Staffing Issues

Here are five dental workforce stories Becker's has reported on since July 27:

Several states experiencing an acute shortage of dental practitioners are also struggling with unemployment.

The American Dental Association is asking Congress to make changes to the VA Workforce Improvement, Support and Expansion Act of 2022, or WISE Act, to increase support for the Department of Veterans Affairs' dental workforce.

More dentists who accept Medicaid are needed in Maine as the state struggles to keep up with an influx of patients under the program, Maine Beacon reported Aug. 9. 

Miami is the city with the lowest unemployment rate, according to WalletHub.

David Tripp, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Sage Dental, connected with Forbes in an Aug. 8 article to give advice on how DSOs can engage, hire and retain dental talent.

New Hampshire lawmakers approved expanded access to Medicaid basic dental benefits for adults, but there is a lack of dentists in the state who accept Medicaid, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported Aug. 5. 

An award of more than $1 million was allocated to alleviate workforce shortages and two other updates on the dental workforce from July:

The HHS Health Resources and Services Administration recently awarded $1.6 million to the Nevada Medicaid program to help alleviate dental workforce shortages.

The dental industry is facing recruitment challenges, but recruiters in some states may find it harder than others to find staff.