Dental practice schedules were 84.9 percent full in December, according to a recent poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
The poll was taken as part of the ADA's monthly "Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry" report.
Here is the mean percentage of appointment schedules filled during each month in 2022:
January: 76.7 percent
February: 83.4 percent
March: 87.7 percent
April: 86.9 percent
May: 86.2 percent
June: 86 percent
July: 84.9 percent
August: 86.2 percent
September: 86 percent
October: 83.3 percent
November: 85.2 percent
December: 84.9 percent
Dentists indicated that patient no-shows and cancellations were the top barrier preventing their appointment schedules from reaching full capacity, as well as a lack of appointments being made.