U.S. dental hygiene programs graduated 7,447 people in 2025, the most in at least a decade, according to data from the American Dental Association. Dental leaders say the shortage is getting worse nonetheless.
About one-third of dentists were actively recruiting hygienists in the third quarter of 2026, and more than one in five said those positions had been open for more than six months before being filled, according to the ADA.
“There is no end in sight,” Eric Linden, DMD, a dentist in New Jersey, told Becker’s in October.
The pipeline is growing and new dental schools are opening, but dental leaders say that isn’t closing the gap. Here’s what they are doing instead.
The staffing pipeline is growing, but only recently
Hygiene graduates are up 5.9% since 2015, but most of that growth is new. Graduates fell to a low of 6,506 in 2022 before climbing to 7,259 in 2024 and 7,447 in 2025.
There are also new dental schools that are opening or being planned to continue growing the pipeline:
- Yeshiva University’s College of Dental Medicine in New York City, the city’s first new dental school in more than a century, welcomed its inaugural class in July.
- Georgia Southern University broke ground on what will be Georgia’s second dental school in April.
- The University of Rochester (N.Y.) plans to open a dental school, its first new school in more than 50 years.
On top of that, demand keeps climbing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects dental hygienist jobs will grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,000 openings a year. It projects 7% growth for dental assistants, with about 53,000 openings a year.
The U.S. now has 8,033 dental professional shortage areas, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, a figure that has grown every year as demand outpaces supply.
Why the situation still feels worse for practices
Leaders say the problem is economics, not just headcount. Dr. Linden said high inflation and lower reimbursement rates are “creating a dental health workforce death spiral,” which limits what practices can pay to compete for staff.
Jean Pierre Rwigema, DDS, of Affordable Dentures & Implants in Fort Worth, Texas, predicted the shortage “will continue to drive up wages and create more competition among dental practices.”
What leaders are doing instead
Rather than waiting for the pipeline to catch up, dental leaders are developing talent internally.
“Our best dentists don’t come to us as the best dentists. They develop into them, and that takes time,” Tarun Agarwal, DDS, founder of Raleigh Dental Arts, said at Becker’s 5th Annual Future of Dentistry Roundtable. “Maybe I’m a control freak, but when you guide dentists into learning what works best for the organization, both sides win along the way.”
Organizations are also giving their staff a stake in the business to keep them engaged and in it for the long run.
“We’re big believers that equity drives behavior. Not just for our owner doctors, but associate doctors also have equity in the practices,” Ashish Bagai, co-CEO of Vitana Pediatric & Orthodontic Partners, said at the roundtable. “We’re starting to implement programs where key office managers also have equity, which is a new concept in dentistry, but we think we’re onto something there and we’re pretty excited about that program coming up.”
Without that investment, leaders warn, patients pay the price.
“At the end of the day, taking good care of patients starts with having a well-trained, motivated and reliable dental team,” according to Dr. Rwigema.
