s 2026 Dental Salary Survey Report.
- Nearly half of dental assistants are considering changing jobs within the next two years.
- More than one-quarter of dental hygienists are planning to retire within the next five years, according to Dentalpost’s 2026 Dental Salary Survey Report.
- Although the supply of dentists in the U.S. has increased by 24% since 2001, that growth has slowed in recent years due to an increase in retirement, according to data from the American Dental Association.
