have been calling for decisive action on staff burnout and shortages in public position statements, initially sounding the alarm bells in 2021. These health organizations say that it is necessary to create a robust data source for health human resources (HHR) in Canada, to implement a multidisciplinary nationwide HHR strategy, and to commit to transforming Canada’s health care system for the needs of the future. With the recent federal funding for dental care, dentistry has become more integrated into this sectorwide situation. Impact of Staffing Challenges Dental staff challenges have resulted in an increase in the use of temp agencies to fill positions and a reduction in the number of available appointments. An Abacus Data survey conducted for CDA revealed that approximately 500,000 dental appointments had been canceled due to staffing unavailability over the previous two-month period. “That data equates to roughly 3 million cancellations per year and approximately 100 to 120 cancellations per dentist,” says Papadopoulos. “It’s concerning because that could have a significant negative impact on the oral health of the public.” other factors,” says Papadopoulos. “My concern is that we may see longer wait times for access to care and, to some extent, significant wait times depending on the region, which is something that most people are not used to in Canada for dental care.” Papadopoulos cites economic uncertainty, high interest rates and practice staffing challenges making alternative dental practice models more attractive to newer, less established dentists. “Coming out of their dental education with high debt loads, more new dentists will look to become an associate with larger, established practices to insulate themselves from economic risk,” he says. “To me, all of this suggests that there is a need for coordinated HHR planning for the entire oral health care sector, which includes health providers like nurses and others.” This doesn’t just mean trying to figure out how to get more dental assistants in the system for the typical dental practice. But rather to look at the whole situation with a larger policy lens for the future. A broad policy lens requires that dentistry considers bigger questions about demographic changes in Canada. With our aging population, how are we going to provide oral health care in long-term care (LTC) facilities and for independent seniors in the community? What are provincial governments and the private sector doing to innovate models of delivery for general health care for seniors? Telehealth may work for many medical care services, however it may not always be appropriate for dental care because of the hands-on nature of many treatments. Looking Towards Solutions In the short term, the dental workforce needs to be better supported to retain existing workers. “To help dentists right now, we need to be talking about how to retain the people who are working in dental offices already,” says Papadopoulos. “Compensation and benefits are important. And, from the surveys, it has become increasingly clear that a well-managed, positive workplace that offers a good work-life balance can also make a real difference.” A recent Canadian study found that, on average, it costs $41,000 to replace an employee who leaves. As well, two-thirds of companies agree that employee turnover places a heavy burden on the existing employees. “Working toward high levels of communication and respect in the workplace, giving employees the authority to make their own decisions, and offering continuing education or training opportunities not only make everyone happier, they also make financial sense,” says Papadopoulos. “Invest in the team you have right now.” Papadopoulos says that increased federal funding for dental care will increase the number of Canadians who have access to dental care, which will, in turn, increase the workload in dental offices. “I’m concerned about increased demand exacerbating the staff shortage issue. Workloads will increase not just in the private oral health care sector, but also in public hospitals and community health care,” says Papadopoulos. “Each sector will be impacted differently based on their resources and staffing at the time, but there is a real concern about capacity issues.” Regional differences and the rural-urban divide already influence the capacity of the oral health care system. “I think this trend will continue to be true and some places will have a harder time finding and retaining staff depending on policy mechanics, uptake of the federal dental plan, and Abacus Data survey conducted for CDA revealed that approximately 500,000 dental appointments had been canceled due to staffing unavailability over the previous two-month period. 20 | 2023 | Issue 5 Issues and People
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