The nationwide lack of dental hygienists is forcing patients in Virginia to have to wait as long as 14 months for a routine cleaning, according to a Feb. 22 report by WWBT.
A major factor causing the shortage in Virginia is that the state only offers two dental hygiene bachelor's programs. Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Dentistry, located in Richmond, can only accept 20 students into the program at a time because of limited space, resources and faculty, according to the report.
When COVID-19 hit, many dental hygienists left the workforce, leading to the current shortage, said Marion Manski, the director of VCU's dental hygiene program.
The Richmond and Henrico areas have an above average number of dentists but have some of the lowest dentist-to-hygienist ratios in the country, according to a statement the Virginia Dental Association provided to the news outlet.
The state recently passed an adult Medicaid benefit that covers more than 750,000 new individuals for up to three dental hygiene appointments each year, but the hole in the workforce is making it so many patients aren't able to utilize the new benefit, the VDA said.