As dental offices face hygienist shortages, BCTC prepares the next generation

As dentists' offices across the country struggle to recruit and maintain staff, schools are facing more pressure to prepare the next generation of dental hygienists.

Bluegrass Community & Technical College in Lexington is home to one of just a handful of dental hygiene programs in the state, able to host about 48 students at a time in its 2-year program.

"It is a great way to get out in the workforce quickly and in a high-demand field. And you'd never have any trouble finding a job, that's for sure," said Mary Jones, dental hygiene program director and professor at BCTC.

Graduates are in high demand at offices across the country.

According to a recent survey from the American Dental Association and the Health Policy Institute (HPI), 94.9% of dentists labeled it "extremely challenging" or "very challenging" to recruit dental hygienists at their offices, as of December 2023.

Emily Hayes, who is entering her second year as a student in the BCTC program, has found the extreme need to be an advantage.

"I knew that it was going to be a great-paying job when I got out. There are many offices that have offered to pay back student loans, because there's just such a high demand for us right now," Hayes said.

She expects to be close to debt-free when she graduates and already has a full-time job lined up, even though she is a year out from graduation.

"Dentistry's not for everyone but I think that it is a wonderful field that is wanted and needed," she said.

That demand has resulted in higher pay.

The HPI study found that 90.9% of offices increased their starting rate pay from the previous year.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for a dental hygienist in 2019 was $76,220. By 2023, it had increased to $87,530.

What's leading the shortage?

According to Jones, many hygienists retired early following the COVID-19 pandemic. While enrollment isn't down at schools, they still aren't able to keep up with the pace of those leaving the industry.

"There's probably less than 400 dental hygiene programs in the U.S. The demand is so high, and what we can produce every year is difficult to keep up with that," Jones said.

BCTC hopes to increase its enrollment in the near future, as the dental hygiene program is set to move to the college's new Newtown North Campus next year once construction is complete.

"For the future, we're definitely pursuing options, like enrollment and how we can meet that demand," Jones said. "I hope that's something we can do."