More than half of DSO-affiliated dental practices could not fill their appointment schedule 100 percent due to vacant staff positions, according to a recent poll from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
The ADA surveyed 1,883 dentists for its January "Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry" poll.
Appointment schedules were 78.5 percent full for DSO-affiliated practices, on average, based on 91 responses; they were 76.6 percent full for non-DSO practices based on 1,780 responses.
Percentage of practices who had trouble filling appointment schedules because of vacant staff positions by DSO affiliation:
DSO-affiliated: 54.4 percent
Non-DSO: 32.1 percent