The monthly poll, published for the week of Feb. 14, provides insight into the economic challenges facing dental practices.
Dental practices continued to find the recruitment of dental assistants and hygienists “extremely challenging,” and the majority were not actively recruiting for those positions.
Top challenges dental practices faced when recruiting dental assistants and hygienists:
Dental assistants
Not enough applicants/shortage: 57.5 percent
Applicants not qualified/poor quality: 42.5 percent
Demand for high wages, benefits: 17.3 percent
Applicants not showing for interview: 6.6 percent
Location of practice/commute required: 2 percent
Applicants do not want to work advertised hours: .9 percent
Miscellaneous: 3.7 percent
Dental hygienists
Not enough applicants/shortage: 77.8 percent
Demand for high wages, benefits: 28.4 percent
Applicants do not want to work advertised hours: 8.7 percent
Applicants not qualified/poor quality: 8 percent
Office in rural location/commute required: 2.8 percent
Miscellaneous: 1.2 percent
