Recruiting dental hygienists and dental assistants has become slightly less challenging since 2023, but it is still difficult for dentists, according to the American Dental Association.
The Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry survey from the first quarter of 2025, created by the ADA’s Health Policy Institute, polled dentists on how challenging it has been to recruit dental hygienists and dental assistants.
The report compared the results to the same question from the first quarter of 2023 and 2024.
The largest drop was between the results from 2023 and 2024, with a smaller decrease between 2024 and 2025.
Here is the percentage of dentists that felt recruiting hygienists and assistants was either “extremely” or “very” challenging in the first quarter of 2023, 2024 and 2025:
2023 Q1
Percentage of dentists who felt recruiting dental hygienists was challenging: 96%
Percentage of dentists who felt recruiting dental assistants was challenging: 86.1%
2024 Q1
Percentage of dentists who felt recruiting dental hygienists was challenging: 88.8%
Percentage of dentists who felt recruiting dental assistants was challenging: 77.2%
2025 Q1
Percentage of dentists who felt recruiting dental hygienists was challenging: 87.9%
Percentage of dentists who felt recruiting dental assistants was challenging: 72%