Purpose To examine the dental hygiene (DH) workforce supply and demand in Minnesota.

1. Poster #107 Minnesota Dental Hygienist Workforce – Supply and Demand Leslie Nordgren, RDH, MPH, PhD, Merry Jo Thoele, RDH, MPH, and Barbara Hann, BA Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota Minnesota Oral Health Program • Purpose • To examine the dental hygiene (DH) workforce supply and demand in Minnesota. • Specific objectives were to report the following: • Results by state rural/urban commuting areas • Number of dental staff employed by type (demand) • Results of the DH program director interviews (supply) • Survey results from the DH workforce survey (supply). • Methods • Data for demand for clinical DHs were obtained using • Mailed questionnaire to 1286 dental clinics (demand) • In-depth telephone interviews with DH program directors (supply) • Mailed questionnaire to 1108 DHs (supply) • Results • Respondents • Dental clinics (n = 1128) • DH program directors (n = 10) • Licensed DHs working in Minnesota (n =507) • Response rate • Mailed questionnaire to clinics – 76% • DH program directors – 100% • Mailed questionnaire to DHs – not yet available • Key findings • 4,107 (estimated) filled DH positions • Statewide 44% of filled positions were part-time • 73 (estimated) DH jobs open statewide • 84% DH job openings in urban areas • 2 of 10 DH programs include expanded restorative functions in curriculum • DH program directors report no changes planned for curriculum • Key findings, con’t. • 210 (estimated) DH graduates in 2012 • Recent DH graduates • 62% employed (median of 5 programs) (some part-time, temporary and/or dental assisting) • 82% employed in Minnesota • 29% employed in rural areas (median) • 3,219 (estimated) filled dentist positions in MN • 4,688 (estimated) filled dental assistant positions in MN • Preliminary findings (46% response from first mailing) • 91(18%) of working DHs are seeking different or additional employment as a DH • 64 (2%) of DHs are not employed as a DH and are seeking employment as a DH • Figure 1.Dental Clinics Reporting Hygienist Openings Figure 2. Reasons DH Seeking Employment (Preliminary Data) Figure 3. Clinics Stating Too Many Hygienists - Oversupply • Figure 5. Percent of Dental Clinics Recruiting by Staff Type and Area Rural/Urban Commuting Area • Discussion • There is an oversupply of DHs in Minnesota. There are nearly 3 times as many 2012 DH graduates as available jobs statewide. Based on preliminary findings, 18% of the DHs working in Minnesota are seeking different or additional employment. • Of those seeking employment: • 40% reported wanting more hours • >40% of the DHs working are older than 45 • no significant difference in age distribution • Recruiting rates are higher for dentists and DAs than for DHs in all areas of the state. • Limitations to the data: • DH survey data are preliminary • Dental clinic survey and the DH survey are subject to recall bias Figure 4.Age of MN Working Dental Hygienists. Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes (RUCAs) Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes, or RUCAs, are a census tract-based classification scheme that utilizes the standard Bureau of Census urban area and place definitions in combination with commuting information to characterize all of the nation's census tracts regarding their rural and urban status and relationships. The Health Resources and Service Administration's Office of Rural Health, the WWAMI Rural Research Center at the University of Washington and the USDA's Economic Research Service collaborated to create the RUCA system that classifies sub-county areas on a scale representing urbanization, population density, and daily commuting. Acknowledgments We are especially grateful to Laura Grangaard for carrying out the data management and for her analysis input. We also thank Angie Sechler for her mapping expertise. Funding was madepossible through the Health Resources and Services Administration grant #T12HP14659 For further information Please contact Leslie Nordgren at leslie.nordgren@state.mn.us More information on this and other rural-related projects can be obtained at the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care website at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/ or Minnesota Department of Health Oral Health Program website at http://www.health.state.mn.us/oralhealth/