Staffing Issues

LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry expanded its dental hygiene program with an off-campus instructional site. 

The employment rate of dental hygienists and dental assistants is expected to increase 7% by 2032, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The shortage of dental assistants and dental hygienists is causing some practices in Minnesota to cut their hours, according to an Oct. 16 report by NBC affiliate KTTC.

Dentists in Multnomah County, Ore., voted to authorize a strike as negotiations with the county have stalled. 

Patients trying to get an appointment at Southern Smiles Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in College Station, Texas, are facing wait times of up to 10 months, according to an Oct. 11 report by CBS affiliate KBTX.

Mesa (Ariz.) Community College received full accreditation for its dental hygiene program from the Commission on Dental Accreditation. 

Dentists in public health settings are recruiting staff more heavily than general practice dentists, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute. 

The U.S. is projected to be short 36,517 dental professionals by 2031, according to a Sept. 29 report from McKinsey & Co. 

The Action for Dental Health Act of 2023, which would reauthorize the Action for Dental Health program, has been introduced in the Senate. 

The Dental Assisting National Board will begin offering the Radiation Health and Safety exam in Spanish in January 2024.