Workforce shortages have led to a wide range of issues for the dental industry, including dentists having to perform more hygiene services, practice closures and long wait times for patients.
In the American Dental Association’s most recent “Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry” poll for the second quarter of 2025, only between 37%-39% of dentists reported recruiting dental assistants and hygienists. When asked how challenging it has been to recruit dental assistants and hygienists over the last 3 months, 38.3% indicated it was “extremely challenging” to recruit dental assistants, while 74.1% said it was “extremely challenging” to recruit hygienists.
Here are eight ways staffing shortages are leading to additional challenges in various states:
1. Thirty percent of dentists are doing more hygiene procedures compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent report from the American Dental Association.
2. Hygienist shortages have led dentists in Fairfax County, Va., to perform more hygiene services, and patients having to schedule appointments in advance. Some patients have struggled to book appointments at all because of the shortage.
3. The shortage of dental workers in Michigan has left patients waiting months for an appointment.
4. The rate at which Vermont has lost dental providers over the last few years has led to poor oral health among residents. The shortage of dental hygienists has also led to a scheduling backlog of up to 10 months at one Vermont practice.
5. Dental practices in Minnesota are facing major scheduling backlogs, mainly due to the lack of available dental hygienists.
6. My Community Dental Centers, a Michigan nonprofit organization serving underserved communities, closed six of its offices earlier this year after dealing with rising care costs, workforce challenges and demands for higher wages.
7. The Dental Center of Northwest Ohio shut down in 2023 after experiencing staffing and financial challenges during its last two years.
8. White Smiles Family Dentistry, which has three locations in Maine, decided to close one of its offices after being unable to fill a vacant dentist position. Joseph White, DMD, said the practice exhausted its resources trying to find a dentist to provide care at the office.
