Dentistry continues its seismic shift as digital technologies reshape patient expectations and operational norms. Experienced dental practitioners are at the forefront of this transformation, embracing innovations to meet the demands of younger patients (and dental professionals) and align with the evolving needs of the profession.
The face of dentistry is also changing. A recent RTI report found the 2022 graduating class of new dentists to be the most racially and ethnically diverse in history, with 48% of students identifying as non-white. Recent graduates of dental schools are more diverse than both practicing dentists and the US population. Additionally, 53% of graduates were women.
This increased diversity in dentistry, brought by younger dental professionals, means that dentists’ practices are also changing. According to the 2023 RTI report, only 36% of dentists were actively practicing in a solo practice. Most dentists were part of a group practice. Thirteen percent reported affiliation with a dental services organization (DSO).
Young dentists prefer group practices. DSOs were most common among early career and women dentists. While young dentists seek DSOs that offer corporate comforts and stability and abandon solo practices (at least early in their careers), their older colleagues are retiring from the profession earlier than in the past. A January 2022 analysis from the ADA found that the average retirement age for dentists has dropped to 67.9 years old, down from a peak of 69.1 in 2018.