Dental service organizations
Dental partnership organization
A group model in which affiliated dentists keep an ownership stake and share in decisions while using the group's business support services.
A dental partnership organization, or DPO, is a name used in the dental industry. It describes a group that gives business and operating support while its dentists retain ownership. An industry guide states that dentists in this model retain significant ownership and decision-making power, with freedom to control treatments, care philosophies and daily operations.
The guide also says people sometimes use DSO and DPO interchangeably, though they are distinct models. The term is not a legal category, so each group defines it differently.
For the short form see DPO. For the wider category see dental service organization. Contracts and ownership terms should be reviewed by an attorney. This entry gives no endorsement.