Dental Practices Reported Fuller Schedules as Reimbursement Trailed Inflation

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Dental practices were busier in the second quarter of 2026 than in recent quarters, but insurance reimbursement continued to fall behind inflation, according to the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute’s quarterly report on the U.S. dental economy, released in July.

About one-quarter of dentists said they were not busy enough and could have treated more patients, down from previous quarters. The share who said they treated everyone requesting care without feeling overworked increased.

Appointment access tightened slightly. The average wait for a new patient rose to 13.9 days, up modestly from the first quarter but still below the peak reached in the second quarter of 2024. Employment across the dental sector was 1.5% higher than a year earlier.

The financial picture was less encouraging. Since January 2021, prices for dental equipment and supplies have risen 23%, and hourly earnings of dental office staff have risen 23%. Reimbursement across all payers has increased 19% over the same period, while overall inflation has reached 27%.

The gap persisted into this year. Reimbursement rose 1.1% during the first half of 2026, compared with 1.8% inflation. Over the same six months, hourly earnings of dental office staff rose 2.2% while equipment and supply prices rose 0.2%.

Consumer spending showed similar restraint. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending on dental services was up 1% in May compared with a year earlier. Measured over the past decade, consumer spending on dental services has grown 24%, against 46% for physician services and 39% for health care overall.

The Health Policy Institute, the ADA’s research arm, publishes the dental economy report each quarter.

Sources:
ADA Health Policy Institute, “The State of the U.S. Dental Economy: 2nd Quarter 2026 Update,” July 2026: ada.org/state_us_dental_economy_q22026.pdf
ADA Health Policy Institute, State of the U.S. Dental Economy report page: ada.org/health-policy-institute/state-of-the-us-dental-economy