COVID-19 Economic Impact on Dental Practices
To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. dental practices, the ADA Health Policy Institute has initiated a biweekly poll on economic conditions during the pandemic. The polls aims to quantify the magnitude of the pandemic's impact on dental practices over time.
HPI has updated its projections of how COVID-19 will impact the U.S. dental economy in the near future. Our latest modeling predicts that U.S. dental care spending could decline by up to 38 percent in 2020 and 20 percent in 2021. We model alterative scenarios as well and they have a more muted impact.
Modeling the Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Dental Spending -- June 2020 Update (PDF)
See trended results for all waves of HPI’s economic confidence poll with data broken down by dentist age, type of practice, state, and more in this Tableau dashboard.
Wave 8, Week of June 29
- Full report including breakdowns by state, practice size, and DSO affiliation
- ADA News - highlights
- July 7 Webinar Recording: Data for the Week of June 29 Shed Light on the "New Normal"
- July 7 webinar slides (PDF)
- Additional questions of the week:
- Pay status and unemployment benefits of associates, employees and independent contractors
- How many day's worth of the following PPE does your practice have at this time: N95/KN95 masks, surgical masks, face shields, and gowns?
- As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, how has the number of hours per week your practice is open changed?
- Number of patients seen in practice per day
- As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, how has the number of hours per week your practice is open changed?
- What is the maximum number of patients your practice can see in a day currently?
- Last week, how many patients did your practice see per day, on average?
Wave 7, Week of June 15
Wave 6, Week of June 1
- Full report including breakdowns by state, practice size, and DSO affiliation
- ADA News - highlights
- June 11 Webinar Recording: The Dental Care Rebound: How Far Have We Gotten and How Far Will We Go?
- June 11 webinar slides (PDF)
- Additional questions of the week:
- Pay status and unemployment benefits of associates, employees and independent contractors
- How many day's worth of the following PPE does your practice have at this time: N95/KN95 masks, surgical masks, face shields, and gowns?
- [If practice closed or closed but open for emergencies] Do you expect your dental practice to reopen for elective care by the end of this month?
- How full is your practice’s appointment schedule this month?
- Prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, was your dental practice an enrolled Medicaid provider?
- [If an enrolled Medicaid provider] Prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, what percentage of patients in your practice would you estimate were covered by Medicaid?
- [If an enrolled Medicaid provider] Looking ahead, does your practice plan to continue to be an enrolled Medicaid provider at the end of this month?
Special Wave: Dentists in Public Health Settings
Wave 5, Week of May 18
Wave 4, Week of May 4
Wave 3, Week of April 20
Wave 2, Week of April 6
- Full report including breakdowns by state, practice size, and DSO affiliation
- ADA News - highlights
- April 16 Webinar Recording: How is COVID-19 Impacting the Dental Care Sector?
- Additional question of the week: Current CDC guidelines recommend dentists delay non-urgent procedures through April 30. The situation is highly uncertain, but which of the following options would you consider to ensure the sustainability of your practice if the current restrictions on dental practices were to continue through the end of April, end of June, and end of August.
Wave 1, Week of March 23