The Growing Use of Locums Tenens Dentists

DSOs USING LOCUM TENENS Increasingly, locum tenens dentists are being used by Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) to help build new dental practices or expand existing ones. DSOs are corporate owned entities that provide management, marketing and recruiting support services and have at least one dentist owner – marketing and recruiting support. Just as in medicine, dental practices are experiencing more corporate ownership and consolidation as dentists seek to cope with shifting economic pressures and the challenges presented by COVID-19.

As noted in a May 17, 2021 article in Group Dentistry Now:

M&A activity is at an all-time high in the dental industry. COVID-19 has certainly been an accelerant for increased activity coupled with political uncertainty and inflationary pressures. While there is a lot of emerging group and mid-market activity, what has been fascinating is the appetite of large platforms for large strategic acquisitions.

In November of 2020, Aspen Dental Management Inc. announced its acquisition of Clear Choice Management Services, while in December of 2020, Smile Brands completed their acquisition of Midwest Dental, adding 230 additional locations, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast. Smile Brands now has over 650 dental practice locations. In May 2021, Heartland Dental, the nation’s leading DSO, announced that it had signed an agreement to enter a strategic transaction with American Dental Partners Inc. (ADPI). Through this transaction, Heartland Dental and ADPI will have a combined network of over 2,300 supported dentists, in more than 1,400 locations across 38 states nationwide.

These corporate entities often have the resources and operational skills to incorporate the use of locum tenens dentists into their strategic expansion and service plans.

AMN Healthcare has observed that the strongest reemergence of demand for locum tenens physicians has been among private practices, DSOs and FQHCs, while demand has not yet recovered as strongly at long- term care facilities, among mobile dental providers or at Indian Health Service facilities, most likely due to continuing COVID-19 concerns and challenges.

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