ODA WORKFORCE INITIATIVES SEE POSITIVE MOMENTUM
Increasing the number of dental assistants and hygienists in the workforce is a top priority for the Ohio Dental Association, and the dentists who volunteer on the ODA’s Executive Committee and Dental Education and Licensure Committee have taken a number of steps over the past several years to address the issue.
The ODA has improved and enhanced webpages on oda.org with information about careers in dentistry. The pages include descriptions of dental office positions, American Dental Association resources related to careers in dentistry and contact information for dental assisting and dental hygiene education programs in Ohio. Many member dentists are using these resources with their patients and in their communities to encourage people to consider a career in dental hygiene or dental assisting. The new webpages can be viewed at www.oda.org/about/public-resources/careers-in-dentistry/.
The ODA also has been running a series of radio advertisements aimed at attracting new dental assistants and hygienists into the workforce. The three radio spots highlight the benefits of becoming a dental assistant or hygienist and point listeners to visit www.oda.org, speak to their school guidance counselor or a dentist in their community to learn more. The radio ads are airing on ONN stations across the state.
The ODA has also placed advertisements online and in social media in the target market with a similar message to the radio ads. The digital ads direct people to the ODA’s careers in dentistry webpages.
The ODA has also created resources to help dentists recruit and retain staff. A new page on the ODA’s website has information about how dentists can promote dental team careers, how to manage dental staff successfully, how to post a job opening on the ODA’s website, and information about dental workforce shortages and Ohio’s wage statistics and projections. The page can be viewed at www.oda.org/member-center/resources/recruit-and-retain-staff/.
Additionally, the Dental Education and Licensure Committee recently ran a series of articles in the “ODA Today” about workforce staffing issues with information and resources on how to recruit and retain staff. These articles can all be viewed at www.oda.org.
Additionally, the ODA has:
- Met with all of Ohio’s dental hygiene program directors concerning expanding their capacity and class size.
- Joined with other state dental associations to advocate for reform to CODA’s accreditation standards to more easily allow dental hygiene education programs to expand.
- Sent “return to work” messages to Ohio dental hygienists who have left the workforce.
- The ODA Annual Session in September will feature several courses focused on enhancing the dental workforce including:
- Dental Assisting Exam Prep course to assist dental staff in passing required exams to become certified.
- Radiography Review Course to facilitate dental staff to maintain their status as dental assistant radiographers.
- Medical Emergencies Course which is required for dental hygienists to see patients when the dentist is not physically present under general supervision.
These efforts are the result of a 2022 ODA House of Delegates resolution to develop and implement a dental staff recruitment campaign to help member dentists meet their staffing needs.
The resolution was submitted by the ODA Workforce Working Group, which was established by the Dental Education and Licensure Committee in 2021 to address the shortage numbers of hygienists, assistants, EFDAs and front office personnel.
The resolution aims to help ODA member dentists meet their staffing needs by promoting career path opportunities to the public, encouraging people to enter the dental field and growing the number of applicants to Ohio’s dental assisting and hygiene programs.
In 2023, ODA House of Delegates passed a resolution that permanently adds the duty of monitoring workforce issues and developing strategies to encourage careers in dental fields to the ODA Dental Education and Licensure Committee.
The Dental Education and Licensure Committee is continuing to develop ideas to address workforce shortages, such as working to change state law to allow foreign trained dentists to practice as dental hygienists.
Some positive movements have recently occurred, including:
- The Commission on Dental Testing in Ohio has resumed administering the certified dental assisting exam for Ohio.
- Hocking College graduated its first dental hygiene class in 2022.
- Lorain County Community College expanded its class size by four students.
- Sinclair Community College has informed the ODA that it is expanding the number of students in its dental hygiene, dental assisting and EFDA programs beginning in 2025.
- Shawnee State University is working to expand their dental hygiene program from 25 to 40 students.
As the ODA continues to meet with dental hygiene and assisting programs, the ODA is using these examples to encourage additional dental hygiene and assisting programs to expand as well.
“It is through the vision and efforts of our educators and staffs that we are working together to re-establish dentistry as an exceptional exciting workspace for future generations of dedicated professionals,” said Dr. Evan Tetelman, chair of the ODA Dental Education and Licensure Committee. “Just a bump into the future!”
For more information and to view the ODA’s workforce resources, visit www.oda.org.
