Recruitment and retention in dentistry in the UK: a scoping review to explore the challenges across the UK, with a particular interest in rural and coastal areas

Introduction There is currently reduced access to NHS dental services in the UK, particularly in England, with rural and coastal areas significantly affected. Recruitment and retention in dentistry has been highlighted as an issue contributing to the problem. Objectives To explore what is known or unknown about recruitment and retention of the dental workforce in the UK, with a particular focus on rural and coastal areas. We were keen to gain information relating to factors affecting recruitment and retention, geographical distribution of the workforce, anticipated challenges, strategies or proposals to assist workforce planning and the extent of empirical research. Methods Searches for peer-reviewed literature and reports were undertaken and included when they met the eligibility criteria. Data were extracted and the findings narratively synthesised. Discussion The findings suggested wide ranging recruitment and retention issues of the dental workforce in the UK. Most issues were associated with NHS dentists, followed by dental nurses across both the NHS and private sectors. The worst affected parts of the country were rural and coastal areas. Conclusion It appears from the evidence that there are many dental professionals discussing recruitment and retention issues, followed by stakeholders. However, there is limited research and data to initiate change.