Survey Findings

Findings from surveys of Washington’s oral health workforce

Findings from surveys conducted in 2023 by WOHW of dental assistants and EFDAs are summarized in this report:

Key Findings 

Dental assistants (DAs) and expanded function dental auxiliaries (EFDAs; DAs with additional training allowing them to perform expanded functions) are two key occupations supporting the oral health workforce in Washington. We surveyed registered DAs and EFDAs in Washington to learn more about the supply, distribution, and characteristics of these occupations in the state. The survey received responses from 1,240 DAs and 113 EFDAs. 

Key findings from respondents suggest DAs in Washington State include:  

  • DAs are primarily female, White, and in their mid-thirties, on average. 
  • Two-thirds attended private or public community college or technical school DA programs. 
  • DAs work 33 hours/week on average, and the majority indicated they were working as many hours as they would like.  
  •  Most DAs received some benefits at work, with paid time off most common, followed by medical benefits and retirement.  
  • Two-thirds of respondents agreed that they would recommend a career as a DA.  
  • About a third agreed they were appropriately compensated for the work they do and less than half that they were satisfied with promotion opportunities. 
  • Among respondents, 42% indicated intent to begin education to advance to another dental occupation within five years.  
  • Workforce recruitment and retention may be enhanced by the availability of employer-provided benefits, opportunities for promotion, and satisfactory wages.  
  • Efforts to increase the diversity of the DA workforce entering the occupation through the multiple DA education and training pathways utilized by survey respondents could help the DA workforce better represent the demographics of the state population, and potentially increase supply size and address high demand.  

Responses from EFDAs in Washington State suggest: 

  • EFDAs are primarily female, White, and in their mid-forties, on average. 
  • EFDAs work 29 hours/week on average, and the majority indicated they were working as many hours as they would like.  
  • Almost all EFDAs received paid time off, 87% received retirement benefits, and about three quarters received medical benefits.  
  • About half agreed they were appropriately compensated for the work they do, while higher percentages agreed they have opportunities for promotion, opportunities to learn and grow, and generally enjoy their work.  
  • Very few EFDAs reported they intended to seek employment in or training for another occupation in the next five years. 
  • Because EFDAs are not currently represented by a unique federal Standard Occupation Code, they cannot be identified separately from DAs in public datasets used to understand trends in the health workforce. Improved administrative data collection and monitoring of this occupation is needed. 

List of Tables and Figures

Practice status 

  • Table 1. Practice Status of all DA Survey Respondents Registered in Washington State 
  • Table 13. Practice Status of all EFDA Survey Respondents Credentialed in Washington 

Demographic characteristics 

  • Table 2. Gender and Household Characteristics of DA Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 
  • Table 3. Race and Ethnicity of DA Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 
  • Table 14. Descriptive Characteristics and Demographics of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents 
  • Table 15. Race and Ethnicity of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents  

Education and training 

  • Table 4. Educational Background of DA Survey Respondents in Washington 
  • Table 5. Health Care Program Types Among DA Respondents Currently Enrolled in an Academic Program for a Certificate or Degree in Health Care 
  • Table 16. Educational Background of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents 

Current work environment & current job characteristics 

  • Table 6. Primary Work Location Characteristics of DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Table 7.  Hours and Pay of DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Figure 4. Percentage of Dental Assistant Survey Respondents Living and Working in the Same County, 2022 
  • Figure 5. Mean Weekly Work Hours by Primary Work Location of DA Survey Respondents in Washington 
  • Table 8. Employment Benefits for DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Table 17. Primary Work Location Characteristics of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents  
  • Table 18.  Hours and Pay of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents 
  • Table 19. Employment Benefits of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents  

Current duties 

  • Figure 6.  Mean Frequency that DA Survey Respondents Perform Job Duties Each Week  
  • Table 9. Clinical Tasks and Patient Management/Administrative Duties Performed by DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Figure 12.  Mean Frequency EFDA Survey Respondents in Washington Perform Job Duties Each Week  
  • Table 20. Clinical Tasks and Patient Management/Administrative Duties Performed by Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents  

Career and job experiences 

  • Figures 7 – 10. DA Respondents’ Levels of Agreement with Career and Job-Related Statements  
  • Figures 13—16. Currently Working EFDA Respondents’ Levels of Agreement with Career and Job-Related Statements  

Career motivation 

  • Table 10. Career Motivations of DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Figure 11. DA Respondent Levels of Agreement with Reasons for Becoming a Dental Assistant  
  • Figure 17. Respondent Levels of Agreement with Reasons for Becoming an EFDA  
  • Table 21. Career Motivations of Currently Working EFDA Respondents  

Work history 

  • Table 11. Work History of DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Table 12. Breakdown of Work History of DA Survey Respondents in Washington  
  • Table 22. Work History of Currently Working EFDA Survey Respondents 

Findings from surveys conducted in 2023 by WOHW of dental hygienists are summarized in this report.

Below are key findings from those analyses followed by a list of tables and figures from the report:

Key Findings 

Demand for dental hygienists (DHs) in Washington is high and is limiting access to dental services in the state. Using data from state licensure records and a survey of DHs in the state, along with a variety of other sources, this report provides insights into who selects dental hygiene as a career and their pathways into this important oral health occupation, descriptions of the types and locations of their work, as well as DHs’ views of their jobs and careers.  

Survey findings suggest that about 84% of DHs with Washington licenses were practicing as a DH in the state. Analyses focused on these respondents, and key findings include:  

  • Nearly 98% of DH respondents working in Washington were female and 78% were white.  
  • Half of the DH respondents completed an associate degree and 45% completed a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene, and a quarter completed their dental hygiene education in a state other than Washington.  
  • Washington DHs working in public and non-profit settings, such as public health departments and community health centers, reported they worked more weekly hours on average (30.2 hours) and earned lower average hourly wages ($55.32) compared with DHs in private practices where most DHs in the state were employed (26.8 hours and $60.35).  
  • DHs in public and non-profit settings as well as DHs overall who worked more weekly hours (35 or more) reported receiving more employment benefits (including medical insurance, retirement, and paid time off) than DHs working in private settings or DHs overall who worked fewer (fewer than 35) weekly hours. 
  • When asked their views of their jobs and careers, DH respondents were generally positive, but some indicated dissatisfaction with opportunities for growth and leadership development and opportunities for promotion in their jobs.  
  • Slightly more than half (55%) strongly agreed or agreed that they would recommend a career as a DH to a friend or relative.  
  • DHs reported recording health histories, performing subgingival planing, oral inspection, and applying topical fluorides and varnishes nearly every day. Just over half of DHs reported having ever applied silver diamine fluoride and about one quarter reported having ever placed and finished restorations.  
  • Most (89%) DH respondents reported experiencing pain or discomfort in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, or neck in the past 12 months, with 93% of those with pain attributing it to dental hygiene work. These findings are comparable to a similar Washington survey of DHs conducted in 2004.  
  • Despite some job dissatisfaction and high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) attributed to their work, nearly three quarters of DH respondents planned to continue working as a DH in clinical practice over the next few years.  

Conclusions from these findings include:   

  • Strategies to address the conditions and DH practices that contribute to MSDs could help to encourage DHs to work more weekly hours, reduce DH job vacancies, and help improve access to patient care.  
  • Extending the DH career pathway with more opportunities for advancing dental hygiene careers, including but not exclusively into dentistry, could make DH a career that attracts more, and more diverse, entrants.  
  • Ongoing tracking of the size, distribution, and characteristics of Washington’s dental workforce is important to determine if and where progress is achieved to address oral health workforce issues in the state. 

List of Tables and Figures 

Practice Status 

  • Figure 3. Practice Status of Washington (WA) Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents   
  • Table 1. Practice Status of all Washington Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents 

Demographic Characteristics 

  • Table 2. Gender and Household Characteristics of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working as Dental Hygienist in Washington 
  • Table 3. Race or Ethnicity of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 

Education and Training 

  • Table 4. Educational Background of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 

Work History 

  • Table 4. Educational Background of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 

Current Work Environment & Current Job Characteristics 

  • Table 6. Employment Status of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 
  • Figure 4. Percentage of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington Living and Working in the Same County 
  • Table 7.  Primary Work Location Characteristics of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 
  • Figure 5. Mean Weekly Work Hours by Primary Work Location of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 
  • Table 8. Hours and Pay of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington (WA) 
  • Table 9. Hours Worked, Hourly Wage, and Employment Benefits of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington (WA) by Primary Work Location Setting 
  • Table 10. Employment Benefits of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington by Weekly Work Hours 

Current Duties 

  • Figure 6.  Mean Frequency that Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington Perform Job Duties 
  • Table 11. Clinical Tasks and Duties Performed by Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington 

Career and Job Experiences 

  • Figures 7-9. Levels of Agreement with Career and Job-Related Statements by Dental Hygienist Survey Respondents’ Currently Working in Washington  
  • Table 12. Job-related Pain of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington (WA) 
  • Table 13. Future Plans of Dental Hygienist (DH) Survey Respondents Currently Working in Washington (WA)