Staffing Issues

New York legislators are considering two bills to authorize dental therapists to practice in the state, ABC affiliate news10.com reported Aug. 18.

The average salary for dental assistants across the country was $44,710 in 2022, according to salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Toothio, a dental staffing platform, raised $4 million in funding during its latest seed round.

The School of Dentistry at UT Health San Antonio created a bachelor of science in dental hygiene degree program.

The Primary Care and Health Workforce Expansion Act, which would reauthorize oral health workforce grants, was introduced in the Senate.

The American Dental Association has recently been lobbying and supporting federal legislation that would help alleviate workforce shortage issues in the dental industry, according to an Aug. 3 news release from the ADA. 

Recruiting dental hygienists, dental assistants, dentists and administrative staff was more challenging in July than in June, according to recent polls by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

Dental practices have faced major staffing shortages this year, with many struggling to recruit dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and administrative staff. 

North Carolina has the highest ranked workforce, according to CNBC's top states for business rankings, published July 17. 

Negative workplace culture is the top reason why dental hygienists are voluntarily leaving the industry, while dental assistants most frequently leave due to insufficient pay, according to dental workforce shortage research from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.