Dental Practices Face Growing Referral Gap Based on Scale

The report analyzes communication data from over 2,500 practices between March 2025 and February 2026, offering a granular look at performance metrics by practice size. While overall appointment confirmation rates remained stable at 77%, with text messaging accounting for approximately two-thirds of that volume, other channels are experiencing rapid shifts. Most notably, voice messaging surged from 2% to 7% of the total communication mix, largely fueled by multi-location offices using the tool for pre-procedure confirmations.

Beyond communication shifts, the data underscores the financial impact of automated patient management. Practices utilizing Intiveo’s waitlist automation recovered an average of 2,773 appointments monthly that would have otherwise been lost to cancellations. Josh DeVries, CEO and co-founder of Intiveo, noted that the study aims to move beyond generic advice by providing actionable benchmarks tailored to specific practice models. By segmenting results for solo practitioners, multi-location groups, and large enterprises, the report provides a clearer picture of how size and specialty dictate operational efficiency in modern dentistry.