Virginians feeling impact of nationwide dental hygienist shortage

WATCH HERE: Virginians feeling impact of nationwide dental hygienist shortage

By Sarah Chakales

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - If you struggle to book an appointment for a routine dental hygiene check-up, you are not alone.

While it is recommended to go every six months, some patients report wait times as long as 14 months.

The COVID pandemic has led to a nationwide shortage of dental hygienists, and Virginia is not immune.

"There was a huge influx of dental hygienists in the 70s and 80s." Director of VCU's Dental Hygiene Program Marion Manski said. "They were still in the workforce. COVID hit. Gone."

Manski said it could be several more years before the workforce balances out again.

"Be patient. I know it's really hard," Manski said. "I'm getting more calls than I've ever gotten before from dental offices looking for hygienists."

VCU's School of Dentistry recently opened up a few more spaces for incoming dental hygiene students, but Manski said they are still limited on space, resources and faculty to train large numbers.

"We have between 130-140 applicants applying to the program," Manski said. "We can only accept 20. So it is very competitive."

VCU offers the only dental hygiene program in Richmond and one of only two bachelor's degree programs in the state.

"So if new programs want to open, that's great, but they have to go through the standards, and they have to get accredited," Manski said. "Dental hygienists have to be educated, boarded and licensed."

That is why there is no quick fix.

However, VCU's School of Dentistry does want to make itself more appealing to future students by seeking funding from the state to build a new state-of-the-art dental school to replace the current 70-year-old buildings.

The good news for current students is that they are not having difficulty finding work.

"My students aren't hav[ing] any problems getting a job at all," Manski said. "In fact, some of them have already interviewed. They're not even graduated yet, and they've already been offered positions."

Taylor Goolsby is a senior dental hygiene student at VCU's School of Dentistry.

She said she got into it because she likes the human connection and educating people on how oral health impacts their overall health.

"Not many people know that anything that goes on in the mouth can be affected within not just your mouth, but your whole body," Goolsby said. "We are able to tell what might be going on internally before the doctor can even tell."

"Take care of yourself because the oral cavity has an oral systemic link, so it does have effects on the body," Manski added. "If there are other situations going on, such as diabetes. If their diabetes is not in control, their periodontal disease won't be in control. If their periodontal disease is not in control, their diabetes won't be in control."

Without access to timely appointments, it puts a lot of responsibility on the individual to maintain healthy oral habits at home with regular teeth brushing and flossing.

Patients on Virginia's new dental Medicaid benefits are also finding it difficult.

The Virginia Dental Association issued this statement:

"Virginia recently passed a new adult dental Medicaid benefit that covered more than 750,000 new patients for up to three dental hygiene appointments per year. But if patients can't get in for appointments, they're not receiving that benefit, and we don't currently have the workforce to see everyone who seeks care in a timely manner."

"In Richmond and Henrico, we are fortunate to have far more dentists than the state and national averages, but one of the lowest ratios of hygienists to dentists. We're eager to continue working with our incredible dental hygiene programs in Richmond and throughout Virginia, which consistently achieve 100% pass rates on board exams, to address constraints to providing this entry point to a rewarding, in-demand career that's essential to keeping Virginians healthy."

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Allie Buth
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