DSOs Attract Increasing Number of Dentists

Corporate dentistry continues to penetrate the market, driven primarily by younger dentists who are burdened by student debt and/or who don’t want to take on the traditional responsibilities of running a practice. For example, according to the ADA’s Health Policy Institute (HPI), 13% of dentists overall were affiliated with a DSO last year. However, for those out of dental school less than 10 years, that percentage was much higher: 23% are part of a DSO.

The growth of DSOs—along with traditional group practices—has led to a significant shift in the dentist population and the solo practitioner is now in the minority. In 2021, ADA’s HPI found that the percentage of dentists in solo practice dropped below 50%, marking the first time ever that the number of dentists in group practices outnumbered those in solo practices.