Staffing is the top challenge dentists anticipate facing within the next six months, with 66.3 percent of dentists citing it as a concern, according to a recent poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Staffing Issues
The Association of Dental Support Organizations launched a task force to address staffing issues in dental practices.
Fifty-one percent of dentists who are owners or partners have stayed at the same practice for more than 20 years, according to DentalPost's "2023 Dental Salary Survey" annual report.
Dental hygienists remained the most challenging role for dentists to recruit in December, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park, Minn., has cut the ribbon on its $1 million dental assistant training facility, CCX Media reported Jan. 10.
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The dental industry is still dealing with a shortage of providers exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly dental assistants and hygienists.
A nonprofit dental clinic in Vermont is pausing its services because of a lack of qualified employees, VTDigger reported Jan. 2.
Alaska is the most difficult place for employers to hire, according to personal finance website WalletHub, and there are 318 dental health professional shortage areas there.
Central Penn College in Summerdale, Pa., is adding three dental practitioner programs to help fill workforce shortages in the state, CBS 21 reported Dec. 26.
Wisconsin dentists say more dental training programs are needed to grow the state's workforce and alleviate shortages, CBS affiliate WDJT reported Dec. 9.