Associated Dentists in St. Paul, Minn., is currently scheduling patients six months out.
Carrie Peper, the practice’s manager, said that dental hygienists started retiring earlier during COVID-19, and it has been extremely difficult to find replacements.
The practice temporarily fills in the gaps with traveling hygienists, but the practice is not receiving applications for permanent dental hygienists.
The shortage of hygienists has been caused by retirees outpacing new hires, a drop in the number of dental school graduates, and less interest in the field, the report said.
