Official dataAll sizesUSA
66.7%
of US adults had a dental exam or cleaning in the past year (2025)
Sample: National Health Interview Survey, US adults 18 and older
Dental marketing · updated 31 Oct 2026
Dental marketing statistics 2026
How patients choose a dentist and how practices get new patients, from the ADA and other primary sources.
15stats4sources100%linked to the source
Dental marketing · the headline stat
66.7%
of US adults had a dental exam or cleaning in the past year (2025)
Official dataChecked at sourceAll sizesUSA
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey, 2025
Data fromADABLSBrightLocalCDC
16.1%of US dentists were affiliated with a dental support organization (DSO) in 2024ADA
26.5%of US dentists up to 10 years out of dental school were DSO-affiliated in 2024, against 9.1% of those more than 25 years outADA
45%of US consumers use ChatGPT or other AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6% a year earlierBrightLocal
31%of US consumers will only use a local business rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% in 2025BrightLocal
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Patients
66.7%
of US adults had a dental exam or cleaning in the past year (2025)
Official dataCDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2025
Practice ownership
16.1%
of US dentists were affiliated with a dental support organization (DSO) in 2024
Industry bodyAmerican Dental Association, Health Policy Institute, 2024
Pay
$176,110
was the median annual wage for US dentists in May 2025
Official dataUS Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
Outlook
6%
projected growth in US dentist jobs from 2025 to 2035, against 3% for all occupations
Official dataUS Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025-2035 projection
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US dentists affiliated with a DSO, by career stage (2024)
| Group | DSO-affiliated |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 years out of dental school | 26.5% |
| 11 to 25 years out | 14.4% |
| More than 25 years out | 9.1% |
| All US dentists | 16.1% |
US dentists in solo practice, by career stage (2024)
| Group | Solo practice (1 location, 1 dentist) |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 years out of dental school | 14.9% |
| 11 to 25 years out | 35.1% |
| More than 25 years out | 47.6% |
| All US dentists | 33.6% |
People employed in US offices of dentists (September each year)
| Group | Employees |
|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | 1048400 |
| Sep 2025 | 1049100 |
| Sep 2026 | 1057600 |
Every stat
All Dental marketing stats
Each card links to its own page with the source, a ready citation and the data.
Industry bodyAll sizesUSA
16.1%
of US dentists were affiliated with a dental support organization (DSO) in 2024
Sample: ADA HPI Dental Office Database plus Fluent data; 198,117 of 212,459 practicing US dentists, data year 2024
Industry bodyAll sizesUSA
26.5%
of US dentists up to 10 years out of dental school were DSO-affiliated in 2024, against 9.1% of those more than 25 years out
Sample: ADA HPI Dental Office Database plus Fluent data; 198,117 of 212,459 practicing US dentists, data year 2024
Industry bodySmallUSA
33.6%
of US dentists worked in a solo practice (one location, one dentist) in 2024
Sample: ADA HPI Dental Office Database plus Fluent data; 198,117 of 212,459 practicing US dentists, data year 2024
Industry bodyAll sizesUSA
72.5%
of US dentists in private practice owned their practice in 2023, down from 84.7% in 2005
Industry bodyAll sizesUSA
205,088
professionally active dentists worked in the US in 2025
Industry bodyAll sizesUSA
60.0
dentists per 100,000 people in the US in 2025
Industry bodyAll sizesUSA
135,665
dental practice establishments in the US, per the latest ADA data
Official dataAll sizesUSA
$176,110
was the median annual wage for US dentists in May 2025
Official dataAll sizesUSA
6%
projected growth in US dentist jobs from 2025 to 2035, against 3% for all occupations
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-2035 projection
Official dataSmallUSA
12%
of US dentists are self-employed; 78% work in offices of dentists
Official dataAll sizesUSA
1,057,600
people worked in US offices of dentists in September 2026 (preliminary estimate)
Sample: BLS Current Employment Statistics, seasonally adjusted; (P) = preliminary
Vendor dataAll sizesUSA
45%
of US consumers use ChatGPT or other AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier
Sample: Representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers via SurveyMonkey
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026 survey
Vendor dataAll sizesUSA
31%
of US consumers will only use a local business rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% in 2025
Sample: Representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers via SurveyMonkey
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026 survey
Vendor dataAll sizesUSA
68%
of US consumers will only use a local business rated four stars or higher, up from 55% in 2025
Sample: Representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers via SurveyMonkey
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026 survey
Stat check
Numbers about Dental marketing you should stop quoting
Famous stats with no real source, or quoted wrong, and where they came from.
Misquoted
Dentistry is already about 35% consolidated into DSOs.
An unnamed advisory firm's claim, published without saying which consolidation measure it used; DentistryIQ checked it against ADA data. ADA HPI counts 16.1% of dentists as DSO-affiliated in 2024. Where it came from
Quote this instead: 16.1%No source
Most dentists no longer own their practice.
Repeated in DSO and consolidation coverage. ADA HPI: 72.5% of US dentists were practice owners in 2023 (down from 84.7% in 2005). Where it came from
Quote this instead: 72.5%Every number on this page was checked at its original source. Free to cite with a link to the stat page.