Factors Associated With Dentists' Intent to Stay Long-Term at Their Current Community Health Center

Community health centers (CHCs) are a critical component of the dental safety net for people with substantial barriers to dental care access. Recruiting and retaining dentists working in CHCs is essential to effectively serve this population. This study aimed to identify factors associated with dentists' intent to continue practicing in their current CHC in the long term.

The data were collected through an online survey administered to United States dentists practicing in CHCs in 2021 by the National Network for Oral Health Access. The dependent variable was dentists' intent to stay at their current CHC in the long term, with 42 independent variables across four domains: individual characteristics, perceptions, motivators, and organizational factors. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to determine factors associated with dentists' intent to stay at their CHC.

A total of 248 dentists were in the final analytical sample. Multivariable regression results showed that dentists in leadership roles had 3.7 times the odds of intending to stay compared to staff dentists, and those with high professional autonomy had 2.6 times the odds of intending to stay compared to those with low to moderate autonomy.

The study underscored the importance of dentists' autonomy and role in their intent to remain at CHCs. Factors typically associated with recruitment packages or length of time in clinical practice were not significantly associated with intent to stay. Distinguishing between recruitment and retention strategies is crucial for CHCs to fulfill their mission of ensuring equitable dental care access.