Staffing Issues

The Edgar County (Ill.) Public Health Department is considering raising the starting pay to fill a vacant dentist position, The Prairie Press reported May 22. 

The American Dental Association recently proposed to the U.S. Senate several solutions to dental workforce challenges.

An Ohio dentist recently turned to legislators for help improving workforce shortages in the state, ABC affiliate News5 Cleveland reported May 11.

Mansfield, Pa.-based Laurel Health's dental hygienist sponsorship program is expanding eligibility to more applicants, according to a May 5 report by NorthcentralPA.com. 

Four public colleges in Colorado received grants totaling $5 million to expand and create dental hygienist programs, according to a May 1 report from CBS Colorado.

Licensing barriers are making it difficult for more dental therapists to practice in the state, the Lund Report reported April 25.

Here are four dental schools that have added dental hygienist or dental assistant programs that Becker's has reported on since March 16:

Here are four updates about how workforce shortages are affecting dental practices:

The Edgar County (Ill.) Public Health Department is struggling to find a dentist for its dental program, and healthcare professionals say the low salary is to blame, The Prairie Press reported April 24.

Employment in offices of dentists has increased by 23,000 employees compared to March 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Report from April 7.