Recruitment needs have not eased. According to the study, recruitment needs remain steady as nearly 4 in 10 dentists reported recruiting dental assistants and hygienists. Recruiting dental hygienists remains the biggest challenge for practices.

Other findings indicate that 22% of dental hygiene positions were unfilled in May, while roughly 50% of the same positions were unfilled in the top 20 largest cities in the U.S.

Dentists' confidence in an economic recovery continues to decline. In May, about 1 in 5 dentists were hopeful for an economic recovery in the coming months.