TECH TRENDS

Tech upgrades top of mind for DSOs

Planet DDS’s 2025 Mid‑Year Dental Industry Outlook just dropped, and its findings are clear: DSOs that modernize and standardize their tech are pulling ahead. 

What happened: Drawing on data from more than 5,200 practices, the report highlights platform consolidation, AI in clinical and back‑office workflows, intelligent RCM, digital patient experiences, and proactive security as the five technology currents shaping performance in 2025.

That squares with analyst projections showing the cloud-based dental practice management software market size growing by more than 11% per year between 2024 and 2030. 

What they’re saying: Industry leaders underlined the same theme that standardized tech, clean data, and automation shorten diligence, support same‑store growth, and command stronger valuations.

“High levels of standardization and consistency across the platform would be considered best in class,” said Gareth Petsch of pH Partners.

The AI angle: Artificial intelligence and automation is also playing an increasingly important role for DSOs, helping offset labor shortages, reduce admin burdens and improve patient care. 

“AI and automation allow us to do more with less, and to do it better,” said A.J. Peak, founder of Peak Dental Services.

Elsewhere in the healthcare space, leading edge operators say they are already using AI to save thousands of employee hours.

Wondering where you stack up? Check your numbers against some of the key industry benchmarks Planet DDS found:

• Case acceptance: 56% average across general practices and 70% for orthodontic treatment

• Case completion: 46% of treatment plans created July through December 2024 completed by June 2025

• Hygiene reappointment: 65% average reappointment rate

• Patient flow: 47 new patients per practice per month, including specialty

• Schedule integrity: 6.2% no‑shows; 14.4% canceled in advance

• Average daily production by practice: $8,605 per practice

Why it matters: For DSOs, a modern tech stack is quickly becoming a need-to-have that unlocks a number of serious advantages in the marketplace:

• Stronger cash flow: Intelligent RCM reduces denials, speeds posting, and improves forecasting.

• Valuation signal: Standardization is being weighed in diligence and can tilt outcomes. Industry reporting and investor commentary confirm buyers want operational consistency, data clarity, and scalable systems, not patchwork tools.

• Schedule health: Improved no‑show and cancellation rates point to how digital reminders, online scheduling, and two‑way texting can get more patients showing up on schedule.

Bottom line: The mid‑year scoreboard shows meaningful gains for operators that invested in modern systems. The path forward is clear: Simplify the stack, automate the back office, enrich the patient experience, and prove it in the numbers.