Staffing shortages, insurance issues and increasing expenses are the biggest obstacles facing dental practices in 2025, according to a survey from the American Dental Association.
The ADA's Health Policy Institute recently released its "Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry" report for the fourth quarter of 2024, which polled 728 dentists on the top three challenges facing their dental practice heading into 2025.
More than 60% of respondents said that staffing, including recruitment and retention, as well as workforce shortages, will be a top challenge. For over half of dentists, low insurance reimbursements and denials are a big obstacle.
Here are the most common challenges that dentists predict they will have to overcome in 2025:
- Staffing, recruitment and retention, and workforce shortages: 62.2%
- Low insurance reimbursement, denials, Medicaid, Medicare and other insurance issues: 57.7%
- Increasing expenses and overhead costs, including staff wages and benefits, supplies and equipment costs, rent, mortgage and utilities: 45.7%
- Maintaining and increasing patient volume, keeping a full schedule, maintaining revenue or funding to operate: 26.9%
- Keeping appointment schedule full and production: 8.8%
- Patients refusing and/or delaying treatment, not seeking preventive care and not being able to pay for care: 7.8%
- Work-life balance for staff, health and minimizing burnout and stress: 7.3%
- Considering or planning retirement, a practice transition and selling the practice: 5.8%
- Keeping up with patient needs and demands and being too busy: 5.8%
- The economy in general: 4.9%
- Competition with other dental practices and DSOs: 3.7%
- Federal, state and local government oversight, regulations and mandates: 3.7%
- New technology and equipment updates: 3.4%
- Dropping some insurance networks, going or remaining out-of-network and fee-for-service: 3.2%
- Political climate and/or uncertainties with incoming the administration including fluoride and misinformation: 2.5%
- Concerned that patients will avoid fluoride: 0.7%
- Miscellaneous 5.6%