Central Penn College in Summerdale, Pa., is adding three dental practitioner programs to help fill workforce shortages in the state, CBS 21 reported Dec. 26. 

Wisconsin dentists say more dental training programs are needed to grow the state's workforce and alleviate shortages, CBS affiliate WDJT reported Dec. 9.

More than 80 percent of dentists are finding the recruitment of dental hygienists to be "extremely challenging," according to a poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

The U.S. dental workforce shrunk by 3 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the American Institute of Dental Public Health.

Here are five dental workforce updates Becker's has reported on since Oct. 11:

More dentists are concerned with staffing shortages at their practices than low patient demand, according to an October survey from the American Dental Association. 

Forty-six percent of dental assistants who voluntarily left the field did so because of insufficient pay, according to the American Dental Association's "Dental Workforce Shortages" report.

According to the American Dental Association's "Dental Workforce Shortages" report, 42.9 percent of dental hygienists voluntarily left the field because of the culture.

More than 30 percent of dental practices in the U.S. are recruiting dental assistants and hygienists, according to a recent poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.  

The American Dental Association recently gave tips on factors dental professionals should consider before taking a new job. 

Beckers' reported on three workforce shortages and solutions in the dental industry since Aug. 26:

The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is launching a 14-month paid apprenticeship program for dental assistants to address workforce shortages.

Portland, Maine-based Community Dental will close two of its six Maine locations due to workforce shortages, CBS affiliate WGME reported.

Hygienists remained the most challenging role for dentists to recruit in August, according to a poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is giving $89,000 in funding to local apprenticeship firm Over All Training to grow its dental assistant program in the Philadelphia area.

Here are five statistics that offer a snapshot of the current state of the dental workforce:

Teledentistry company SmileDirectClub is partnering with the National Dental Association to offer dental students and dental professionals of color tuition scholarships.

Dental practices have continued to struggle with hiring staff members, including dental hygienists and dental assistants, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here are three colleges that are launching or expanding dental programs that Becker's has reported on since July 5:

The University at Buffalo (N.Y.) School of Dental Medicine recently partnered two of its career pathway programs to increase diversity in dentistry.