Dr. Rethman states that the trends in inflation-adjusted wages for dental hygienists suggest that there may be a permanent decrease in the demand for dental hygienists in California. We interpret his statement as referring to Figure 1 of our article, which shows an apparent decline in the wages of dental hygienists after 2002.
However, it is important to note that while the figure does seem to suggest this, there are no statistical differences in wages between 2002 and those in successive years. In other words, the decline may be only apparent (simply due to statistical sampling error), or it may be real. We interpreted it as the former in our article.
Yet, there is a possibility that the decline is real. If the decline is real, we are more likely to determine this when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases additional data (data are released at six-month intervals). With more data, we will be able determine the answer to this question with more confidence, as well as the implications of any change (or lack of change) in wages during the period from 2002 on.
