Increased competition from DSOs has led dentists to rethink their approach to private practice to optimize success, including taking advantage of opportunities to enhance patient care and reduce operational inefficiencies.
Dentists are facing compounding challenges that have led some to rethink the prospect of operating a sustainable practice, pushing many toward DSO affiliation. Roughly 16% of dentists in the U.S. were affiliated with a DSO in 2024, an 8.9-percentage point increase from 7.2% in 2015, according to data from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute.
Despite the shift, many dentists still believe private practice dentistry offers unique benefits that cannot be offered at DSOs, including clinical autonomy and the ability to build their practice culture and team the way they desire. While private practice may remain the end goal for many dentists, the path to ownership has evolved to require more strategic planning.
Source: The renaissance of independent dentistry / Becker’s Dental