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What is a DSO (Dental Support Organization)?

A Dental Support Organization is a business entity that provides non-clinical support services to dental practices (billing, HR, real estate, and marketing), often in exchange for equity or revenue sharing. DSO-affiliated offices may be branded independently while still operating under a corporate umbrella. WhoIsMyDentist surfaces that connection when it can be established from public data. Read our full guide: What is a DSO?

How the arrangement works

In most states only a licensed dentist may own a dental practice. A DSO works around that by owning the business side: it signs a long-term management agreement with a dentist-owned clinical entity, provides staff, systems, and marketing, and takes a management fee or a share of revenue. The dentist on the license may own very little of the economics.

How to spot one

Look for the ownership chain on an office profile. When we can document the link from the office to a DSO, and from the DSO to its owner, each step shows its public source. Heartland Dental, Aspen Dental, PDS Health, MB2 Dental, and Smile Brands are the five largest, and most of their offices carry local names.

See the full DSO guide for profiles of the biggest groups and the private equity firms behind them.

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