Sunbit’s State of Dental 2026 Study Has Dropped

The State of Dental 2026: A Snapshot of an Industry in Transition

The dental industry is at an inflection point. Beyond clinical care, practices are navigating economic uncertainty, evolving patient expectations, and the acceleration of technologies like AI and patient financing. To understand how the profession is adapting, a new comprehensive study was conducted in October 2025.

Download the full report here.

The Study at a Glance: Methodology and Audience

This research captures the perspectives of over 4,900 dental professionals across the United States. It includes every corner of the industry: from solo general practitioners and practice owners to large Dental Support Organizations (DSOs), office managers, hygienists, and treatment coordinators.

The respondent base is heavily weighted toward front-office and patient-facing leadership roles (Treatment Coordinators, Financial Coordinators, Office Managers, and Practice Administrators make up 74% of participants), ensuring the findings reflect the day-to-day realities of patient communication, financing, and scheduling.

The study examined:

• Practice Economics: Profitability, revenue, and case acceptance.
• Patient Financing: Adoption, timing, and impact on performance.
• Technology and AI: Current usage and future attitudes.
• Staffing & Retention: Challenges in maintaining team and patient continuity.

The most striking theme in the study is the growing linkage between patient communication and performance outcomes. Practices that communicate more clearly—especially about costs and payment options—tend to outperform across key financial metrics. The divide is no longer just between small and large practices; it’s between those that plan for patient affordability and those that react to it.

Financing Moves to the Front Line

Nearly nine in ten practices (87%) offer third-party patient financing. However, how and when it is introduced is the key differentiator:

• Proactive vs. Reactive: Practices that present financing options proactively (e.g., in pre-appointment communications or the first treatment plan discussion) see a 55% lift in case acceptance compared with those who only raise financing when patients bring up cost.
• Case Acceptance and Cash Flow: This proactive approach generates clear financial benefits, with these practices more likely to report: higher case acceptances, lower accounts receivable, and stronger profit margins.
• The AR Pressure Point: Accounts receivable remains a challenge, with 42% of practices seeing their AR balance increase. However, practices that offer third-party financing are far less likely to see these increases, demonstrating that converting unpaid balances into immediate cash is a defining business advantage that enables practices to focus on what they do best.

AI Enters the Mainstream

Artificial intelligence is no longer theoretical. More than half (54%) of all practices have already experimented with or integrated AI tools into their operations up from less than 30% in the previous year.

• Administrative Lead: The primary use cases are administrative (58% of users), such as automated reminders, benefit checks, and documentation support. Clinical uses (40%) follow.
• Role-Based Adoption: Administrative and front-office teams report the highest regular use, leveraging AI to save hours on repetitive work. Clinical staff are more cautious, though nearly half of non-users expect to adopt AI within the next year, often for charting and diagnostic support.

Intertwined Retention Challenges

Staffing and patient loyalty are now systemic, intertwined struggles. A full 56% of practices have challenges with retaining staff or patients, or both.

• The Differentiator is Process: The same practices that reported consistent case acceptance and strong collections were also less likely to identify staffing as their primary issue. Defined systems for communication, financing, and scheduling act as stabilizers—reducing the burden on staff and improving retention on both sides of the counter.
• Small vs. Large: Solo and small practices feel the strain of staff retention more sharply. Larger groups, while still concerned, are more resilient due to systematized operations and HR support.

Sunbit Practices Define the Growth-Oriented Segment

A distinct segment of the industry is emerging among practices that partner with Sunbit for patient financing:

Sunbit-partnered practices are far more likely to integrate financing earlier and proactively (+27 points vs. non-Sunbit for discussing financing proactively during the visit), translating to stronger financial outcomes, higher patient trust, and better staff retention.

Conclusion: The Road Ahead

The future of dentistry rewards clarity and process maturity. Whether the constraint is insurance coverage or the catalyst is technology, practices that make costs, options, and next steps easy to understand are the ones most likely to carry momentum into the next five years. The next chapter of growth depends less on the size of a practice and more on how confidently and efficiently it helps patients move through the process to receive the care they need.

Download the full report here.

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