Recruitment and retention in the dental workforce: the benefits of a strengths-based approach

Abstract

The NHS is facing a crisis in recruitment and retention of dental professionals. In order to tackle this problem, we need to explore new avenues. One evidence-based approach is strengths-based recruitment (SBR), in which employees’ natural talents and strengths are matched to particular roles. This has been shown to improve not only employee retention but also engagement, wellbeing and job satisfaction. This paper presents, for the first time, the concepts and benefits of SBR in relation to dentistry.