Planet DDS operational data reinforces the importance of consistent patient acquisition, scheduling discipline, and treatment completion, according to The Scheduling Institute.

ALPHARETTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / July 31, 2026 / The Scheduling Institute today highlighted findings from a large-scale industry analysis showing that consistent new patient acquisition remains the strongest predictor of long-term dental practice growth, outperforming several commonly tracked clinical and operational metrics.

The findings are based on an analysis conducted by Planet DDS of more than 8,500 dental practices and 497 dental support organizations (DSOs) using its Denticon and Cloud 9 practice management platforms throughout 2025. Unlike survey-based research, the analysis examined actual operational and production data collected across thousands of dental practices.

According to the report, the strongest predictor of revenue growth was not case acceptance, treatment completion, or chair utilization-it was the consistent ability to attract new patients.

“These findings validate what we’ve observed while working alongside dental practices for nearly three decades,” said Flint Geier, President of The Scheduling Institute. “Practices that build reliable systems for attracting new patients, maintaining productive schedules, and helping patients complete recommended treatment consistently position themselves for stronger long-term growth.”

Industry Growth Is Becoming Increasingly Polarized

The report found that 63% of practices experienced revenue growth during the reporting period, with approximately one-third growing by more than 10%. At the same time, nearly 14% of practices declined by more than 10%, illustrating a widening gap between high-performing organizations and those struggling to maintain consistent performance.

According to The Scheduling Institute, the findings suggest that operational execution-not simply geography, marketing budgets, or technology investments-is increasingly separating successful practices from the rest of the industry.

New Patient Volume Emerged as the Leading Growth Indicator

Among all operational metrics evaluated, new patient acquisition demonstrated the strongest relationship with revenue growth.

Practices averaging 75 or more new patients each month achieved approximately 9% annual growth, nearly twice the growth rate of practices averaging fewer than 35 new patients per month. Researchers also identified approximately 35 monthly new patients as a meaningful threshold where sustained growth begins to accelerate.

The report found that nearly 40% of practices attracted fewer than 20 new patients per month, while approximately 18% consistently welcomed 80 or more.

According to The Scheduling Institute, those differences are often influenced by front-office execution, including how practices answer incoming calls, convert inquiries into appointments, and manage new patient scheduling.

Consistency Drives Performance

The analysis also examined production consistency across participating practices.

Practices within the most consistent 10% recorded average annual growth of 6.1%, while the least consistent 10% experienced an average decline of 3.4%.

Daily production reflected similar trends. Practices maintaining stable schedules averaged approximately $9,927 per day, compared with approximately $7,189 among practices experiencing greater scheduling volatility.

The report also identified Friday scheduling as an overlooked opportunity. While Friday production averaged approximately 27% below Tuesday levels across the industry, practices maintaining consistently productive Fridays achieved substantially higher annual growth than the industry average.

“The opportunity isn’t always finding more patients,” Geier added. “It’s building repeatable systems that convert inquiries into appointments, protect the schedule, and help patients complete the care they’ve already agreed to receive.”

Treatment Completion Represents Significant Untapped Opportunity

Researchers also found a substantial gap between treatment acceptance and treatment completion.

Industry-wide case acceptance averaged approximately 58%, while treatment completion averaged 47%, indicating that many patients who initially accept treatment never complete their care.

Planet DDS estimated that improving case acceptance by just five percentage points across practices using its Denticon platform could generate approximately $1 billion in additional annual production without expanding facilities, adding providers, or increasing marketing expenditures.

According to The Scheduling Institute, these findings reinforce the importance of strengthening internal operational systems before pursuing costly expansion initiatives.

Operational Fundamentals Continue to Matter

Although the analysis included hundreds of DSOs, The Scheduling Institute believes the findings apply equally to independently owned practices.

Whether operating a single office or multiple locations, practices that consistently build new patient flow, maintain productive schedules, convert patient interest into treatment, and support treatment completion continue to outperform their peers.

“As dentistry becomes increasingly competitive, the practices that consistently execute the fundamentals exceptionally well will remain best positioned for sustainable growth,” Geier said.

About The Scheduling Institute

The Scheduling Institute is a healthcare consulting and training organization that has helped dental and medical practices improve patient acquisition, scheduling performance, team development, and operational systems for nearly three decades. Through coaching, education, and business development programs, the company supports healthcare providers across North America in building sustainable, long-term practice growth.

Learn more at www.schedulinginstitute.com.

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The Scheduling Institute
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Website: www.schedulinginstitute.com

SOURCE: Scheduling Institute

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