Overview of dental assistants in Taiwan from 2009 to 2021

Background/purpose: The development of dental assistants in Taiwan has been over a century. This study explored mainly the profile of dental assistants and the occupation survey about them in Taiwan from 2009 to 2021. Materials and methods: This study used the documentary analysis and secondary data analysis to survey mainly the changes of manpower of dental assistants in Taiwan from 2009 to 2021, and the association of their wages with economic indicators. Results: According to occupation survey from government, the number of dental assistants increased from 4315 in 2009–7909 in 2021. When estimated based on the data of the United States showing 1.86 dental assistants per dentist, the estimated number of dental assistants increased from 21,113 in 2009 to 28,698 in 2020. Although the mean monthly wage of dental assistants increased from 22,127 NT dollars in 2009 to 26,795 NT dollars in 2021, the proportion of the mean annual wage of dental assistants to the gross domestic product per capita decreased from 47.43% in 2009 to 34.78% in 2021. Moreover, the proportion of the mean monthly wage of dental assistants to the basic monthly wage of labor decreased from 128.05% in 2009 to 111.65% in 2021. Conclusion: In Taiwan, although the manpower and work content of dental assistants are important for dentists, they usually work with a low wage from 2009 to 2021. It is imperative to continue to promote the certification system for dental assistants to improve the professionalism and the wage structure of this occupation.