Dental hygienist shortage: what ADA data shows in 2026

Is there a dental hygienist shortage?

Yes, according to the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI). In a piece published in April 2026, HPI says only 60% of dentists have an adequate number of dental hygienists on staff. The situation is a bit less severe for dental assistants and administrative staff, where larger shares of dentists reported enough people.

This post summarizes HPI and ADA News data with the year of each figure. It is general information. It does not state any view of any individual dentist or practice.

What are the key numbers?

The table collects the main figures and their dates.

The ADA News article reports that about 62% of dentists named staffing shortages as the biggest challenge for 2025 in a late 2024 survey. HPI says staffing issues tied with dental insurance issues for first place when dentists looked ahead to 2026.

Why is the shortage hard to fix?

HPI frames the problem as supply and demand. It says dentists cannot find candidates for vacant positions who are willing to work at going wages and for the required number of hours. HPI quotes dentists who say temporary hygienists do not want full-time work, and that asking wages are above reimbursement rates.

HPI also says the total number of staff working in U.S. dental offices has been flat for at least a year and a half. ADA News adds that the pandemic sped up the decline of an already shrinking pool of allied team members, through retirement, career change, or other reasons.

See the glossary entries for workforce shortage and dental hygienist.

Are more hygienists in training?

Yes. HPI says first-year enrollment in hygiene programs rose 16% from 2020 to 2025 and that graduate numbers have risen since 2022. It reports that 2025 had the highest number of dental hygiene graduates ever. ADA News, citing HPI data, said first-year enrollment rose nearly 20% from 2020-21 to 2024-25, which is a different period and measure.

HPI cautions that it lacks data on retirements and exits. Without those figures, it says it is hard to know how much more enrollment adds to total employment. The 2022 HPI survey gives one clue: about one-third of hygienists said they expect to retire within five years.

Have wages risen in response?

Not after inflation, according to HPI. It says the latest data show that, adjusted for inflation, the average wage for dental office staff, including hygienists, is down from a few years ago. It adds that wages for medical office staff rose slightly, and that wages for all private workers rose steadily. HPI concludes that dental office jobs are becoming less attractive on wages alone, compared with other options.

Why have wages not moved? HPI points to what it calls a “fiscal squeeze.” It says prices for equipment, supplies, and technology are rising faster than reimbursement, which compresses margins and limits room to raise pay. Read the overhead percentage and reimbursement rate entries for how those terms work.

What could change the picture?

HPI lists several areas to watch, without predicting the outcome:

• Changes in reimbursement or practice costs.
• Technology that improves efficiency.
• Larger scale and volume in practice models.
• The cost and length of training.
• State changes to who may perform which tasks.

For the last item, HPI notes that Missouri introduced a pilot in which dental assistants trained to perform expanded functions, including supragingival scaling for patients with healthy periodontium or gingivitis. It also says some states are letting foreign-trained dentists practice as hygienists. See Missouri oral preventive assistant pilot and the glossary entry for scope of practice.

HPI says that if no major movement occurs in these areas, shortages could persist into the near future.

What does this mean for hiring and retention?

For a practice owner, the data points to retention as well as recruiting. In the HPI 2022 survey, factors tied to retention included work-life balance, positive workplace culture, and ability to help patients. Factors tied to attrition included negative workplace culture, insufficient pay, lack of growth opportunity, inadequate benefits, and feeling overworked.

Among hygienists with low job satisfaction, negative workplace culture was the most common reason, followed by insufficient pay and feeling overworked. Those are survey results from 2022, not current rates. See the glossary entries for staff turnover and employee retention.

How is this related to other workforce data?

Hygienists are one part of a wider labor picture. For assistants, see dental assistant shortage. For dentists, see U.S. dentist workforce numbers. For pay figures in Missouri, see dental hygienist pay in Missouri.

Next step

To read about recruiting, onboarding, and retaining a dental team, see hire and keep a dental team. To ask about staffing and team topics, Contact Dr. Copeland about consulting.