July 13, 2022 – CBC PEI: An Island-wide staffing shortage in dental clinics is causing a backlog of appointments, and it’s forcing some patients on PEI to wait months before receiving care. “As with any part of health care, everybody’s looking for somebody to help them out,” said Dr. Brian Barrett, executive director of the Dental Association of PEI.
He said key positions such as dental assistants and hygienists are “vital” for offices to be able to perform their full range of functions.
But a lack of staff is leaving some dentists to do the work alone which in turn impacts patients whose appointments get cancelled or rescheduled.
Barrett said part of the problem has been the pandemic since many dental assistants and hygienists have changed their hours to part-time, leaving clinics in a situation where more shifts are needed to fill the week.
He said another pandemic-related factor has been dealing with the fallout of appointments that were missed when dentists had to close their practices.
Read the full CBC PEI story by Mikee Mutuc here
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