Dental News - Largest US DSO announces new oral care community

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 31. December 2025

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EFFINGHAM, Ill., US: The growing strength of dental support organisations (DSOs) in North America is disrupting established industry dynamics. Heartland Dental, the largest DSO in the US by number of affiliated practices, has announced the launch of a new professional dental community dedicated to supporting clinicians, expanding access to oral care and strengthening the DSO’s nationwide network. Having been selected as the oral health partner of a leading advocacy and lobbying network for older Americans, the soon-to-be established Orahh Care Dental Community is already gaining ground.

Heartland Dental said in a press release that the opt-in community will be launched during the first quarter of 2026, aiming to unite and elevate the DSO’s network of over 3,000 supported dentists with shared resources, best practices and enhanced visibility. For clinicians, the community appears set to provide many of the benefits traditionally associated with dental association membership, including collaboration and professional growth opportunities, but also extending to the provision of advanced training and digital diagnostics equipment. For patients, the initiative will aim to expand access to and continuity of oral care across participating practices.

Pat Bauer, president and CEO at Heartland Dental, commented that the initiative will provide clinicians with “a community committed to excellence, while honouring their local roots and individuality.” Sherianne James, chief marketing officer at the DSO, added: “By creating a shared community while maintaining strong local roots, we are empowering supported doctors and their teams to market at scale, deepen their connection to the communities they serve and deliver even greater value to their patients. This is just the beginning of how we’re reimagining support and growth for our supported practices.”

Increasing access to oral care

Heartland Dental also announced that the Orahh Care Dental Community has been selected as an oral health partner by AARP, a non-profit advocacy organisation serving 38 million members aged 50 years and older.

Greg Marion, senior vice president of health products and services at AARP Services, said: “AARP selected Heartland Dental amongst dental support organisations because of its commitment to improving oral health and delivering positive patient experiences for the 50+ [demographic] and helping to bring the importance of oral health to the forefront.” Marion added that the new community’s “network of almost 2,000 supported practices will help improve AARP member access to comprehensive care and deliver high-quality patient experiences.”

Heartland said that individuals in the demographic group often had more complex dental needs and accounted for a notable fraction of restorative and periodontal treatments and tooth replacements. It said Orahh Care Dental Community will focus on engaging and educating AARP members on the importance of oral health.

Topics:

Practice Management

Tags:

Dental community Dental support organisations Heartland Dental Practice management US dentistry

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