---
title: "What Is Clinical leadership? Dental Practice Glossary"
description: "The work of guiding clinical quality, training and standards for a dental team or across a group of practices, so that patient care stays consistent and sound."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/clinical-leadership
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Dental service organizations

# Clinical leadership

The work of guiding clinical quality, training and standards for a dental team or across a group of practices, so that patient care stays consistent and sound.

Clinical leadership means guiding the quality of patient care and the people who deliver it. In a group it can include setting standards, reviewing quality, training clinicians and supporting clinical decisions. A published study describes leadership in dentistry as the ability to influence or change the behaviors of one or more persons.

In a larger organization a [chief dental officer](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/chief-dental-officer) may hold this duty. In a small practice the owner dentist often does. The ADA's paper on [clinical autonomy](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/clinical-autonomy) shows why clear roles matter when clinical and business goals meet.

There is no single legal definition. See also [dental leadership](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-leadership) for the wider idea. This entry gives a general definition.

[Next stepIndustry work with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=industry)

## Related terms

-   [Dental leadership](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-leadership)
-   [Chief dental officer](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/chief-dental-officer)
-   [Clinical autonomy](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/clinical-autonomy)
-   [Leadership](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/leadership)

## Sources

1.  [PMC, Leadership and Managerial Skills in Dentistry: Characteristics and Challenges Based on a Preliminary Case Study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9406896/)
2.  [Weave, Dental Service Organization Structure: How DSOs Operate](https://www.getweave.com/dental-service-organization-structure/)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)