# Dental support organization (DSO)

**Dental support organization (DSO):** A dental support organization (DSO) is a company that provides non-clinical business services, such as billing, staffing, purchasing, marketing and IT, to dental practices it owns or supports under contract.

A dental support organization (DSO) is a company that provides non-clinical business services, such as billing, staffing, purchasing, marketing and IT, to dental practices it owns or supports under contract.

Clinical decisions stay with dentists; where state law limits ownership by non-dentists, the DSO usually works through a management services agreement with a dentist-owned entity. The term is also expanded as “dental service organization.”

Source: DDSIntel glossary, https://ddsintel.com/glossary/dso

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