The pressure of staffing shortages may be starting to ease, as new poll results mark the third consecutive month of steady or slight declines in hiring for dental hygienist, dental assistant, administrative staff and dentist positions. It’s too soon to call it a trend, but we will continue tracking these and additional findings in HPI’s Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry poll.
Other key findings from the wave conducted Oct. 18-23, 2022 include:
- Practice Schedules: Dental practice schedules have been very steady for the past six months, but fell by three percentage points to 83% full on average in October. Patient no-shows and late cancellations was cited by most as a key factor.
- Low Patient Demand: There has been an increase in the share of dentists indicating low patient demand for appointments in recent months. This has been especially concerning for solo practices and those in large urban areas.
- Economic Confidence: Dentists’ confidence in economic recovery has improved modestly since its low in June 2022, but may be on the decline.
