Dental service organizations

Dental service organizations, known in the industry as dental support organizations or abbreviated to DSOs, are independent business support centers that contract with dental practices in the United States. They provide business management and support to dental practices, including non-clinical operations.

Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act and the subsequent expansion of Medicaid, the DSO model has become increasingly popular for dental practices. As of 2023 the DSO market size was valued at 139.3 billion, and is expected to grow at a rate of 17.6% yearly from 2024 through 2030. In certain parts of the United States, dental practices have begun to transition from a traditional practice to a DSO model in order to provide more affordable care to a larger patient population. Dentistry innovations have meant that DSOs have become a common dental care solution to many low-income families in the United States. The grouping of dental practices has allowed DSOs to minimize their costs, allowing practices to pass the saving on to patients currently without adequate dental care.