Dentists in Kentucky may struggle to retain staff as the state has the highest job resignation rate in the U.S., according to personal finance website WalletHub.
Staffing Issues
Patients in Southern Nevada can wait four months for an appointment due to a shortage of dental hygienists in the area, ABC affiliate KTNV reported April 5.
The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry created a new training program to help alleviate the national dental assistant shortage.
Dental practices are still having trouble hiring dental hygienists and assistants, with 33.7 percent of practices actively recruiting the positions, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
A coalition of dental organizations urged the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to address challenges contributing to workforce shortages in the dental industry.
Advertisement
North Central Michigan College in Petoskey created a nine-week accelerated dental assistant program to address labor shortages.
Nevada legislators are considering a three-bill package to incentivize dentists and doctors to practice in rural areas of the state, the Las Vegas Sun reported March 8.
Three states have proposed several pieces of legislation that would make changes to various dental roles, including dental therapists, dental hygienists and dental assistants.
A new law in Colorado will allow the state to begin licensing dental therapists, but a lack of training and resources could hinder the state's ability to bring enough in, The Colorado Sun reported March 10.
Patients of a Kentucky dental practice have to wait months for an appointment due to ongoing dental workforce shortages, CBS affiliate WYMT reported March 7.