A recent Maclean’s article (“Desperate to cut their teeth”) examining the dental hygienist marketplace in Canada highlights a significant increase in the number of recently graduated hygienists seeking employment.
The economic impact of this glut of hygienists is demonstrated by a 6.5% decline in salaries between 2006 and 2009, based on data supplied from the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA). Similar CDHA data show that the proportion of dental hygienists in Canada under the age of 29 has increased by 17% during the same time period.
The article cites the relatively large number of dental hygiene programs in Ontario (28 programs from 24 private colleges) as one of the driving forces behind the increase of dental hygienists entering the Canadian job market.
The Maclean’s piece can be found at:
www2.macleans.ca/2011/02/10/desperate-to-cut-their-teeth/