CALENDAR OF EVENTS
DentalForum USA Fall 2025
SEPTEMBER 15–17, 2025
The Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star in Dallas, Texas
DentalForum USA is an event series tailored specifically for DSOs, group practices and dental industry vendors. It is designed to foster business growth, networking and partnerships through a unique format of pre-scheduled, oneto-one meetings, conference sessions and peer networking. The event is focused on an audience of senior executives and decision makers from leading and emerging DSOs, group practices and dental suppliers and includes high-level networking in a luxury setting, with social events designed to foster lasting business relationships.
For more information, please click here.
Annual Mid-Continent Dental Conference
SEPTEMBER 25–26, 2025
St. Louis, Missouri
MCDC features a two-day trade show along with lectures, workshops, special events and the newest products and technology in dentistry.
For more information, please click here.
DS World Las Vegas 2025
September 25-27, 2025
MGM Grand, Las Vegas
DS World is an annual digital dentistry event that offers advanced education, hands-on technology demonstrations and breakout sessions to help improve patient care. Attendees can network with industry leaders, innovators and peers while exploring the latest dental solutions. The conference also features world-class entertainment and immersive experiences, making it both an educational and memorable experience.
For more information, please click here.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS (cont'd)
Future of Dentistry Roundtable
SEPTEMBER 29–30, 2025
Chicago
This event will draw both large and small DSOs, which are growing alongside thriving independent dental practices, while private equity is taking notice. There is a huge potential for dental innovation and improving patient care. The event includes 90 Elite speakers and 28 educational sessions which will discuss strategies for success and best leveraging these improvements.
For more information, please click here.
SmileCon 2025
OCTOBER 22–25, 2025
Walter E. Washington Convention Center,
Washington, D.C.
SmileCon features continuing education courses, hands-on activities and a bustling exhibit hall, Dental Central, open each day. Highlights include the Changemakers Celebration, Friday Night Fest and the DC Dental Society Symposium for Licensure.
For more information, please click here.
Dental Leadership Summit 2025
OCTOBER 23–25, 2025
The Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Dental Leadership Summit 2025 (formerly the DSO Leadership Summit) is a premier event for dental industry leaders, DSOs, group practice owners and innovators. It celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025 and is recognized as a top education and networking event for the group dentistry sector.
For more information, please click here.
Greater New York Dental Meeting
NOVEMBER 28 – DECEMBER 3, 2025
New York
The 101st Annual Greater New York Dental Meeting invites attendees to participate in one of the largest Dental Congresses in the world. At the 2024 Meeting, the conference hosted over 37,631 dental professionals, including:
Dentists – 13,470
Dental Assistants – 2,200
Dental Hygienists – 2,226
International Countries – 148
For more information, please click here.
KEY FINDINGS
ADA budget cuts, program suspensions, putting dental health at risk
Moves by the federal government are likely to hurt the dental industry and its customers
The ADA will cut $20 million from its 2025 budget to balance finances and recover from years of deficit spending. These cuts, approved in July, will affect multiple programs, reduce staff, change outreach strategies and lower operational and volunteer expenses. Planned initiatives such as the AFI Certified Program, ADA Loyalty Program and Innovation Advisory Committee work have been suspended. Since March 2022, the ADA has already used $142 million from reserves to support system upgrades, advocacy efforts and other key priorities.
In addition to budget management, the ADA is actively advocating for reduced regulatory burdens on dental providers. It has submitted recommendations to HHS to streamline administrative processes, simplify credentialing for Medicare Advantage and Medicaid and ease compliance requirements for small practices. The ADA is also urging Congress to reform Medicare Advantage dental benefits to improve access, transparency and insurer competition. Furthermore, it requests that the DEA revise costly registration rules requiring separate fees for dentists with multiple practice locations, arguing this would reduce expenses and expand care access.
The ADA continues to defend the safety and value of fluoride supplements amid FDA reviews, emphasizing science-based decision-making and public education. It also launched a centralized webpage to improve access to dental informatics standards, including AI and imaging technologies. Meanwhile, federal lawmakers are considering bills to expand dental care access and insurance coverage, although some budget cuts to Medicaid and Medicare remain under discussion. The ADA remains focused on workforce programs and policy reforms to address oral health disparities and strengthen the dental profession.
Sources: ADA News
DSOs seeing stronger demand in 2025 amid uptick in AI adoption
AI is helping improve customer service, boost revenue, with private equity interest increasingly turning to smaller DSOs
DSO leaders report stronger-than-expected patient demand throughout 2025, along with significant growth in the adoption of AI tools to enhance diagnostics and increase case acceptance. Labor shortages continue to challenge DSOs, with a new emphasis on flexibility and autonomy as critical factors for retaining hygienists and staff. Patients are increasingly treating oral surgery as a consumer service, demanding cost transparency and influencing marketing strategies. Private equity interest is shifting away from large-scale aggregation toward smaller, more nimble DSO platforms.
Innovative AI technologies are reshaping the dental industry's revenue cycle and clinical training. VideaHealth recently launched ClaimsAI, an AI-driven tool that automates claim attachments and narrative generation, cutting claim denials and speeding up reimbursements, with early users clearing backlogs in weeks. RipeGlobal introduced its AI-powered dental education platform, offering immersive, hands-on training that supports thousands of clinicians worldwide through programs in restorative dentistry, implantology, and more. These technologies aim to improve clinical outcomes, boost operational efficiency and increase return on investment for dental practices.
Workforce development also remains a priority, as highlighted by Wisconsin's launch of the state's first registered dental assistant apprenticeship program, which combines paid instruction with on-the-job training to expand career pathways. PDS Health expanded digital dental imaging technologies within its network to enhance diagnostic accuracy and collaboration. Meanwhile, surveys indicate a rising shift in dentists' participation in insurance networks, and AI tools continue to revolutionize diagnostics, insurance approvals and patient communication across the dental sector.
GENERAL DENTISTRY NEWS
Childhood poverty linked to lifelong tooth decay: Report
Benevis' "Poverty Shapes Oral Health" report found strong links between poverty and long-term oral health disparities. The report cites data showing poor children aged 2–5 have twice the rate of tooth decay as their wealthier peers, while lowincome adults suffer triple the rate of untreated decay. Despite Medicaid and CHIP improving access, 67% of U.S. dentists do not treat children covered by these programs. Benevis urges expanded access and systemic reforms to close these gaps.
Source: Benevis
GENERAL DENTISTRY NEWS (cont'd)
ADA to cut $20M from Budget, suspend select programs
The ADA will cut $20 million from its 2025 budget to balance finances and recover from years of deficit spending. Approved in July, the cuts will affect multiple programs, reduce staff, alter outreach strategies, and lower operational and volunteer expenses. The ADA is suspending several planned initiatives, including the AFI Certified Program, the ADA Loyalty Program and work on the Innovation Advisory Committee. It has already used $142 million from reserves since March 2022 to fund system upgrades, advocacy efforts and other priorities.
Source: ADA News
ADA launches centralized webpage to streamline access to dental informatics standards
The ADA said it updated its landing page to make dental informatics standards more accessible and easier to adopt. The standards are organized into 10 categories, including AI, imaging, clinical data exchange and e-prescriptions, aimed at improving interoperability and consistency in digital dental care. The site enables software developers, vendors and providers to align with best practices and purchase standards directly, with ADA members receiving discounts and free access to technical reports.
Source: ADA News
Seven federal bills aim to expand dental care access, coverage
Congress is considering seven bills focused on improving dental care access and insurance coverage. These include the TEETH Act, which would require independent expert input on water fluoridation guidelines, and proposals to expand Medicare and Medicaid dental benefits, covering routine and emergency dental services. Other bills aim to increase access to oral health products through flexible spending accounts, reduce dental care costs and expand dental coverage for veterans. Meanwhile, House Republicans are working on budget cuts targeting Medicaid and Medicare spending.
Source: Becker's Dental + DSO Review
ADA urges DEA to ease costly registration rules for dentists with multiple locations
The ADA is asking the DEA to revise its rule requiring dentists to hold a separate $888 registration every three years for each practice location where they prescribe controlled substances. The ADA said the rule adds unnecessary costs without improving public safety. It proposed allowing a single registration to cover multiple in-state sites that don't store controlled substances or creating a lower-cost "satellite" registration. The ADA argued the change would reduce regulatory burdens, improve provider efficiency and expand care access, especially in underserved areas. Dentists typically prescribe controlled substances in low volumes for short-term use.
Source: ADA News
GENERAL DENTISTRY NEWS (cont'd)
ADA urges HHS to cut dental regulatory burdens to improve provider efficiency
The ADA submitted nine recommendations to HHS, aiming to reduce federal regulatory burdens on dental providers, with a focus on streamlining administrative processes and improving access to care. Key proposals include simplifying credentialing for dentists in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, standardizing claim forms and reforming complex prior authorization rules. The ADA also called for easing compliance requirements for small dental practices, such as modifying language access mandates and good-faith estimate rules.
Source: ADA News
ADA calls for Medicare Advantage dental benefit reforms to improve access, transparency
The ADA urges Congress to reform Medicare Advantage dental benefits, highlighting limited access, poor transparency and market concentration issues that hinder oral health outcomes. Despite 97% of enrollees having some dental coverage, many see no improvement in dental visits due to restrictive plan features and limited insurer competition. The ADA recommends clearer marketing disclosures, stronger network transparency and the removal of administrative barriers to dentist participation.
Source: ADA News
Majority of Americans support water fluoridation despite growing controversy
A CareQuest Institute survey found over 80% of Americans support or are neutral toward community water fluoridation amid increasing state bans and federal scrutiny. Only 6% favor banning fluoridation entirely. The survey also revealed 79% believe the government should protect and improve oral health, while 96% trust their family doctor or pediatrician for information on fluoride. CareQuest says the results highlight strong public backing despite health concerns and policy debates.
Source: CareQuest
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