Pacific Dental Services (PDS), a leading dental and medical support organization in the U.S., announced today that the company achieved yet another outstanding year in 2023. In addition to expanding market share in several states, implementing clinical innovations that enhance patient care, and increasing efforts to advance medical-dental integration through multiple strategic partnerships and technologies, other notable achievements in the past year served as the foundation to position the organization for continued growth in 2024.
“Reflecting on our collective accomplishments in 2023, I’m grateful for the dedication of our clinicians and team members who continue to drive our organization forward,” said PDS founder and CEO Stephen E. Thorne IV. “As we enter 2024, we keep our eyes on the horizon. We’re committed to partnering with like-minded clinicians and organizations, enabling closer collaboration between dental and medical professionals, and prioritizing oral health to improve the overall health of patients on a broader scale.”
Highlights from Pacific Dental Services’ substantial list of achievements in 2023 include:
Company Growth
- Delivered record-breaking financial results in 2023, with double-digit growth.
- Onboarded more than 800 dentists, 700 dental hygienists, and 180 specialty dentists, resulting in a current combined total of more than 4,500 clinicians (dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, and nurse practitioners). Collectively, the organization has a workforce of over 14,800 team members across the nation.
- Expanded market share in 18 states by opening 72 new practices, expanding 26 existing practices, and adding six medical practices.
- Opened its 950th supported practice, Cottage Grove Smiles Dentistry, in Cottage Grove, Minn.
Dental-Medical Integration and Partnerships
- Opened the first co-located dental-medical practice with MemorialCare, which leverages integrated patient health records on Epic, offering dental and medical providers comprehensive insights into patients’ overall health.
- Opened two dental-medical integrated practices in Las Vegas, Nev.
- Continued participation in a consortium that successfully advocated for the expansion of Medicare to cover certain medically necessary dental procedures.
- Continued to serve on the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors’ steering committee that guides a national framework for expanding dental and medical integration programs.
- Partnered with High Point University to extend its instance of Epic for use in the college’s dental school and dental practices affiliated with the school through the HPU Oral Health Network. PDS was the first dental support organization to partner with an academic institution through the Epic Community Connect program.
- Invested in RevBio to support the clinical development of its bone adhesive biomaterial for implant dentistry.
- Partnered with CareQuest Innovation Partners and MATTER to support SMILE Health, empowering startups in the oral health industry to make meaningful contributions to the advancement of oral health.
Advanced, Proven Technologies
- Operationalized and optimized the integration of Epic in all supported practices. Since launch, over 87.8 million patient records have been exchanged between PDS-supported clinicians and other healthcare organizations.
- Surpassed the lifetime milestone of 3.75 million dental restorations using CEREC CAD/CAM technology, and over 427,000 dental restorations (crowns, inlays/onlays, and veneers) in 2023 alone.
- Implemented Envista’s DTX Studio assisted intelligence technology into approximately half of all supported dental practices.
- Installed the latest cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology in 221 supported practices. This advanced, proven imaging technology is available in 79 percent of PDS-supported practices.
- Administered over 36,000 salivary diagnostic tests in partnership with OralDNA Labs®, a 34 percent increase over last year’s total.
- Conducted over 1,100 blood sugar (HbA1c) tests during a pilot program in 28 supported dental practices.
- Expanded chairside aMMP-8 biomarker screening pilot program to include additional dental practices.
Supporting Lifelong Learning
- Supported three team members in achieving their dream of earning a bachelor’s degree through the PDS College Advancement Program, with over 100 team members currently pursuing their degree.
- Awarded a total of over 1,900 continuing education (CE) credits collectively to 500 supported clinicians in attendance at its annual XP event.
- Launched the inaugural Mouth-Body Connection Symposium for PDS-supported clinicians and collectively awarded over 1,000 CE credits to the attendees.
- PDS University – Institute of Dentistry provided clinicians with comprehensive education through state-of-the-art training facilities, including simulation laboratories and immersive courses.
Community Impact and Service
- Over 94,000 hours of volunteer time provided to local communities and charities by PDS team members in 2023.
- Over $10.6 million of donated dental care provided to underserved patients during Smile Generation Serve Day.
- Raised and contributed over $1.2 million for charity: water, funding clean water sources for an estimated 31,200 people in need.
- Raised and contributed over $946,000 to the Pacific Dental Services Foundation to increase access to dental care for patients with special needs, provide specialized training for clinicians focused on special needs dentistry, fund additional dental assisting scholarships, and support the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental in Xenacoj, Guatemala.
- Sponsored and constructed its 18th playground in partnership with KABOOM!.
- Completed four week-long volunteer trips to provide donated dental care at the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental in Guatemala.
- Marked 40th international service trip and over $11 million in donated dentistry around the world.
Awards and Recognition
- Named as an honoree of “The Civic 50 Orange County” by OneOC and Points of Light. This is the fifth time PDS has received this recognition.
- Recognized for the fourth time by the Orange County Business Journal as one of Orange County’s “Companies That Care.”
- Received the inaugural “ADSO Service Award” from the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO).
- Named the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) “2023 Employer of the Year.”
For more information about Pacific Dental Services, visit pacificdentalservices.com.
About Pacific Dental Services
Pacific Dental Services (PDS) is one of the country’s leading dental and medical support organizations, empowering clinicians with supported autonomy to deliver comprehensive patient care. PDS provides administrative and business operations support, highly skilled staff, and ongoing training and education to help healthcare providers succeed.
PDS incorporates the most advanced, proven technologies with best practices and procedures to ensure high-quality care and is a leading advocate for the integration of dental and medical care to improve whole-person health. Since its foundation in 1994, PDS has grown to support over 4,500 clinicians (dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, and nurse practitioners) in nearly 1,000 practices across 24 states and continues to expand.
To learn more, visit pacificdentalservices.com or connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
