Dr. Joel Antel president@cda-adc.ca Solutions for a RobustWorkforce At my own practice, a dental hygienist who I have worked with closely for 35 years retired. Six months later, we are still trying to find someone to fill her position. Other dentists have told me they have also found it challenging to find new staff the past few years. A 2019 CDA survey found that nearly one-third (36%) of dental offices had unfilled dental assisting positions, and, anecdotally, some dentists think the number is higher now. On a personal level, the people that I work with often determine how efficiently and smoothly my workday goes. A good team absolutely makes providing high quality oral health care possible. Thinking holistically about dental offices across Canada, a strong workforce where each member of the oral health team has the work environment, tools and support they need to contribute to the oral health of patients is not just an ideal, it is a necessity. Workforce challenges have real consequences for the health of Canadians. In June, CDA convened a workshop that brought together dental assistants, dental hygienists, denturists and dentists to discuss our respective workforces (p. 24). While there, I learned that denturists share many of the challenges that dentists have running their practices. We talked about education and bringing new people into the oral health care sector. We also talked about the reasons why some careers in oral health care don’t last as long as they should. Since 2020, there is an upward trend in the number of people entering dental assisting and dental hygiene in Canada. Data suggests that rather than exiting their occupations, both dental assistants and dental hygienists are more likely to accept a position at a different dental practice. Survey data shows that almost half of all new dental assisting hires came from another dental office, one-quarter are new graduates, and 12% were returning to the workforce. Coming together to talk about our shared challenges brought us insight and a feeling of camaraderie. But more importantly, we discussed possible solutions. Survey data from both the Canadian Dental Assistants’ Association and Canadian Dental Hygienists Association suggest that an unhealthy work environment is the leading cause of people leaving a position. Learning how to create and nurture a healthy work environment is something that all dental team members can do. Our associations have collaborated on educational tools and resources that can be accessed on Healthy Workplace Matters (see: oasisdiscussions.ca/healthyworkplace-matters). We also discussed longer term goals to improve educational opportunities for the future oral health workforce and create supports for each member of the team so that each of us can make contributions to the oral health of Canadians. In this issue of CDA Essentials, we discuss the data necessary for workforce planning and how we are just beginning to be able to create models for both the supply and demand sides of oral health care in Canada (p. 30). We learn more about how the oral health care workforce is influenced by complex forces from the aging population to government funding to technological change. Building a robust oral health workforce is complicated and will require a concerted effort in many areas. And those efforts will only be successful if we work collaboratively. The team we need to solve workforce challenges is the same one we need in our own dental practices working together toward our shared goal of meeting the oral health needs of our patients. I believe we are taking the first steps of a long journey, but that we are headed in the right direction. From the President 7 Issue 5 | 2024 | CDA atWork
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