Staffing Issues

Beckers' reported on three workforce shortages and solutions in the dental industry since Aug. 26:

The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is launching a 14-month paid apprenticeship program for dental assistants to address workforce shortages.

Portland, Maine-based Community Dental will close two of its six Maine locations due to workforce shortages, CBS affiliate WGME reported.

Hygienists remained the most challenging role for dentists to recruit in August, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is giving $89,000 in funding to local apprenticeship firm Over All Training to grow its dental assistant program in the Philadelphia area.

Here are five statistics that offer a snapshot of the current state of the dental workforce:

Teledentistry company SmileDirectClub is partnering with the National Dental Association to offer dental students and dental professionals of color tuition scholarships.

Dental practices have continued to struggle with hiring staff members, including dental hygienists and dental assistants, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here are three colleges that are launching or expanding dental programs that Becker's has reported on since July 5:

The University at Buffalo (N.Y.) School of Dental Medicine recently partnered two of its career pathway programs to increase diversity in dentistry.