A majority of dentist owners said it has been extremely challenging compared to before the pandemic to fill dental hygienist roles, according to poll findings from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
For the week of May 17, 891 dentist owners actively recruiting dental staff responded to the question, "Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, how challenging has it been to recruit the position(s) below?"
Below is the percentage of dentists responding "extremely challenging" per dental staff role:
Dental hygienists: 66.3 percent
Dental assistants: 59.2 percent
Administrative staff: 44 percent
Dentists: 32.2 percent