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Dental practice workforce challenges in rural England: survey into recruitment and retention in Devon and Cornwall

British Dental Journal (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction Devon and Cornwall have been identified as 'dental deserts' with limited NHS dental access and high levels of oral health inequality. Challenges around recruitment and retention of the dental workforce have been acknowledged as an important contributory factor.

Aims The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of dental practices within Devon and Cornwall in relation to recruitment and retention of the dental workforce.

Method A self-administered, online questionnaire was used to explore various aspects of workforce recruitment and retention. The questionnaire included categorical rating scale and free-text question formats providing quantitative and qualitative data.

Results In total, 106 dental practices responded to the survey, providing a response rate of 36%. The vast majority of respondents (94%) considered recruitment and retention to be a major barrier to delivering NHS services. Additionally, 77% of practices had a current staff vacancy, 57% had a dentist vacancy and 48% had a vacancy for dental nurses. Thematic analysis led to identification of four main themes which were considered to influence recruitment and retention: NHS system; economic challenges; logistics; and support networks.

Conclusion A large number of dental practices in Devon and Cornwall are failing to operate at capacity due to workforce shortages, which is affecting access to services in both NHS and private practices. Recruitment and retention of dentists and dental nurses appears to be the most challenging factor, with NHS practices affected more than the private sector.

Key points

  • Challenges in recruitment and retention of the dental workforce are a significant contributory factor in the delivery of dental services in Devon and Cornwall, and this is likely to reflect the situation in other rural and coastal areas of the UK.

  • Over three-quarters of respondent dental practices currently have vacancies within their workforce, with 57% of practices having a vacancy for at least one dentist. Practices with an NHS contract are most affected, but rural private practices are also facing significant challenges.

  • The key factors which were considered to influence recruitment and retention were: the NHS system; current economic challenges; logistics; and support networks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Devon and Cornwall Local Dental Committees for their advice on developing the questionnaire and their support in distributing the survey. Additionally, we would like to thank our dental colleagues who participated in the study.

You can read more articles about developing your career via BDJ Jobs: https://www.bdjjobs.com/careers/.

Funding

The study was supported by a grant from the Faculty of Health Strategic Investment Fund, University of Plymouth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peninsula Dental School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom

    Ian Mills, Marie Bryce, Laura Clarry, Deborah Evans & Sally Hanks

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  1. Ian Mills
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  2. Marie Bryce
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  4. Deborah Evans
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Contributions

Ian Mills: developed questionnaire, undertook quantitative and qualitative analysis and led on writing the manuscript. Marie Bryce: contributed to all aspects of the study, including questionnaire development, qualitative analysis and oversight, writing text, language editing and proof-reading manuscript. Laura Clarry: contributed to quantitative and qualitative analysis, writing text and proof-reading manuscript. Deborah Evans: contributed to all aspects of the study, including questionnaire development, analysis, revising text and proof-reading manuscript. Sally Hanks: contributed to all aspects of the study, including questionnaire development, oversight of project, writing text, language editing and proof-reading manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian Mills.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Plymouth Faculty of Health Research Ethics and Integrity Committee (reference number: 3382). Participants completed a consent form before undertaking the survey questionnaire which included agreement to allow the data to be used for research purposes and future publication.

A copy of the survey questionnaire is available in the appendix. The corresponding author should be contacted for access to the response data.

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Mills, I., Bryce, M., Clarry, L. et al. Dental practice workforce challenges in rural England: survey into recruitment and retention in Devon and Cornwall. Br Dent J (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-6276-9

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