New HPI Poll Results: Staffing Impacts on Dental Practices

The second wave of HPI’s Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry poll was conducted between February 15-20, 2022. Key findings show:

• Openings for dental team positions are on the rise again, reaching a new high in February. 41% of respondents have recently or are currently recruiting dental assistants, and 35%, dental hygienists. Among dentists who indicated recruitment was challenging, a lack of applicants is the most common reason dentists are struggling to recruit both dental hygienists and dental assistants.
• In this wave of the poll, dentists were asked about the maximum capacity of their practice in terms of number of patients when fully staffed and as currently staffed. On average, staffing shortages have caused an estimated 11% reduction in practice capacity.
• Schedules in dental practices were about 83% full on average in February, an increase from 77% in January. Most dentists (85.4%) whose appointment schedules were below full capacity in February indicated patient cancellations as a factor, followed by 43% indicating low patient demand, and 33.9% having trouble filling vacant staff positions.