Dental Office Staff Shortage: Insights and Strategy to Solve the Problem

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the country is facing a serious office staff shortage in the dental health department. The dental assistant shortage stands at a whopping 5,000, according to the latest surveys (2023). No wonder around 7 in 10 dentists believe that this shortage has affected their practice.

In this article, we’ll look into a few reasons why this dental office staff shortage persists. How do you overcome it? You’ll learn it all in this detailed piece. Just keep hiring qualified employees after contacting staffing agencies.

Understanding the 4 Root Causes of Dental Office Staff Shortage

A dental practice can’t run properly without the necessary workers, such as dental assistants. A dental assistant is as necessary to your dental practice as registered nurses (RNs) are to doctors. However, a shortage of dental office workers seems to have overwhelmed dental practices not only in Canada but in America as well.

Employment trends from our southern neighbor show that a dental workforce shortage exists in the US, reducing dental practice capacity by 10%! So, what is causing this shortage of workers in North America? We’ll cover four key reasons in this section:

1. An Aging Workforce and Retirement

The Canadian dental workforce is slowly aging. Most dental recruitment difficulties stem from dental health professionals reaching the age of retirement before they can be replaced. As a result, we see a shortage of dental professionals across North America. So, the CDA (Canadian Dental Association) states that the ratio of dental assistants to dentists has declined; it went to 1-to-1 in 2020 from 3-to-1 in 2010.

This demographic shift poses a long-term challenge for maintaining adequate staffing levels in dental offices across Canada.

2. Increased Demand for Dental Services

Canada needs more dentists and dental assistants – goes without saying! The Canadian Dental Care Plan is offering coverage to millions of Canadians, and they all want dental care included. So, the dental workforce shortage is not something taxpayers would approve of; that’s why it’s proposed that the government start offering immigration to dentists from other nations.

That’s because the influx of potential patients has overburdened the existing dental staff. That’s why surveys are reporting high levels of stress among Canadian dentists. These dentists are in dire need of dental assistants.

3. Training and Education Gaps

Also, a massive training & education gap gives rise to this dental assistant job demand. We can see that dental assistants typically require 6 to 9 months of training. However, many young people assume that they have to study for a year or two to become dental assistants. So, they do not even bother to enroll in an accredited dental assisting program.

Also, there are concerns about the quality of training provided; some clinics may hire untrained individuals due to urgent staffing needs. This practice compromises patient care standards.

4. A Competitive Job Market

Surveys show that the employment of dental assistants will grow by 7% this decade. Also, many sectors are vying for skilled workers. Dental officers are competing not only with each other but also with other healthcare fields where qualified, NDAEB-certified dental assistants can get paid handsomely.

This high demand for skilled labor across various health industries means that dental practices need to improve compensation packages and working conditions to attract and retain staff.

Dental Assistant Shortage: Current Trends and Statistics

The Canadian Institute for Health Information says that only 11% of dentists practice in rural areas even though nearly 21% of the population resides outside urban centers. Such disparities lead to increased pressure on existing dental staff and longer wait times for patients. They also give rise to dental office hiring challenges. One of the best dentist staffing solutions is to make everything automated, as we’ll discuss in a section later in this article.

National and Regional Shortage Data

Statistics show that the shortage of dental professionals is acute in rural and remote areas. For instance, many dentists are reluctant to practice outside urban centers, leading to a significant gap in available services.

A report noted that younger dentists are increasingly choosing urban lifestyles, resulting in a surplus of dental practices in metropolitan areas like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Comparing Urban vs. Rural Dental Practices

Looking into dental office employment trends, we find a stark difference between urban and rural dental practices. For instance, a survey of dental therapists shows that they only exist in urban centers like Saskatchewan; they are very much needed in remote locations as well.

As a result, urban areas tend to have better access to dental care, with higher patient satisfaction ratings related to factors such as office location, equipment quality, and treatment costs. In contrast, rural residents often report lower satisfaction levels due to difficulties in accessing care and fewer available practitioners.

4 Ways to Address the Office Staff Shortage

Would you believe us when we say that Canada only has 25,000 dental assistants? Another source claims that 1 in 3 dental offices were hiring for dental assistants back in 2019. If you are suffering from dental office hiring challenges, use these strategies to attract top talent:

1.Partnering with Dental Schools and Training Programs

You can solve this employment crisis by collaborating with dental schools. Create a pipeline of qualified candidates for dental practices.

Offer internships, mentorships, and job placements for students. These partnerships can lead to curriculum enhancements that align educational outcomes with the needs of the industry. That is how you can stay positive that there are ample dental assistants for all dentists.

2. Using Dental Staffing Agencies Specialized in Healthcare

The shortage of capable dental assistants is a major workforce crisis in Canada. However, if you want, try collaborating with staffing agencies that connect skilled dental professionals & experts with employers. That’s how you fill vacant positions in your dental practice very quickly.

Staffing agencies like TempFind have access to a broad network of dental assistants actively seeking employment in the field. They streamline the hiring process by providing pre-screened candidates. Also, staffing agencies assist in finding temporary staff during peak periods or when permanent employees are on leave, ensuring that patient care is not compromised.

3. Offering Competitive Salaries & Benefits

If you have vacancies piling up for the post of dental assistant, try offering applicants market-competitive salaries with benefits. We don’t need research to tell us that salary is the greatest motivation for someone looking for a job. Besides salary, you can offer benefits like:

• PTO
• Retirement plans
• Health insurance
• Continued education options

4. Retention Tactics for the Dental Office Staff

Considering the recent employment trends, you should consider these simple strategies to get skilled dental assistants working for you:

• Create a positive work environment
• Give regular feedback to job applicants
• Use blind hiring methods to curb discrimination
• Offer candidates professional development opportunities

Innovative Solutions and Best Practices

Technology has infiltrated almost every niche and dentistry isn’t an exception. If vacancies are piling up and employment rates look abysmal, you should leverage technology to fill open roles and make your practice more efficient. Many dentists are already using mobile apps to connect with clients and telemedicine in dentistry makes it accessible to rural communities.

In this section, we’ll discuss some unique, tech-driven ways to easily overcome this problematic dental assistant shortage in Canada. You should make rampant use of tech tools & automation to fill the roles left open by a lack of skilled workers. Some examples are as follows:

Implementing Technology and Automation

Automation makes our lives easier; it’ll help you overcome the shortage of dental professionals as well. One of the best dental staffing solutions is to automate some aspects of your practice. For example, you can do this:

• Streamline administrative tasks by using practice management software. It’ll automate a range of functions like billing, scheduling, treatment planning, patient communications, etc.
• Offer telehealth services to your patients, especially when it comes to scheduling follow-up appointments or initial assessments. That’s how you can reduce the workload on in-office staff.
• Many tools for patient management are available online like electronic health records or EHRs. They can help you resolve the dental workforce shortage by tracking patient info. Also, these tech tools don’t make the same errors humans are prone to making.
• Lastly, you can use online courses & virtual workshops to train existing workers. That’s how your dental practice stays updated on best practices without external hiring.

Flexible Work Schedules and Remote Work Options

A great way to overcome this workforce crisis is to make your job posts more appealing. Your dental office human resources (HR) department can craft viral strategies to bring more people to apply for a dental assistant position, such as:

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible work schedules can help your workers avoid stress, anxiety, and burnout. So, you can offer compressed workweeks, part-time roles, variable hours, or other flexibilities to applicants with family obligations or other commitments.
• Remote Work Options: While not all dental roles can be performed remotely, consider solving an employment crisis of these proportions by letting administrative functions be performed from home. It can increase the admin office’s job satisfaction score.
• Hire Diverse Workers: Work arrangement flexibilities will attract a broader range of job applicants, even those who were unable to commit to traditional full-time roles because of personal circumstances. This inclusivity fosters a diverse workplace that can enhance team dynamics and creativity.

Summarizing Key Insights & Strategies

So, what did we learn in this piece? We learned that the shortage of dental professionals today has become a major workforce crisis, especially for dental office human resources (HR). If you want to solve this problem, contact dental staffing agencies to hire part-time dental assistants. You may also search for unique dental staffing solutions, such as automation or diverse hiring.