There are currently 7,085 dental professional shortage areas in the U.S., according to new data from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Staffing Issues
The Florida Dental Association is opposed to a bill that would establish dental therapists in Florida, according to a Feb. 17 report from the Tampa Bay Times.
Pocatello-based Idaho State University has requested additional funding from the state to expand the Idaho Dental Education Program, idahoednews.org reported Feb. 11.
The shortage of dental professionals has significantly affected New Mexico, especially in rural communities, according to a Feb. 11 report from Albuquerque Journal.
Missouri legislators are considering joining the interstate Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact.
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The Indiana House of Representatives approved a bill that outlines the framework for the state to join the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact.
The persistent shortage of dental hygienists is leading to scheduling backlogs at dental practices, according to a Feb. 4 report from CBS affiliate WKRC.
More than 20 states increased minimum wage on Jan. 1, increasing wages for more than nine million workers by a total of nearly $6 billion, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Two more states are looking to join the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, while participation in the compact was recently challenged in another state.
Resident dentists at the University of Buffalo in New York voted to unionize and negotiate for better training, staffing and pay, NBC affiliate WGRZ reported Jan. 28.