Dental Support Organizations.

Abstract

The Association of Dental Support Organizations is a recently formed association of 33 companies representing a range of management and support services for dental practices. These organizations do not engage in the practice of dentistry, although in some cases they operate as holding companies for practices that do, thus separating the legal responsibility of providing treatment from the management and flow of funds. This report summarizes some of the recent trends in oral health care and dentists' practice patterns that are prompting the increased prevalence of this model. The general functioning of the DSO model is described, including some common variations, and the core values of ADSO are featured.