The number of DSO-affiliated dentists could continue to grow as dental school graduates look for career stability and growth opportunities offered by these organizations.
Barry Lyon, DDS, recently spoke with Becker’s about the factors driving DSO affiliation among young dentists.
Editor’s note: This Q&A is part of a weekly series featuring Dr. Lyon focused on topics in the dental industry and DSO field.
This response was lightly edited for clarity and length.
Dr. Barry Lyon: The employment options for recently graduated dentists are narrowing. Long gone are the days when it was either joining an established practice or opening one of your own.
With the emergence of DSOs in the 90s, those options remained consistent because the early opinions of DSOs were unfavorable. Concerns over quotas, clinical autonomy and business influencing clinical care were pervasive. DSOs were characterized as “mills” and no self-respecting dentist would want any part of that environment. However, as DSOs evolved and realized what’s required to survive as an industry, they became a more viable option for new grads.
Further narrowing the options available to new graduates is the substantial cost of launching a modern dental practice capable of competing with today’s DSO-supported practices. Estimates put the cost of building a contemporary dental office between approximately $900,000 to $1.7 million, depending on the size, construction requirements, equipment and technology. For a recent graduate already carrying significant dental school debt, taking on another substantial financial obligation to build and equip a practice can be a daunting proposition. Against that backdrop, the financial and operational advantages offered by DSOs can become increasingly compelling to dentists at the beginning of their careers.
For a young dentist comparing opportunities side by side, the difference can be striking: the resources, technology, administrative support and career infrastructure available through a DSO-supported practice can be difficult for a traditional private practice to match. While there are many successful, up-to-date and sophisticated private practices, the majority of independent practices struggle to keep up and maintain relevance with DSOs.
The reality is DSOs are winning the recruiting battle. According to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute, 16.1% of U.S. dentists were affiliated with a DSO in 2024, up from 12.7% in 2022 and 10% in 2019.
The implication for the DSO industry is significant. The opportunity is to demonstrate to new graduates that a DSO-supported practice can provide an ideal foundation for launching their careers by combining clinical autonomy with the resources, technology, mentorship and administrative support needed to succeed that cannot be easily found elsewhere.
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