DRA DIGEST: June, 2024 edition

Addressing the Global Dental Staffing Crisis

Dear DRA Digest Community,

From the United Kingdom to Hong Kong, Germany, and South Korea, the world is facing a severe shortage of dentists and dental staff. This crisis not only impacts access to routine dental care, but also emergency services, leaving many vulnerable populations suffering from preventable oral health issues.

In the UK, nearly a third of registered dentists did not perform any work for the National Health Service (NHS) last year, despite the significant taxpayer investment in their training. The government is now consulting on proposals to compel newly qualified dentists to work for the NHS for a period after graduation or repay some training costs.

While this proposal aims to increase dental access and extract value from public funding of education, it risks being a short-term band-aid that fails to address the root causes of this staffing shortage. Forcing new graduates into mandatory service may dissuade some from entering the field and breed resentment without solving the underlying issues driving dentists away from the public system.

Similar challenges are plaguing dental care worldwide. In Hong Kong, with just 3.7 dentists per 10,000 residents, the public health system cannot meet demand, especially for emergency services. Elderly citizens face unconscionable waits overnight just for a chance at care. South Korea has seen a rise in hiring of temporary dental staff as full-time roles go unfilled.

Clearly the existing models are failing to produce and retain enough dentists and staff, particularly for public health services. Simply mandating work requirements will not fix that. We must examine the root causes, like:

• Compensation and benefits failing to attract and retain talent
• Arduous workloads and stressful conditions driving people away
• Lack of investment in public dental clinics and resources
• Incentives favoring private over public practice

Any real solution must make public dental careers more attractive and sustainable long-term. This could include raising salaries, improving workplace conditions, expanding education programs, and incentivizing public service through means other than coercion.

The crisis in dental staffing cannot be resolved through quick fixes. Policymakers must take a holistic, global approach to reinventing how we educate, employ, and empower the dental workforce. Oral health is a critical public need – it’s time we start treating it like one.

Until next time,

Camille Chan,

Editor, DRA Digest

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