Last year, WSDA and Delta Dental of Washington committed to working together to find solutions to critical issues facing the dental profession. One of the most pressing issues — well-known by dentists across the state — is the dental hygienist workforce shortage.

Surveying the Problem

In a joint effort to gather workforce data from multiple stakeholder groups, WSDA and the Washington Dental Hygienists’ Association developed surveys for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants that were administered by the Washington State Department of Health in fall 2020. The results, analyzed by Delta and WSDA, found that:

• Dental hygienist positions in Washington are open an average of 4 months before being filled. 
• For every 1 hygienist seeking a position, there are over 4 positions available.
• The greatest number of open hygienist positions were in King and Snohomish counties with over 550 openings at the time of the survey.

$500,000 Matching Grant Supporting the Shoreline Community College Dental Hygiene Program at UW

A critical step in addressing the dental hygienist shortage is increasing the number of hygiene school graduates. Before increasing program capacity, however, it is critically important to protect schools already in operation.

To that effect, WSDA and Delta have joined forces to jump-start a UW School of Dentistry fundraising campaign in support of the Shoreline Community College Dental Hygiene Program, now located at the UW.

Delta recently donated $1 million to help cover the costs of renovations needed to accommodate the expansion of the program and pledged an additional $500,000 matching grant for monies raised within the dental community. The goal of the matching grant is to raise up to an additional $1 million in support of the dental hygiene program by the end of the year! To kick off fundraising, the WSDA Foundation will contribute $125,000 to the matching grant.

Your support is critical in reaching this goal. Please consider donating in support of the Shoreline Dental Hygiene Program at the UW School of Dentistry. Your contribution will make a difference in educating and graduating more dental hygienists in our state and will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000!

Donate online today at giving.uw.edu/dentalhygiene or fill out this form to contribute by mail.

Donate Online
Donate by Mail
Want to learn more? Read UW’s FAQ and one-pager or contact Randy Newquist with UW Dentistry Advancement at randyn@uw.edu or (360) 471-5648 with questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dennis Bradshaw
WSDA President