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Doing better in the 1990s--but not by much
1Department of General Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, SUNY at Stony Brook, USA.
Dental Assistant (Chicago, Ill. : 1994)
|December 29, 1999
Summary
Dental workforce trends show increased dental practices but fewer dental assistants and hygienists enrolling in programs. Wages for these professionals lagged behind inflation, impacting the dental auxiliary market.
Area of Science:
- Dental Public Health
- Healthcare Workforce Analysis
Background:
- The number and size of dental practices have grown over the last 15 years.
- Enrollment in dental assistant and dental hygienist programs has fluctuated and remains lower than in previous years, especially for dental assistants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in dental practice growth, auxiliary program enrollment, and wage progression for dental assistants and hygienists.
- To assess the economic status of dental auxiliaries in relation to inflation and practitioner income.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of reports from the American Dental Association and federal agencies.
- Examination of enrollment data for dental assistant and dental hygienist programs.
- Comparison of dental auxiliary wages with inflation rates and practitioner income over a 15-year period.
Main Results:
- Dental practices have expanded in number and size.
- Enrollment in dental auxiliary programs has not kept pace with practice growth.
- Dental assistant wages stagnated against inflation in the 1980s and barely kept pace in the early 1990s.
- Dental hygienist wages showed marginal improvement in the 1990s.
Conclusions:
- Despite practice growth, a potential shortfall exists in dental auxiliary personnel.
- Wage stagnation for dental assistants and limited gains for hygienists present economic challenges within the dental workforce.
- The findings highlight a need to re-evaluate compensation and recruitment strategies for dental auxiliaries.