# How do DSOs use shortage-area data for de novo site selection? Among [firms that serve dental practices](https://ddsintel.com/for), DSOs use shortage-area designations as a starting filter, not a site decision: HRSA data via KFF listed 7,443 dental care HPSA designations and 10,744 practitioners needed nationally as of December 31, 2025. Dentist density, practice mix and competitors then decide whether a location works. By DDSIntel Editorial Team. Source: DDSIntel, https://ddsintel.com/for/dso-de-novo-site-selection. Published 2026-10-26; data as of 2026-10-25. ## Key numbers - **7,443** dental HPSA designations nationally (HRSA, via KFF State Health Facts, As of December 31, 2025; https://www.kff.org/other-health/state-indicator/dental-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/) - **10,744** practitioners needed to remove the designations (HRSA, via KFF State Health Facts, As of December 31, 2025; https://www.kff.org/other-health/state-indicator/dental-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/) - **63,700,964** residents live in dental HPSAs (HRSA, via KFF State Health Facts, As of December 31, 2025; https://www.kff.org/other-health/state-indicator/dental-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/) - **60** dentists per 100,000 U.S. residents (ADA Health Policy Institute, 2025; https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dentist-workforce) ## How should HPSA data be read for site selection? A dental HPSA designation means the federal government has identified a shortage of dental providers in an area or population. It is a screen for unmet need. It does not report payer mix, rent, hiring conditions or patient demand, so a [DSO](https://ddsintel.com/for/dso) should use it to shortlist areas before running site-level economics. The [dental shortage areas](https://ddsintel.com/data/dental-shortage-areas) page lists the national and state figures. ## What other inputs matter besides shortage designations? Dentist density, local practice density, population growth, payer mix, lease terms and the ability to recruit a clinical team all decide whether a site works. National density was 60.0 dentists per 100,000 residents in 2025, but a county’s own count and the retirement outlook of nearby owners matter more than the national average. Density for each state is in [dentists by state](https://ddsintel.com/data/dentists-by-state). ## How do public records show where new locations are planned? New facility registrations, entity filings and permits are public-record events that can appear before an opening. They are described in [facilities signals](https://ddsintel.com/signals/facilities-signals). A DSO can use aggregate counts to see where competitors are active, and contractors and equipment suppliers can use the same view to plan capacity. ## When is acquisition a better route than building? Where established practices are approaching retirement, acquiring one can bring patients and staff that a de novo needs years to build. Where no sellers exist, building may be the only route. The ADA reported 15.2% of dentists were 65 or older in 2025, which sizes the seller supply nationally. See the [DSO hub](https://ddsintel.com/for/dso). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a dental HPSA? A Health Professional Shortage Area designated by HRSA for dental care to flag areas with too few dental providers. ### Are HPSA figures updated? The figures here are as of December 31, 2025 and are stored with their retrieval date. ### Who else uses new-location signals? [Equipment reps](https://ddsintel.com/for/dental-equipment-demand-around-a-sale) and [contractors](https://ddsintel.com/for/contractors) use them to plan build-out capacity. ### Can I use shortage data in every state? Yes. HRSA designations exist for every state, and the [data hub](https://ddsintel.com/data) shows each on equal terms. ## Sources 1. HRSA, via KFF State Health Facts. Dental Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), as of December 31, 2025. https://www.kff.org/other-health/state-indicator/dental-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/ 2. ADA Health Policy Institute. The dentist workforce. https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dentist-workforce 3. 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 --- 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.