About 29% of dentists said they dropped insurance networks last year, according to the American Dental Association’s “Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry” report for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The ADA’s quarterly report highlights key trends and statistics on the workforce, practice operations and financial performance.
As part of the report, the ADA surveyed 704 dentists on actions that were taken during 2025, including investing in new software, adding staff and dropping insurers.
Dentists reported that an average of nearly 25% of their patient base was part of the insurance networks they dropped during the year.
In July, the ADA reported that about 31% of dentists were considering dropping out of insurance networks in 2025. By October, the organization reported that roughly 25% of dentists had already done so.
Nearly 15% of dentists said it is “very likely” they will drop insurers in 2026, according to the ADA’s most recent report.
