According to data from the American Dental Association, first-year enrollment in dental hygiene programs has climbed 16% since 2020, and 2025 produced the highest number of dental hygiene graduates at nearly 8,000.
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, according to an April report from the American Dental Association.
With more hygienists entering the workforce, the opposite should be happening in terms of recruitment, but it simply isn’t. So what is going on with the dental hygiene workforce?
Source: There are more hygiene graduates, so why is there still a shortage? / Becker’s Dental