Staffing Issues

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. 

Seven years after initially creating plans to establish a dental therapy program, Vermont State University has been unable to fulfill the plans, according to a Sept. 25 report by vtdigger.

Front-line providers at Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C., have taken the first step in the unionization process, guided by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. 

Sen. Roger Marshall, MD, and Sen. Bernie Sanders collaborated to create the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act to address the shortage of healthcare workers.

Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College could lose accreditation of its dental assistant training program, according to a Sept. 14 report by Iowa Capital Dispatch. 

The U.S. is short more than 10,000 dentists, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Here are five updates on dental staffing that Becker's reported on in August:

Wake Forest-based NC Dental U is launching a dental assistant program at its location in Wilson, N.C., according to a Sept. 1 report from The Wilson Times.