Royal Dental Assistant Academy in Gastonia, N.C., a dental assistant school, opened on May 13, according to a May 25 report by Gaston Gazette.

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee approved a bill with two provisions that may help address shortages in the dental workforce.

The Edgar County (Ill.) Public Health Department is considering raising the starting pay to fill a vacant dentist position, The Prairie Press reported May 22. 

The American Dental Association recently proposed to the U.S. Senate several solutions to dental workforce challenges.

An Ohio dentist recently turned to legislators for help improving workforce shortages in the state, ABC affiliate News5 Cleveland reported May 11.

Mansfield, Pa.-based Laurel Health's dental hygienist sponsorship program is expanding eligibility to more applicants, according to a May 5 report by NorthcentralPA.com. 

Four public colleges in Colorado received grants totaling $5 million to expand and create dental hygienist programs, according to a May 1 report from CBS Colorado.

Licensing barriers are making it difficult for more dental therapists to practice in the state, the Lund Report reported April 25.

Here are four dental schools that have added dental hygienist or dental assistant programs that Becker's has reported on since March 16:

Here are four updates about how workforce shortages are affecting dental practices:

The Edgar County (Ill.) Public Health Department is struggling to find a dentist for its dental program, and healthcare professionals say the low salary is to blame, The Prairie Press reported April 24.

Employment in offices of dentists has increased by 23,000 employees compared to March 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Report from April 7. 

Dentists in Massachusetts could see success retaining staff as the state has the lowest job resignation rate in the U.S., according to personal finance website WalletHub.

Oregon legislators are supporting two bills in the House of Representatives that would get rid of written tests for dental assistants, according to an April 6 report by The Lund Report.

Dentists in Kentucky may struggle to retain staff as the state has the highest job resignation rate in the U.S., according to personal finance website WalletHub.

Patients in Southern Nevada can wait four months for an appointment due to a shortage of dental hygienists in the area, ABC affiliate KTNV reported April 5.

The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry created a new training program to help alleviate the national dental assistant shortage. 

Dental practices are still having trouble hiring dental hygienists and assistants, with 33.7 percent of practices actively recruiting the positions, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

A coalition of dental organizations urged the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to address challenges contributing to workforce shortages in the dental industry.

North Central Michigan College in Petoskey created a nine-week accelerated dental assistant program to address labor shortages.