Workplace Indicators and Well-being Among Oral Health Professionals in HRSA-Funded Health Centers

Introduction Oral health provider well-being is critical to sustaining the HRSA Health Center (HRSA-HC) workforce, yet limited evidence exists on the drivers of well-being outcomes specifically among dental assistants (DAs), dental hygienists (DHs), and dentists in safety-net settings. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the 2022 HRSA Health Center Workforce Well-Being Survey among 2,671 oral health providers (DAs=1,385; DHs=564; dentists=722). Well-being outcomes for job satisfaction, engagement, and burnout were calculated as mean Likert scores and categorized into tertiles; intention to stay was dichotomized. Descriptive statistics, multinomial logistic regression, and multivariable logistic regression with backward stepwise selection were used to examine associations between 16 well-being drivers and four outcomes separately by provider type. Results DHs reported the most favorable well-being outcomes, with the highest levels of job satisfaction, engagement, and intention to stay, while burnout was similar across provider types. Work-life balance, meaningfulness, and professional growth were consistently associated with more favorable well-being outcomes and lower burnout, while workload and moral distress were related to higher burnout and poorer well-being across most provider types. Additional provider-specific drivers were also identified. Conclusion These findings underscore the need for both universal and provider-specific organizational strategies to strengthen oral health workforce well-being and retention at HRSA-HCs.