Roles
Respondents by role
Office operators and clinical decision makers make up the majority of the sample.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Office managers | 46% |
| Dentists & owners | 35% |
| Clinical staff | 11% |
| Patient coordinators | 5% |
| Other roles | 3% |
State of Dental Edition '26
AI is reshaping the chair-side workflow.
About this report · Edition '26
The State of Dental 2026.
From treatment-plan copilots to imaging diagnostics, dental teams are integrating AI faster than any prior software wave. This edition tracks what is actually working inside the practice.
The numbers below come from a survey of 2,412 dental professionals — practice owners, dentists, hygienists, and office managers — fielded across the United States and Canada in late 2025. Respondents answered on workflows, hiring, technology adoption, and patient experience. Full methodology, regional splits, and the role-by-role breakdowns ship with the downloadable PDF.
0%
of practices have adopted at least one AI-assisted diagnostic tool in the past year.
0%
say staffing, not technology, is the single biggest constraint on growth.
0%
of patients now expect online booking, but only a third of practices fully support it.
01 Survey Demographics
Who took the 2026 survey.
The report combines responses from owners, dentists, office leaders, and clinical staff across North America. Role and region splits are kept visible so readers can understand the respondent base before reading the findings.
Geography
Respondents by region
The sample covers the US regions plus a small Canadian respondent group.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Northeast | 30% |
| West | 27% |
| Midwest | 18% |
| South | 14% |
| Southwest | 10% |
| Canada | 1% |
02 State of Dental Today
2025 performance raised expectations for 2026.
Practices are reporting stronger revenue and healthier patient demand, but hiring, no-shows, paperwork, and compensation pressure keep the operating environment tight.
Revenue
Practice revenue growth: 2025 vs. 2024
Switch years to see how the distribution shifted between report cycles.
| Category | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Decreased >20% | 4% | 5% |
| Decreased <20% | 8% | 10% |
| No change | 18% | 22% |
| Increased <20% | 51% | 40% |
| Increased >20% | 11% | 10% |
| Don't know | 8% | 13% |
Hiring
Roles practices filled in 2025
Demand is concentrated around dental assistants, hygienists, and front-office staff.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Dental assistant | 26% |
| Hygienist | 24% |
| Front office staff | 22% |
| Dentist | 10% |
| No need to hire | 15% |
| Not sure | 3% |
Operations
Biggest stressors in the office
Switch views to compare what owners and office managers experience as daily friction.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Cancellations and no-shows | 58% |
| Excessive paperwork | 17% |
| Patient complaints | 10% |
| Outdated software | 8% |
| Inadequate compensation | 7% |
03 2026 Predictions
Patient experience and automation are converging.
Scheduling, paperwork, communications, and AI are becoming part of the same operational conversation: how to reduce staff drag while improving the patient journey.
Patients
Most common patient complaints
Scheduling remains the highest-friction moment in the patient experience.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Hard to schedule or reschedule | 38% |
| Too much paperwork | 21% |
| Too expensive | 17% |
| No appointment reminders | 12% |
| Wait time | 8% |
| Office not modern enough | 4% |
AI
Where practices expect AI to help
The clearest near-term AI opportunities are administrative, not just clinical.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Treatment planning | 34% |
| Patient messaging | 31% |
| Insurance narratives | 17% |
| Image analysis | 14% |
| Other | 4% |
AI by role
Belief that AI will improve office productivity
Switch roles to see how owners and office staff differ on AI's impact.
| Category | Dentists & owners | Office staff |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 54% | 28% |
| No | 10% | 25% |
| I don't know | 36% | 47% |
04 High-Retention Practice Strategies
Top practices make retention operational.
High-retention practices are not simply better at hiring. They invest in training, recognition, reviews, compensation, and technology that removes repetitive administrative work.
Retention intent
Likelihood of staying at current practice
A simple distribution view of how staff describe their intent to remain with their current practice.
| Category | Very unlikely | Unlikely | Neutral | Likely | Very likely |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All staff | 4% | 6% | 12% | 20% | 58% |
Practice systems
Programs offered by high-retention practices
Switch tiers to compare what high- and lower-retention practices invest in.
| Category | High retention | Lower retention |
|---|---|---|
| Performance reviews | 61% | 47% |
| Tech tools | 81% | 79% |
| Training for new tech | 60% | 47% |
| Staff recognition | 71% | 56% |
| Compensation adjustments | 44% | 27% |
Operating plan
How practices intend to alleviate staffing issues in 2026
Digital tools, flexible front-office models, and wellness programs all show up in staffing strategy.
| Category | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| Digital admin tools | 45% |
| Hybrid or remote front office | 30% |
| Employee wellness programs | 28% |
| Dental staffing agencies | 24% |
| Virtual assistants | 20% |
| AI for patient engagement | 18% |
05 Conclusion
The winning practices are easier places to work.
The pattern across the report is consistent: practices that remove repetitive work, train teams on new tools, recognize performance, and make scheduling easier are better positioned to grow.
Take it with you
The full 2026 report, as a PDF.
Charts, methodology, and the long-form analysis in a single document. Free — share a few details about your practice and we’ll send it over.
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