ADA Health Policy Institute Latest | 2025 Dental Office Data

 Key Insights

Here are four major trends from HPI’s recent work:

1. Workforce/Gender/Demographics

• Women now represent nearly 40% of practicing dentists in the U.S. — the profession is becoming more gender-diverse. 

• The number of dental school applicants rose ~11.5% in 2024, the highest since 2007. 

• The dentist supply is projected to keep growing, potentially outpacing retirements in some markets. 

• However — geographic distribution remains uneven. Many rural and underserved areas continue to have fewer dentists per population, and younger dentists tend to gravitate toward urban/suburban markets.

What this means:

• Recruitment of dentists (and support staff) is becoming more competitive — especially in attractive suburban/urban markets like Noblesville/Indianapolis.

• For multi-site groups focused on acquisition/growth, this trend suggests the talent pool is becoming deeper; but also that you need compelling value propositions (culture, leadership, growth,) to attract top talent.

• If some markets (rural/underserved) remain harder to fill, that might create strategic opportunities (or challenges) for where you look to expand or where you deploy resources.

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2. Economic Outlook & Practice Economics

• According to HPI’s economic outlook survey, dentists’ confidence — both in their dental practice outlook and the broader dental sector — has dropped in early 2025. For example, confidence in the outlook for one’s own practice fell from ~62% (end of 2024) to ~45% in early Q1 2025. 

• Income trends: Median income for general dentists, inflation-adjusted, has fallen over the past decade (from ~$267,000 in 2010 to ~$207,000 in 2024 according to HPI data).

• Practice expenses (staff, overhead, regulatory/compliance burdens) are increasing faster than revenue growth in many markets.

• Some data indicate that in Q1 2025 the percentage of dentists reporting being “not busy enough” rose slightly (from ~24% to ~28%). 

What this means:

• Even as demand remains, margins are under pressure — you’ll want to continue focusing on cost control, efficiency, and maximizing case acceptance (especially higher-margin services) in your practices.

• For a growing group practice, batch scale benefits may help (shared services, management efficiencies, marketing economies) but you still have to watch for “acquisition drag” and make sure new offices quickly hit productivity targets.

• The drop in confidence suggests that even robust practices need to be proactive — e.g., diversifying services (clear aligners, implant-prosthetics, specialty referrals), lean operations, strong culture/retention to avoid turnover cost drains.

• It signals that patient demand might be vulnerable (if consumer confidence slips) so building strong patient pipelines, differentiators (e.g., high-tech offerings like SureSmile clear aligners, Overjet AI use) and marketing may become even more important.

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3. Practice Ownership / DSOs / Practice Models

• The share of dentists affiliated with Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) has more than doubled since 2015, and younger dentists are much more likely to join group/DSO models vs. solo. 

• Practice ownership is increasingly delayed — younger dentists are waiting longer to buy/own practices. 

• Solo practices still exist strong in some markets, but the trend is clearly toward larger groups, consolidation, and employment models. 

What this means:

• Group/DSO–style model is aligned with these trends. This gives strategic tailwind in recruiting and acquiring practices.

• You should emphasize to potential recruits or acquired practices the advantages: scale, shared infrastructure, and career growth.

• At the same time, you’ll want to preserve the local practice feel (e.g., doctor autonomy, patient experience).

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4. Education / Supply of Dentists → Future Implications

• Since 2001, 21 new dental schools have opened, bringing the total to ~75. Dental school applications are rising. 

• The number of dental school graduates has increased ~58% in two decades. 

• Though supply is growing, geographic imbalances remain, and retirements still present vulnerability in certain regions. 

What this means:

• Over time, you may face a more saturated market of dentists — especially in more populous regions/suburbs near large metro areas. That could increase competition for associates or make acquisition valuations higher.

• For your growth strategy, this suggests being strategic about where you locate new offices or acquisitions (markets where supply is less saturated, underserved populations).

• It also means investing in differentiation (clinical specialities, digital/tech adoption, patient experience) so your practices stand out in a richer talent environment.

• Another implication: With rising supply, you may need to offer more compelling onboarding, mentorship, and development programs for new graduates — making your practices more attractive than the “average” alternative.

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These four areas are some of the most recent insights from the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI) and what they could mean for the dental profession moving forward.