# How many dental practices are owned by DSOs? Published shares count dentists, not practices: the ADA Health Policy Institute measured 16.1% of U.S. dentists as DSO-affiliated in 2024, while an industry estimate of about 35% consolidated has no disclosed measure, according to DentistryIQ. A count of DSO-affiliated locations from public records is a floor, because the contracts that create most affiliations are private. By DDSIntel Editorial. Source: DDSIntel, https://ddsintel.com/dso/why-dso-counts-differ. Published 2026-10-26; data as of 2026-10-25. ## Key numbers - **16.1%** of U.S. dentists were DSO-affiliated in 2024 (ADA Health Policy Institute, The U.S. Dentist Workforce, 2025 update, 2024; https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/US_dentist_workforce_2025.pdf) - **35%** consolidated, an estimate whose measure was not disclosed (DentistryIQ (Brian Hanks, Aug. 8, 2026), 2026; https://www.dentistryiq.com/business-management-leadership/article/55396386/is-dentistry-really-35-consolidated-lets-check-the-math) - **12.8%** of dentists were affiliated with private equity in 2021 (Health Affairs study, as reported by DentistryIQ, 2021; https://www.dentistryiq.com/business-management-leadership/article/55396386/is-dentistry-really-35-consolidated-lets-check-the-math) - **72.5%** of dentists owned a private practice in 2023 (ADA Health Policy Institute, 2023; https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dental-practice-research) ## Why do DSO market-share figures differ? They divide by different things: dentists, practice locations or revenue. The ADA Health Policy Institute’s 16.1% is a share of dentists, so a large multi-dentist office weighs more than a single-chair one. A share of locations or of revenue from the same market would differ. See the [consolidation overview](https://ddsintel.com/dso). ## Where does the 35% consolidation figure come from? TUSK Practice Sales cited ADA data as placing the dental industry at roughly 35% consolidated, while DentistryIQ reported that the advisory-firm figure came without a stated measure. The ADA’s own published DSO figure is 16.1% of dentists, so treat 35% as a contested estimate and never as an ADA statistic. ## Why can public records only give a floor? Most DSO affiliations run through a private management contract, and the dentist who owns the practice entity may not change. Public records show licenses, entities, officers and addresses, not the contract, so a count built from them captures only confirmed affiliations. The true figure is at least that high. The contract is explained in [management services agreements](https://ddsintel.com/dso/management-services-agreements). Entity, officer and address changes that often accompany an affiliation are read as [corporate signals](https://ddsintel.com/signals/corporate-signals). ## How will DDSIntel count DSO-affiliated locations? DDSIntel counts a location as DSO-affiliated only when public evidence links it to a DSO and a second source confirms it, then publishes the result as a floor, in aggregate by state and region once each release is signed off. A floor can only rise as new evidence appears. Method details are in the [methodology](https://ddsintel.com/methodology), and the [data hub](https://ddsintel.com/data) shows the cited national figures used as benchmarks. For the growth trend, see [how fast DSO affiliation is growing](https://ddsintel.com/dso/dso-growth-2015-2024). ## Frequently asked questions ### What percentage of dental practices are owned by DSOs? No verified practice-level share is published. The ADA Health Policy Institute reports 16.1% of dentists DSO-affiliated in 2024. ### Is dentistry 35% consolidated? About 35% is an industry estimate with an undisclosed measure, per DentistryIQ. It counts something broader than DSO affiliation. ### Is private equity ownership the same as DSO affiliation? No. Private equity affiliation was 12.8% of dentists in 2021 in a Health Affairs study, a narrower measure. ### Which DSO share should I cite? Cite 16.1% of dentists (ADA Health Policy Institute, 2024) and label it a share of dentists. Label any other figure with its source and definition. ### What does a floor mean for a DSO count? Only affiliations confirmed by public evidence are counted, so the real number is at least as high. ## Sources 1. ADA Health Policy Institute. The U.S. Dentist Workforce, 2025 update. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/US_dentist_workforce_2025.pdf 2. ADA Health Policy Institute. Dental practice research (DSO affiliation and practice ownership). https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dental-practice-research 3. DentistryIQ. Is dentistry really 35% consolidated? Let’s check the math (Brian Hanks, Aug. 8, 2026). https://www.dentistryiq.com/business-management-leadership/article/55396386/is-dentistry-really-35-consolidated-lets-check-the-math 4. TUSK Practice Sales. TUSK Practice Sales Assesses the State of the Dental Industry in Its Q3 2026 Dental Market Report (July 10, 2026). https://pr.timesenterprise.com/article/TUSK-Practice-Sales-Assesses-the-State-of-the-Dental-Industry-in-Its-Q3-2026-Dental-Market-Report/6a514c9516e7610b3c53e15d 5. Health Affairs. Percentage of dentists and dental practices affiliated with private equity nearly doubled, 2015–21. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00574 --- DDSIntel is a dental transition intelligence platform that detects pre-market dental practice transition signals for brokers, DSOs, lenders and the firms that serve them.