Dental practice ownership trends: who owns practices now

How many dentists own their practice, and is that number falling? This post summarizes data from the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI), the American Dental Association’s research arm. Its June 2025 brief uses ownership data through 2023 and practice modality data through 2024. It is general education, not advice on whether to buy.

What share of dentists own a practice?

HPI reports that “As of 2023, 73 percent of dentists are practice owners, down from 85 percent in 2005.” The brief opens with a plain finding: “Practice ownership rates among U.S. dentists have been steadily declining.”

HPI’s definition of ownership is broad. It counts full or partial ownership “through various ownership vehicles.” That includes a classic solo practice, part ownership, and equity partnerships in large group practices. HPI says it cannot track shifts between these models in its data.

Who is less likely to own a practice?

Early career dentists and women are less likely to own, and the gaps are measured. The table gives HPI’s main figures.

On gender, HPI says that “at every career stage, female dentists are less likely to be practice owners than male dentists.” The gap is 16 percentage points in the early career stage and 8 points in the late stage. HPI adds that the decline also appears among male dentists, so gender alone does not explain it.

Is ownership ending or only delayed?

HPI’s reading is that ownership is delayed. Newer cohorts own less early, but the gap shrinks with time. HPI sums it up: “In a nutshell, most roads still, eventually, lead to practice ownership.”

HPI also names 2011 as “a turning point in dental practice ownership patterns.” It says it does not know why. It offers hypotheses, such as a changed student profile after new dental schools opened, and says the topic needs more study. HPI warns against extending its lines forward: it has no mid-career data yet for the newest graduates.

What else is changing in practice settings?

Ownership is one part of a wider shift in practice settings. HPI reports that in 2024, 27 percent of dentists less than 10 years out of dental school were affiliated with a dental support organization (DSO), up from 24 percent in 2023. Only 9 percent of dentists more than 25 years out were. For the same year, 15 percent of the newer group were in solo practice, against 48 percent of those at least 25 years out.

Across all career stages, HPI’s practice research page says 16 percent of U.S. dentists were DSO-affiliated as of 2024. See how many dentists work with a DSO for the full series.

This is not a new direction. A 2019 study in the International Journal of Health Economics and Management, by ADA researchers and a Georgetown co-author, said that “Over time, more dentists have become affiliated with larger organizations, no longer own their practices, and have become salaried employees.” The same paper reported that the solo share fell from 64 to 52 percent between 2000 and 2015.

What are the limits of this data?

HPI lists its own caveats, and they matter when you read the table:

1. The ownership definition is broad. It mixes solo owners with part owners in large groups.
2. The newest graduates have no mid-career data yet, so HPI warns against extending their lines forward.
3. The report tracks cohorts, so it cannot say why a given dentist chose to own or not.

HPI also says that “late career ownership rates catch up.” For readers planning a career, the point is timing. The data describe when ownership happens on average, not whether it can.

Why might ownership be falling?

HPI does not claim to know. It lists factors worth studying:

1. Demographics. HPI notes the student body has become increasingly non-White and female, and says demographics play a role in career choices.
2. Education debt. HPI says debt is linked to some career choices but may not be linked to ownership. See dental school debt numbers.
3. Work-life balance. HPI says this is less studied in dentistry than in other health fields.
4. Dental school growth. HPI notes 15 new dental schools since 2011 and asks whether they drew a different student profile.

The brief also notes that the evidence on these factors is contrasting in places, and it says more research is needed to resolve it. Treat each as a hypothesis, not a finding.

What do the sources say about group practice and size?

Ownership and practice size are different measures. The 2019 study used ADA survey data to track the average reported practice size, which rose between 2000 and 2015 as the solo share fell. Its authors gave three reasons dentists may choose larger groups: work-life balance, rising costs of dental school and starting a practice, and bargaining position with insurers. The study tested the third reason and found a modest link between insurer concentration and practice size. These are reasons offered by researchers, not facts about any one dentist.

What does this mean for planning?

The data describe groups, not individuals. A new graduate in 2026 is not bound to the 21 percent figure. Some choose to own early, some choose to join a group or DSO first, and some do both in sequence. The question to ask is how a path fits your goals, your finances and your market.

For the path to ownership, read the dental practice ownership guide and the buying a dental practice guide. Key terms are in the glossary: practice ownership, associateship and buy-in.

Next step

Read the dental practice ownership guide for the full path from associate to owner. Contact Dr. Copeland about dental practice consulting.