Dental Industry Trends Summary Jan 20 - 26

Byte-Sized Dental News & Data Haven’t had the chance to catch up on what’s been going on in the dental industry? In this week’s Dental Industry Summary, beyond the usual democratization of data, we cover the effect of wildfires, effects of cannabis on caries and more. Want to continue seeing curated news and stats? Subscribe for free  Forward to a friend

INDUSTRY NEWS Top Stories Get the latest in dentistry news curated by us. Flames and Fallout: How Wildfires Hurt Dental Practices Sikka.ai recently conducted a thorough analysis to assess the impact of the 2025 wildfires on dental practices in LA. The findings reveal a sharp decline in patient visits during the second week of 2025, coinciding with the start of the fires. Specifically, average production dropped by 22.35%, while patient visits decreased by 27.87%. These significant reductions in key metrics strongly suggest that the wildfires had a direct, negative impact on dental practices, with patients delaying or canceling appointments due to safety concerns and the ongoing crisis. Read more Cannabis and Its Impact on Caries Recreational marijuana has been legal in the U.S. for over 10 years, and as more states continue to legalize it, it’s crucial to understand its impact on oral health. A study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that frequent cannabis use may be associated with an increased risk of dental caries and severe tooth loss. The study surveyed American adults ages 18-59 and discovered that frequent users were 17% more likely to develop coronal caries, 55% more likely to experience root surface caries, and 41% more likely to suffer from severe tooth loss compared to non-users. Read more

INDUSTRY TRENDS Dental Industry Summary Gain insights on industry changes, including production, patient visits, procedure shares and more.

2024 / 2025 Year-over-Year (YoY) Jan 20 - Jan 26

Production per practice

Weekly production growth by state -6.8% Overall Production   -4.8% Overall Visits

Share of procedures performed 2.23% Preventive   0.23% Diagnostic -16.73% Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery   -34.64% Prosthodontics - Removable

2025 Yearly Progression Jan 1st 2025 - Present

Growth in production

Practice demographics 152.6K Production per Practice   268.2 Visits per Practice   30-60 : 12.3% | 61-90 : 9.2% | >90 : 78.5% AR *Numbers are subject to change based on data availability and PMS adjustments.

Want to see more? With Sikka Industry Trends, you can drill into production categories and visit types, filter by date, state, and more. Questions? Our data experts are here to help. Reach out today.