Staffing is the top challenge dentists anticipate facing within the next six months, with 66.3 percent of dentists citing it as a concern, according to a recent poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

The Association of Dental Support Organizations launched a task force to address staffing issues in dental practices. 

Fifty-one percent of dentists who are owners or partners have stayed at the same practice for more than 20 years, according to DentalPost's "2023 Dental Salary Survey" annual report.

Dental hygienists remained the most challenging role for dentists to recruit in December, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute. 

Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park, Minn., has cut the ribbon on its $1 million dental assistant training facility, CCX Media reported Jan. 10.

The dental industry is still dealing with a shortage of providers exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly dental assistants and hygienists. 

A nonprofit dental clinic in Vermont is pausing its services because of a lack of qualified employees, VTDigger reported Jan. 2. 

Alaska is the most difficult place for employers to hire, according to personal finance website WalletHub, and there are 318 dental health professional shortage areas there.

Central Penn College in Summerdale, Pa., is adding three dental practitioner programs to help fill workforce shortages in the state, CBS 21 reported Dec. 26. 

Wisconsin dentists say more dental training programs are needed to grow the state's workforce and alleviate shortages, CBS affiliate WDJT reported Dec. 9.

More than 80 percent of dentists are finding the recruitment of dental hygienists to be "extremely challenging," according to a poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

The U.S. dental workforce shrunk by 3 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the American Institute of Dental Public Health.

Here are five dental workforce updates Becker's has reported on since Oct. 11:

More dentists are concerned with staffing shortages at their practices than low patient demand, according to an October survey from the American Dental Association. 

Forty-six percent of dental assistants who voluntarily left the field did so because of insufficient pay, according to the American Dental Association's "Dental Workforce Shortages" report.

According to the American Dental Association's "Dental Workforce Shortages" report, 42.9 percent of dental hygienists voluntarily left the field because of the culture.

More than 30 percent of dental practices in the U.S. are recruiting dental assistants and hygienists, according to a recent poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.  

The American Dental Association recently gave tips on factors dental professionals should consider before taking a new job. 

Beckers' reported on three workforce shortages and solutions in the dental industry since Aug. 26:

The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is launching a 14-month paid apprenticeship program for dental assistants to address workforce shortages.