Dental Service Organizations (DSO)

The dental industry is undergoing a great evolution and consolidation, and the industry-leading Dykema DSO team has been there from the very beginning. Whether you have a business opportunity or you face a legal obstacle, you need an experienced team that knows the industry to help guide you toward success.

No matter where you are in the DSO lifecycle, Dykema’s national team can help.

“...this conference is a winner.”

- Group Dentistry Now

Join over 1,500 DSO leaders, dental practitioners, and vendors at our 11th Annual Definitive Conference for DSOs on August 6-8, 2025 and find out why our conference is the most anticipated event in the DSO industry. Visit www.DykemaDSO.com for more information.

Dykema’s DSO-focused legal practice was among the first in the United States. Our multidisciplinary team provides first-class counsel, with demonstrated accomplishments and proven experience covering the entirety of the unique business and legal needs of Dental Service Organizations. Our practitioners—who handle mergers and acquisitions, patient finance, government investigations and regulatory litigation, tax, real estate, employment law, brand protection, and corporate compliance—provide, both individually and collectively, top-tier legal representation and “go-to” strategic counsel.

Clients turn to us for comprehensive counsel and representation on a wide array of sophisticated matters:

regulatory issues (including advertising, billing, patient finance, HIPAA)
preventive counseling
litigation
M&A transactions
evaluation and completion of real estate acquisitions or sales
crafting practice purchase agreements
developing partnership and shareholder covenants
tax and regulatory counsel

Regardless of what legal need you may be facing, our DSO attorneys are happy to talk with you to be sure you are pointed in the right direction.

One of the fastest-growing areas of the $156 billion-a-year dental industry is the DSO segment. With continued consolidation, DSOs stand to gain a more dominant presence in this important industry.

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Brian A. Colao
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Practices

Corporate and Finance Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation White Collar and Government Investigations Healthcare Intellectual Property Labor and Employment Litigation Mergers and Acquisitions Non-Compete, Unfair Competition, and Trade Secrets Private Equity Tax Trademarks and Copyrights

Industries

Financial Services Healthcare M&A Management Services Organization Veterinary Service Organizations (VSO)

Latest News and Insights

Publications10.30.25

2025 Trends Report: Annual Mergers & Acquisitions Outlook Survey

For 21 years, Dykema’s Annual M&A Outlook Survey has tracked the pulse of dealmaking in the U.S.,…

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Press Releases10.30.25

Dykema’s 2025 M&A Outlook Survey Report: Dealmakers Anticipate a Strengthening U.S. M&A Market

For more than two decades, Dykema’s Annual M&A Outlook Survey has tracked the pulse of U.S.…

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Publications10.30.25

M&A Sector Spotlight: Dental Service Organizations

2025 will be remembered throughout the DSO industry as The Year of the Muted Recovery. At the…

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In re OrthAlliance, Inc. Contract Litigation, 350 F. Supp. 2d 1354 (J.P.M.L. 2004). Represented approximately 65 different clients before the judicial panel on multidistrict litigation and successfully prevented the consolidation and transfer of numerous cases to the forum of the opponent's selection.
Robert C. Penny et al. v. OrthAlliance, Inc., 255 F. Supp. 2d 579 (N.D. Tex. March 27, 2003) (No. CIV.A.3 :01-CV-1 1569-N). In a case of first impression, obtained summary judgment on behalf of a group of Texas orthodontists on the grounds that 20 year service agreements between orthodontists and a practice management company violated the prohibition on the corporate practice of dentistry contained in the Texas Dental Practices Act. In the years that followed, this case was widely cited, adopted and followed by numerous other federal courts in Washington, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, California, Texas and other states.
Represented a group of approximately 85 orthodontists in multi-state litigation involving more than 35 lawsuits pending in various federal and state courts in 13 states against a practice management company alleging breach of contract, violations of various state dental practices acts, fraud and deceptive trade practices. Obtained favorable jury verdicts for breach of contract after a four week trial in Miami, Florida and a three week trial in Atlanta, Georgia. Also received several summary judgment rulings of first impression that the client's contracts were unenforceable and void against public policy which led to a favorable settlement.
Represented clients in multiple federal and state regulatory investigations and traditional litigation disputes regarding allegations of the corporate practice of medicine and dentistry, fee splitting, fraud and abuse, and related violations.