Dental practices nationwide have struggled to keep up with workforce shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but several groups and leaders have posed solutions to alleviate these challenges.
Here are 20 stories Becker's has reported on this year that provide insight into the shortages and what's being done to handle them:
1. White House invests $1.5B to help healthcare provider, dental shortages
2. Maryland board of dental examiners struggles with staff shortage
3. Missouri dentists struggle to keep up with influx of Medicaid patients: 8 things to know
4. Rural Wisconsin counties struggle with dental care access: 4 things to know
5. Iowa Dental Board takes aim at workforce shortages
6. West Virginia dental school to expand pediatric clinic, launch residency program
7. Sen. Bernie Sanders introduces bill expanding dental care for veterans
8. College network adds accelerated dental hygienist program to Texas campus
9. Texas dental practices face staffing challenges: 4 things to know
10. Wisconsin faces dental hygienist shortage: 4 things to know
11. The greatest dental staffing challenges & how 2 DSOs are handling them
12. What measures would really boost access to dental care? 3 dentists weigh in
13. Georgia college adds dental assisting program to address workforce shortage
14. North Carolina city grapples with oral surgeon shortage: 5 things to know
15. 4 dental leaders discuss staffing, recruitment challenges
16. Wisconsin Legislature debates addition of dental therapists, auxiliaries: 5 things to know
17. 'Can't afford them': Everything to know about the dental hygienist, assistant shortage in Washington
18. New York university program to address growing shortage of dental providers
19. Dental industry workforce predictions for 2030: 3 notes
20. More than 80% of hiring dentists experiencing recruitment challenges: ADA