Dental shortages continue across Minnesota, local providers discuss issues and solutions

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – An American Dental Association study shows a nationwide dental workforce shortage.

According to the study, one-third of the dental assistant and hygienist workforces plan to retire in the next five years.

According to Mayo Clinic, poor oral health can lead to conditions like gum disease, which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and dementia.

Dental shortages continue across Minnesota.

“I know there’s a shortage all over Minnesota, whether it be in the Twin Cities or in the smaller towns,” Minnesota Dental Association President Dr. Rose Perpich said. “Hygienists and dental assistants, there’s quite a shortage in both of those areas to the point where some office have to cut back their hours because they can’t find the staff.”

Perpich said the shortage started well before the pandemic.

“Baby boomers are retiring,” she said. “Around 2011, the number of graduates from dental assisting schools dropped dramatically. There’s been some change in regulation which accredits hygiene schools, which reduced the ratio of students to faculty.”

Minnesota Department of Health Lead Workforce Analyst Teri Fitzma said the retiring dental professionals are outpacing new ones.

“We’re seeing really an aging of that dentistry workforce, and the pipeline is just not able to keep up,” she said.

Uptown Dental in Albert lea is booked out all way to spring. It said there just aren’t enough providers in the area. Uptown also takes most insurance policies, including Medicare and Medicaid. It said that’s not a common practice for dental offices, so it’s driving up the demand.

“We just seem to be seeing more patients with more needs,” Uptown dental assistant Meka Simmons said.

To help with the workload, Uptown employs a few dental therapists. They are trained to do many procedures a dentist can do.

“The dental therapist can do the majority of the fillings,” Simmons said. “Or for the kids, stainless steel crowns and pulpotomy which is like a baby root canal. Or simple extractions.”

In Rochester, at Family Dentist Tree, staff said it’s been very busy, too. Dr. Robert Stroope, with the office, said they could use more support staff.

“Areas like Rochester, what I would call desirable places to live, don’t seem to have quite as many problems with the dentists themselves, but we’re still having trouble finding enough auxiliary staff to support the office,” Dr. Stroope said.

The Minnesota Department of Health said it’s working to ease the shortage by offering loan forgiveness options and promoting programs like hygienist collaborative practice work.

Hygienist collaborative practice is when dental hygienist is able to go outside of a dental clinic into places like schools and community settings to give oral care, under the supervision of a dentist.

“Collaborative practice is a way to reach people in a community who may not get to the dentist as Zora frequently,” Minnesota Department of Health Director of Office of Rural Health and Primary Care Radosevich said. “Or, don’t have a dentist they are already seeing is another way to promote that care in areas that don’t really have good access at that point.”

Another solution MDH is promoting is having dental students do rotations in rural areas, with the hope they will want to possibly settle down in the area and set up a practice.

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