ADHA says hygiene shortage is really a retention problem

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has updated its position statement on the hygiene workforce shortage, saying that “the profession is not facing a shortage of qualified professionals. It is facing a shortage of workplaces worth staying in.”¹ The ADHA argues that the shortage stems from qualified professionals leaving the industry, rather than from a lack of qualified workers, and calls for individual practices to take stock of how they may be contributing to the retention crisis.  

The statement also touches on the recently proposed solutions from other dental organizations; one being allowing foreign-trained dentists to practice as dental hygienists.  

The workforce shortage has become a major point of contention between practice owners and hygienists in the last few years, and that conflict has culminated in a back and forth between major professional organizations.   

Some practice owners claim that there simply aren't enough hygienists, or that those who do want to work are making unrealistic salary demands. Hygienists often counter that dental workplaces are driving away qualified clinicians.  

The shortage has led many states to consider or pass legislation to allow dental assistants to provide limited scaling services, or to give international dentists a pathway to become hygienists.  

“ADHA does not support these approaches as solutions to the dental hygiene workforce shortage,” said the ADHA in its statement. “Substituting alternative personnel for licensed dental hygienists does not address why hygienists leave. It bypasses the evidence in favor of short-term labor replacement, and in doing so, it risks patient safety, undermines professional standards, and further demoralizes a workforce that is already signaling distress. Replacing professionals who leave because of poor conditions with less-trained workers under the same conditions is not a solution. It is a continuation of the identified problem.”  

ADHA proposes in its statement that the most effective and ethical solution is to address conditions in the workplace that lead to dental hygienists leaving. The ADHA is advocating for:  

• Fair and transparent compensation and wages that are assessed against current market data 

• Competitive benefits, including health insurance, paid leave, and continuing education funding  

• Positive and accountable workplace culture  

• Professional autonomy and full utilization of scope of practice  

• Growth through the Hygienist Inspired Chairside Recruitment Program  

• Programs that give dental hygienist reasons to grow within the profession through development, mentorship and career pathways  

• Licensure portability through the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact  

• Targeted pipeline growth through the Hygienist Inspired Chairside Recruitment Program  

Why hygienists are leaving the workplace 

To support improving workplace conditions, a recent report published by GoTu 2026 State of Work Report, which is an ongoing study of the U.S. dental workforce partnered with ADHA, reflects on responses across all 50 states with about 8,000 dental professionals.  

The study found that many workforce shortages are from unfairness within the industry. It found that 59 percent of dental professionals haven’t received a raise in the past two years, 60.6 percent of dental hygienists have experienced burnout from things such as workload and toxic environments, and 62 percent of dental professionals report that greater clinical autonomy would increase their likelihood of staying in the profession.² 

ADHA’s evolving approach to the workforce shortage 

In December 2024, the ADHA released a statement on the workforce shortages, originally recognizing the shortage in the workforce.1 The association’s statement was claiming the shortage was because of issues within the workforce and enhancing the recruitment in educated and licensed professionals was needed. 

The association did not support the American Dental Association’s resolutions and was more focused on the data produced by the 2022 research report,³ Dental Workforce Shortages: Data to Navigate Today’s Labor Market. This data highlighted information regarding staff retention challenges such as poor benefits, poor communication and a lack of professional fulfillment.  

These main points are still a key point in the current ADHA statement. In 2024, the association was more focused on creating additional entry-level dental hygiene programs and offering webinars and workshops to address issues in the workplace.  

Recent legislation to address the shortage is highly controversial 

Recent legislation in California has introduced a bill to allow internationally trained dentists to become licensed dental hygienists without completing CODA-accredited hygiene programs. The California Dental Association supports this new bill, while other associations like the California Dental Hygienists’ Association do not.  

The CDHA is currently pushing back against the bill, claiming that the workforce and education standards are different and that there are enough RDHs in California.⁴  

The ADHA says will continue to look for solutions  

While the solution to the shortage doesn’t have a direct answer, the ADHA is encouraging collaboration and discussions about solutions within the workforce. The association is actively seeking out partnerships to provide shared data and aim toward patient safety.¹  

“The dental hygiene workforce is committed to dentistry,” said ADHA in its statement. “What they are asking for, consistently and across years of data, are workplaces that make staying sustainable. Meeting that asks is the right thing to do and the most effective workforce strategy available.”  

References 

1. ADHA Position Statements.” American Dental Hygienists’ Association. ADHA. https://www.adha.org/advocacy/adha_position_statements/  

2. GoTu: Leading Dental Talent Marketplace.” GoTu. GoTu. https://sow.gotu.com/ 

3. Dental Workforce Shortages and the Labor Market.” American Dental Association. Health Policy Institute. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/dental_workforce_shortages_labor_market.pdf 

4. “AB 1952 Leave Behind Position Statement.” California Dental Hygienists’ Association. 2026. CDHA. https://cdha.org/Portals/CDHA/AB%201952%20Leave%20Behind%20POSITION%20STATEMENT.pdf