The dental workforce, especially dental hygienists and dental assistants, continues to be a thorn in the side of DSOs and dental practices.
Here are 10 staffing and workforce stats concerning the industry:
- Around two-thirds of dental hygienists, dental assistants and associate dentists are unsatisfied with their compensation and benefits, according to a recent survey from GoTu, a dental talent marketplace.
- Nearly 60% of respondents did not receive a pay raise in the past year, and only 25.3% receive any form of performance-based bonuses or compensation.
- More than 54% of dental hygienists, dental assistants and associate dentists are affected by burnout.
- The total number of dental office jobs increased by less than 0.1% between January and February. There has only been a 0.5% increase in dental sector jobs over the last 12 months, according to a report from the American Dental Association.
- More than 90% of dentists who have actively been recruiting dental hygienists over the past three months said that it has been “very” or “extremely” challenging.
Source: 10 troubling stats on the state of the dental workforce / Becker’s Dental

