Nearly a third of dental hygienists plan to retire within the next six years, according to Dentalpost's 2025 Dental Salary Survey Report.
Dentalpost surveyed 2,230 dental hygienists to create this year's report. The survey was conducted from October to November 2024.
Six statistics on dental hygienist job turnover and retirement to know:
1. Thirty-one percent of responding hygienists said they plan to retire within six years, a 9.7% decrease compared to the percentage of hygienists who had these plans in 2023.
2. Twenty percent of hygienists have changed jobs within the past 12 months.
3. About 12% of hygienists reported they are currently applying for new jobs or plan to do so before 2026.
4. About 66% of hygienists said they have no plans to pursue a new job.
5. The top motivations behind looking for a new job include searching for higher pay, better work environments and better benefits.
6. Nearly half of all responding hygienists said they have been with their current employer for four years or less, while 24.1% have been with their employers for at least 15 years.