Navigating the Uncertainty

As another calendar year draws to a close, many dentists find themselves evaluating their practice strategies, particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and considering what has worked and what, if any, changes to make for the coming year. To provide dentists with a snapshot of the industry to benchmark their practices against, Inside Dentistry is proud to present the results of its annual readership survey in this month's cover story, Trends in Dentistry 2021. What volume of patients are clinicians treating? What types of treatments and services are they offering? Have they been investing in new technology or products? The article provides useful data and commentary on these questions and many more aspects of the profession.

Since the end of the shutdown and return to elective procedures, my practice hasn't experienced a reduction in patients. We're actually on track to have a record year. However, the costs of PPE and many clinical supplies are astronomical, and supply chain issues have put limits on how much clinicians can buy. Staffing shortages, another trend addressed in the article, have affected many regions, severely crippling the productivity of some practices. At my practice, I lost one hygienist and have since only been able to find a part-time replacement. Although some of this is related to the impact of the shutdown and changes in financial incentivization, some is related to the most publicized of pandemic-related trends: vaccination.