Dental Hygiene Educator Workforce Shortage: A review of the literature.

Abstract

Purpose Oral health care education programs are facing challenges extending beyond isolated hiring difficulties that reflect broader structural forces shaping the academic workforce. The purpose of this literature review was to examine the structural factors contributing to the dental hygiene faculty shortage and to identify evidence-based strategies that support sustainable recruitment and retention in oral health education programs.Methods A literature search was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed, ERIC, and Google Scholar. Search terms included: dental hygiene faculty shortage, health professions education workforce, faculty burnout, workload equity, compensation models, and mentoring in health sciences education. Inclusion criteria consisted of peer-reviewed articles published between 2010-2026 that addressed workforce trends, faculty recruitment and retention, accreditation or credentialing requirements, workload models, or the integration of educational technologies. Opinion pieces without empirical or conceptual grounding were excluded.Results Forty-three articles met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized to identify common structural themes and recommended interventions. Across the literature, four dominant structural contributors to the faculty shortage emerged: compensation disparities between clinical and academic roles, limited graduate education pathways, accreditation and credentialing constraints, and unsustainable workload expectations. Studies also highlighted high levels of burnout, turnover intention, and employment instability among health science faculty. Evidence supported the effectiveness of comprehensive compensation models, structured mentoring and onboarding, equitable workload distribution, and the use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to reduce administrative burden.Conclusion Faculty shortages in dental hygiene were shown to be driven by structural, rather than isolated, factors. Programs that rely heavily on part-time faculty experience greater workload imbalance and burnout among full-time educators. Interventions that integrate compensation reform, workload equity, mentoring, and educational technologies offer the greatest potential to stabilize the dental hygiene educator pipeline. Addressing these factors is essential for maintaining accreditation compliance, ensuring instructional quality, and supporting long-term workforce sustainability in dental hygiene education programs.