Dentists say they need more staff to see the same number of patients compared to pre-pandemic, according to the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute's latest poll.
For the week of Nov. 15, dentists were asked, "Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, does your practice need more staff to see the same number of patients now?"
Of 1,390 respondents, 33 percent said they need more staff to see the same number of patients compared to before the pandemic. Four percent said they didn't know and 63 percent said, "No, the same number of staff is needed."
Patient volume is currently at 91 percent of pre-pandemic levels, the highest number since ADA polling began in March 2020. Difficulty filling vacant staff positions is the most common reason dentists aren't able to accept more patients right now, the poll found.