DSO stands for Dental Service Organization. It is a company that acquires a dental practice and takes over the operations, marketing, and administration of the office. DSOs provide critical business management and support for nonclinical operations, enabling dentists to focus on delivering dental care. They offer an array of non-clinical services to dentists, including facility maintenance, supply procurement, human resources, compliance, accounting, and marketing services. DSOs vary in size and structure, and they exist in every state and even internationally. They do not provide patient clinical services, and all patient clinical services are provided by, and under the direct supervision of, licensed dentists.