Workforce shortages have led to a wide range of issues for the dental industry, including dentists having to perform more hygiene services, practice closures and long wait times for patients.
In the American Dental Association’s most recent “Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry” poll for the second quarter of 2025, only between 37%-39% of dentists reported recruiting dental assistants and hygienists. When asked how challenging it has been to recruit dental assistants and hygienists over the last 3 months, 38.3% indicated it was “extremely challenging” to recruit dental assistants, while 74.1% said it was “extremely challenging” to recruit hygienists.
Here are eight ways staffing shortages are leading to additional challenges in various states:
1. Thirty percent of dentists are doing more hygiene procedures compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent report from the American Dental Association.
2. Hygienist shortages have led dentists in Fairfax County, Va., to perform more hygiene services, and patients having to schedule appointments in advance. Some patients have struggled to book appointments at all because of the shortage.
Source: The domino effect hitting dentistry / Becker’s Dental