A possible recession could mean bad news for staffing and patient care in the dental industry, one dentist leader predicts.
Richard Huot, DDS, CEO of Beachside Dental Consultants, recently spoke with Becker's about the negative impact a recession could have on dentistry.
Note: This response was lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What is your biggest worry about the dental industry?
Dr. Richard Huot: As we saw in the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the dental industry didn’t feel the effects of the economic downturn until people actually lost their dental benefits, and conversely, there was a lag in people returning for dental care until their benefits kicked in from their new jobs or regained the benefits from their past jobs. A smaller recession in late fall could create a similar situation.
Dental workforce issues have persisted as dental offices recover from staff members who permanently left after Covid, and a decline in the economy will create other personnel issues if the demand for dental care starts declining.
Fortunately, dental patients during Covid have learned a vital lesson about keeping up with routine dental care, since a lot of patients that stayed away found out the hard way that oral conditions can go south fast without routine maintenance. The old adage of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure certainly came through for a lot of dental patients throughout the country.