Three years of data confirm the dental hygiene workforce shortage is a retention crisis. ADHA calls on employers and policymakers to act on evidence.
CHICAGO, May 1, 2026 — The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) today issued an updated position statement on the dental hygiene workforce shortage, superseding its December 2024 statement. The update draws on three independent bodies of research, including two produced in direct partnership with ADHA, and concludes that the profession is not facing a shortage of qualified professionals. It is facing a shortage of workplaces worth staying in.
“This profession has done the work,” said ADHA President Lancette VanGuilder, BS, RDH. “The research is in and the causes are documented. The next step is clear: implementation at the practice level, where dental hygienists decide whether to stay or go.”
The updated statement responds to recent proposals from other dental organizations, including allowing foreign-trained dentists to practice as dental hygienists and expanding dental assistants into hygiene-adjacent roles. ADHA does not support these approaches, which ignore documented evidence and risk further demoralizing a workforce that is already under significant strain.
The statement calls for implementation of seven evidence-based priorities: responsive compensation, competitive benefits, positive workplace culture, professional autonomy and full scope of practice utilization, licensure portability through the DDH Compact, targeted pipeline growth through the Hygienist Inspired Chairside Recruitment Program and expanded professional development pathways. The updated statement reflects priorities across ADHA’s 2026-2028 Strategic Plan, including its Workforce and Professional Autonomy goals.
“This updated statement is grounded in three consecutive years of data this profession helped deliver,” said Jennifer Hill, CEO of ADHA. “The direction is clear and employers now have the evidence-backed guidance for meaningful changes that will support retention.”
The updated position statement is available at adha.org/positions.
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