The poll was taken as part of the ADA’s monthly “Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry” report. The HPI surveyed 1,138 dentists on the roles for which they were recruiting.
The percentage of dentists hiring dental staff:
Dental hygienists
Yes: 34 percent
No: 64.3 percent
Not sure: 1.7 percent
Dental assistants
Yes: 33.5 percent
No: 63.5 percent
Not sure: 3 percent
Dentists
Yes: 14.1 percent
No: 83.1 percent
Not sure: 2.8 percent
Administrative staff
Yes: 21.7 percent
No: 74 percent
Not sure: 4.3 percent
The HPI received 660 responses to a question asking how challenging it was to recruit for these roles. Here is how they responded:
Dental hygienists
Extremely challenging: 79.3 percent
Very challenging: 15 percent
Dental assistants
Extremely challenging: 57.5 percent
Very challenging: 28.6 percent
Moderately challenging: 12.6 percent
Dentists
Extremely challenging: 59.4 percent
Very challenging: 20 percent
Moderately challenging: 11.9 percent
Administrative staff
Extremely challenging: 44.1 percent
Very challenging: 32.8 percent
Moderately challenging: 18.6 percent
