The Increasing Prevalence of DSOs

Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) have had a steady increase in popularity since the 2010s. This thesis set out to determine why they have become so popular, and if it would be advantageous to eventually partner with one. It was determined that the steady increase has resulted from a variety of factors including the ability to take advantage of economies of scale, increased cost of schooling, inflated costs of opening a practice, and the wide differentiation of demographics entering the dental industry. The most advantageous factor seemed to be the guaranteed retirement DSOs can provide. Newer DSO models have emerged including IDSOs and DPOs, which provide greater autonomy while incorporating traditional DSO benefits, boosting the popularity of DSOs. These newer models appear to be the best to partner with. In addition, specialty DSOs venture outside of general dentistry to focus on dental specialties like orthodontia and have the potential for higher profitability. DSOs will only become more prevalent with time and are an important tool for any dentist to consider taking advantage of.