The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated ongoing staffing challenges facing the dental industry, largely affecting the supply of dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists.
Here is what four people in the dental industry told Becker's about staffing and workforce shortages.
Dental hygienists joined the Great Resignation — why aren't they coming back?
Rick Mars, DDS. Dental Care Group (Aventura, Fla.): The pandemic, DSOs and insurance compensation are just a few reasons why a dental hygienist might wake up in the morning and say, "This is not what I signed up for." That being said, the question bears asking, which hygienists are leaving the workforce? I am proud to say that in our group practice, all eight of our hygienists have maintained their full-time employment at the Dental Care Group, and this is not by accident. I believe employers must be intentional in what they do to maintain their teams, especially with key team members, which includes our hygienists. This is done by addressing concerns and being dynamic in the way we practice dentistry to accommodate the needs and concerns of our team members. In the recruitment of new hygienists, hiring the right people who fit your model and strong compensation packages are two of the keys for overcoming the current recruitment challenges.
What legacy will COVID-19 leave on dentistry? 8 dentists weigh in
Peter Chien, DMD. Edgewood (Wash.) Family Dentistry: COVID-19 has also exacerbated staffing shortages. Staff who were close to retirement or wanting a different career path have quit due to COVID-induced stress. Child care issues have also prevented staff from returning to the workforce.
The most dangerous trend in dental
Tim Giblette. CEO of Emergency Dental Care USA: In my opinion, the most dangerous trend in the dental industry is government regulation that makes it increasingly difficult to find staff. For example, state licensing requirements, which require dental assistants to attend an accredited school, are causing severe shortages of dental assistants in many states. As the labor market gets tighter and tighter, dental offices need the flexibility to find and train good staff outside of the expensive dental education system. If states want to provide standards that licensees must meet, that is one thing, but to require potential assistants to attend an accredited school creates a serious bottleneck, which dental offices can ill afford.
Is the future bright or dark for independent dentists? 6 dentists offer mixed views
Rajdeep Randhawa, DDS. Innovative Dentistry (Rahway, N.J.): Another factor that is going to influence the future is the COVID-19 burnout rate for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and other important staff members needed to run independent dental offices, DSOs and DSO-supported offices. If there are staffing shortages, everybody is going to suffer, including the DSOs, as they are staff-heavy and tend to provide services to a high volume of patients every day. Independent dentists with good management systems, very high staff loyalty and a low staff turnover are going to thrive and prosper in the future. Independent dentists who run high-stress, high-volume, high-overhead offices with a revolving door for patients and staff are going to feel the heat and stress.