2026 Dental Industry Outlook: Mid-Year Report
Industry leaders share what’s actually driving dental group performance this year
The dental enterprise era has arrived. The 2026 Dental Industry Outlook: Mid-Year Report reveals the data behind a shifting industry to uncover where practice revenue is leaking, why tech implementations fail, and what your infrastructure needs to look like to ensure success.
The report is built from real performance data across:
- 8,500+ dental practices
- 497 DSOs
- 2,500+ orthodontic practices
2026 Dental Industry Outlook: Mid-Year Report
The data behind a shifting industry, revealed
The Dental Industry Outlook contains findings from practice-level data and insights from the operators, advisors, and partners working inside DSOs every day.
47%
is the average case completion rate across practices analyzed. The gap between acceptance and completion is where growth stalls.
35 new patients/month
is the sweet spot for patient acquisition. Practices above this grow at nearly three times the rate of those below it.
~25%
of U.S. dental offices are now held by DSOs.
20-30%
of submitted claims sit in a denial or pending state at any given time, tying up millions in recoverable revenue for larger organizations.
Expert insights that will give you an edge
The Dental Industry Outlook is built from operators, advisors, and industry leaders across the dental ecosystem.
Discover the shifts happening in dentistry right now
The report covers industry shifts that every dental leader should be tracking right now, from operational data to regulatory shifts and technology challenges.
The dental enterprise era has arrived
The acquisition phase succeeded. Most groups are now trying to run an enterprise on infrastructure that was never built for one. Process debt is the defining cost of this era.
New patient volume has a growth threshold
There’s a clear inflection point in the data. Below it, growth stalls. Above it, practices grow at nearly three times the rate. Know your number, then build a system around it.
The M&A logjam is building toward a break
Unresolved valuations have left a growing inventory of distressed, lender-owned groups. When the logjam clears, the premium goes to organizations that spent this period standardizing operations.
Revenue leaks before the patient reaches the chair
Missed calls, scheduling gaps, and aging receivables are costing DSOs millions in aggregate.
Explore previous releases of the Dental Industry Outlook
Planet DDS releases the Dental Industry Outlook biannually in March and July. Look back at previous versions to review past findings and benchmark industry changes year-over-year.
2026 Dental Industry Outlook: Deep Dive
The 2026 Dental Industry Outlook: Deep Dive report takes a closer look at what’s really driving performance across today’s dental organizations. Based on data from more than 8,500 dental practices,…
2026 Dental Industry Outlook Report for DSOs and Dental Groups
The dental industry is entering 2026 at a clear inflection point. Growth remains possible, but the margin for imprecision has narrowed. Capital decisions carry more weight. Operational choices compound faster.…
Read More > about 2026 Dental Industry Outlook Report for DSOs and Dental Groups
2025 Mid-Year Dental Industry Outlook
The data is in! Discover the trends, technology and insights driving practice growth and investor interest in the 2025 Mid-Year Dental Industry Outlook report. The report analyzes operational data from…
The 2025 Dental Industry Outlook Report
Based on operational data from 3,400 practices, the first-of-its-kind 2025 Dental Industry Outlook report breaks down key trends and benchmarks in case acceptance, patient volume, and revenue growth, giving dental…
Infrastructure is the story underneath every finding
The practice management tools built for a single practice are running out of room for the enterprise DSOs have become. DentalOS® and Denticon practice management software are built for the dental enterprise era.
Cloud-native since 2003
Denticon is built for the cloud from day one, for multi-location dental organizations running on shared infrastructure. Track production, collections, and patient flow at the practice, region, or enterprise level.
Open by design
DentalOS connects with more than 80 integration partners across patient engagement, analytics, and revenue cycle, all reading from the same data layer for more accurate data and connected workflows.
AI that gets smarter as you use it
Voice charting, automatic recall scheduling, and claims monitoring run directly inside Denticon and Cloud 9. AI learns from your own operations using the same patient and billing records your team already works in.
14,500 practices use Planet DDS to run tighter, grow faster, and collect more of what they produce
See how Denticon practice management software helps dental groups close the gaps the data keeps finding.
Book a demo to see a dental enterprise platform in action
"*" indicates required fields