Becker's Dental + DSO Review

6 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 DENTAL PROFESSIONALS Is solo practice still possible for new dentists? By Riz Hatton T he combination of dental school debt and pandemic challenges has made things uncertain for new dentists. Before new dentists get the chance to fully enter the industry, many are burdened with massive debt. The average debt for dental students who graduated in 2020 was $304,824, according to the American Dental Education Association. This makes ideas such as owning a private practice seem like a lofty dream. "The cost of becoming a successful dentist is becoming too high," Ali Jazayeri, DDS, a dentist at Oceansight Dental & Im- plants in San Clemente, Calif., told Becker's. Overcoming a half-million-dollar loan to begin your career is a tough obsta- cle. The sheer bulk of this loan will discourage many dentists from owning their own practice." Instilling hope in new dentists can also be difficult as estab- lished dentists leave the field. Those remaining in the field face significant challenges because of the pandemic, such as staff- ing shortages and supply chain issues. DentalPost's 2022 Salary Survey indicated that 11 percent of dentists are planning to retire in the next two years. "Two-plus years of pandemic-related issues such as staffing challenges, increased costs for [personal protective equip- ment] and new processes all mean that dentists are now unable to see as many patients," Suzanne Ebert, DDS, vice president of dental practice and relationships for ADA Practice Tran- sitions in Chicago, told Becker's. "In fact, data from the ADA Health Policy Institute show that a third of owners say they now need more staff to see the same number of patients as before COVID due to heightened infection control processes. As a re- sult, many owner dentists who might have otherwise worked a few more years are choosing to retire early, and they're not waiting around to find buyers." n Voluntary workforce reduction of 3,300 dental hygienists since 2020: 7 new findings By Gabrielle Masson A s of August 2021, less than half of dental hygienists who left employment early in the pandemic returned to the workforce, according to research published in the February issue of The Journal of Dental Hygiene. Researchers with the American Dental Association and Amer- ican Dental Hygienists' Association examined data from web- based surveys on COVID-19-related health, infection control practices and personal protective equipment use. The surveys were administered monthly to 6,976 dental hygienists from September 2020 to August 2021. Six other findings: 1. COVID-19 has exacerbated a voluntary reduction in the workforce by 3,300 dental hygienists (1.6 percent). 2. According to the study, 7.9 percent of respondents who had been employed in March 2020 weren't working six months later in September 2020. When the study concluded in August 2021, the number decreased to 4.9 percent. 3. A low COVID-19 infection rate (8.8 percent) was reported among dental hygienists, lower than the rate for the gen- eral U.S. population (11.7 percent), according to a Feb. 22 news release. 4. High overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (75.4 percent) was reported among hygienists at the end of August. 5. Patient face-masking and physical protections such as barriers or air filtration increased in use over time, then declined in spring 2021. 6. Screening patients before appointments, checking pa- tient temperatures before treatment, checking staff tem- peratures at shift start, disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and encouraging distance between patients were reported by more than 85 percent of respondents until March 2021, at which point significant decreases were observed. n

• Cover