New Market Analysis 2026: Why many dental practices need to replace hundreds of patients every year
The economic success of a dental practice no longer depends solely on the quality of treatment. A continuous and predictable flow of new patients is equally important.
While many practice owners know their ongoing costs in detail, one crucial factor is often underestimated: the natural loss of existing patients. If this loss is not regularly compensated for, patient numbers, practice utilisation and, ultimately, revenue may decline over time.
In this DentalAce Market Intelligence Report, we explain how many active patients a dental practice needs, how high annual patient attrition can be, what patient acquisition costs arise today and which measures support sustainable new-patient growth.
How many active patients does a dental practice need?
A financially successful solo dental practice in Vienna generally requires between 1,000 and 1,500 active patients. Active patients are defined as patients who have visited the practice for treatment at least once within the past twelve months.
The actual number of patients required depends largely on the practice model, cost structure and range of treatments offered.
Public Insurance Practice
Due to regulated reimbursement rates, a public insurance practice generally requires a higher patient volume. Such practices often treat more than 1,500 active patients per dentist.
Private or Elective-Care Practice
Private and elective-care practices usually generate higher revenue per treatment case. Depending on their positioning, 800 to 1,000 active patients may already provide a financially sustainable foundation.
In addition to the number of patients, the treatment structure plays a decisive role. Services such as implantology, high-quality dental prosthetics, aesthetic dentistry or aligner treatment can significantly increase average revenue per patient.
Rule of thumb: Around 1,000 active patients per dentist provide the basis for a financially stable dental practice in many cases.
Why every dental practice loses patients each year
No patient base remains permanently stable. Even highly successful and well-established dental practices lose a proportion of their patients every year.
The following annual attrition rates can be used as general benchmarks:
- Well-established practices: approximately 10 to 15 percent
- New or moderately established practices: approximately 15 to 20 percent
The most common reasons for patient loss include:
- Relocation
- Retirement or personal changes
- Changes in health insurance or reimbursement arrangements
- Switching to another dental practice
- Postponed or discontinued treatment
- Changing expectations regarding service, accessibility or appointment availability
Example of a dental practice in Vienna
A practice with 1,200 active patients loses approximately 120 to 240 patients per year at an annual attrition rate of 10 to 20 percent.
These patients must first be replaced before the practice can achieve actual growth. Only patients acquired beyond this replacement level contribute to a net increase in the patient base.
Continuous and predictable new-patient acquisition is therefore not an optional extra, but a business necessity.
How many new patients does a dental practice need per year?
The number of new patients required depends on the size of the existing patient base, the annual attrition rate and the practice's growth objectives.
A practice with 1,000 active patients and a patient attrition rate of 10 to 20 percent already needs 100 to 200 new patients per year simply to maintain a stable patient base.
If the practice also aims to grow, additional new patients must be acquired. For example, a practice wishing to expand its patient base by 100 patients while losing 150 existing patients would need 250 new patients within one year.
For many dental practices in Vienna, this results in a realistic need for approximately 100 to 300 or more new patients per year.
How much does It cost to acquire a new patient?
New-patient acquisition is now one of the most important ongoing marketing investments for a dental practice. The associated costs are referred to as Customer Acquisition Cost, or CAC.
Depending on location, competition, treatment focus and marketing channel, acquisition costs can vary considerably. As a general benchmark, costs of approximately €150 to €400 per acquired new patient may apply.
The most important acquisition channels include:
- Google Ads
- Search engine optimisation
- Social media advertising
- Referral marketing
- Online platforms for dentists
- Local marketing activities
Across several marketing channels, average acquisition costs may amount to approximately €200 to €300 per acquired new patient.
Example of Annual Marketing Costs
If a practice requires 240 new patients per year and the average acquisition cost is €200 per patient, the result is:
- €48,000 in annual marketing costs
- approximately 20 new patients per month
- approximately €4,000 in marketing costs per month
The efficient selection and combination of marketing channels can therefore make a substantial financial difference for a dental practice.
The long-term value of a new patient
When evaluating a marketing activity, practices should not consider only the cost of the first appointment. The long-term economic value of a patient, known as the Patient Lifetime Value, is equally important.
A satisfied patient often remains with the same practice for many years and regularly uses a variety of services. These may include:
- Dental hygiene and preventive care
- Routine check-ups
- Fillings and root canal treatments
- Crowns and bridges
- Dental implants and prosthetic treatments
- Aesthetic dental treatments
Over several years, the economic value of a patient can therefore amount to many times the original acquisition cost.
A sustainable strategy for acquiring and retaining new patients is therefore one of the most important investments for a modern dental practice.
What Successful Dental Practices Have in Common
Our analyses show that particularly successful practices share several common characteristics.
- A professional and up-to-date online presence
- Strong visibility on Google and in AI-powered search systems
- A large number of recent and verified patient reviews
- High-quality photographs of the practice and team
- Complete information about services and treatment specialisations
- A simple online appointment booking system
- Visible and prompt appointment availability
- Clear information about languages, insurance status and specialisations
The faster potential patients can find the information that matters to them and build trust, the more likely it is that a profile visit will result in an actual appointment booking.
What Role Do Patient Reviews Play?
Patient reviews play an important role both in building trust among potential patients and in improving the digital visibility of a dental practice.
Search engines often display only a limited selection of practices prominently in local search results. The number, recency and quality of reviews can contribute to a practice profile being noticed more easily and visited more frequently.
To achieve a sustainable impact, reviews should be authentic, recent and traceable. Verified reviews create additional credibility because they come from patients who have actually received treatment.
How Does DentalAce Support Dental Practices in Acquiring New Patients?
DentalAce supports dental practices in Vienna in increasing their digital visibility, building trust and attracting qualified new patients.
The verified results of our member practices show:
- Active DentalAce member practices acquire an average of approximately 100 new patients per year through the platform.
- Our most successful member practice acquired more than 700 new patients through DentalAce in 2025.
With membership starting at €99 including VAT per month, the calculated acquisition cost can amount to approximately €10 per acquired new patient. This is significantly below the typical acquisition costs of many traditional marketing channels.
Services Included in DentalAce Membership
- SEO- and AI-optimised practice profile
- Google Ads for targeted patient acquisition
- Online appointment booking including calendar
- Verified patient reviews
- Personal QR code and review link
- At least four individual social media posts per month
- Detailed monthly performance statistics
- Secure written communication with patients
- Confidential price-check enquiries
Just a few additional new patients per month can fully cover the cost of membership.
Conclusion: Predictable Patient Acquisition as the Foundation for Practice Growth
A successful dental practice requires not only high-quality treatment, but also a continuous strategy for acquiring and retaining new patients.
Practices that fail to compensate for natural patient attrition risk declining utilisation over time. At the same time, traditional marketing measures can generate significant costs.
A professional online presence, recent and verified patient reviews, strong visibility and a simple online appointment booking process are therefore among the most important success factors for modern dental practices.
DentalAce combines these measures in a specialised platform for dentists and patients and supports member practices in increasing their visibility and acquiring new patients sustainably.
Test the DentalAce basic package free of charge for one month, with no automatic contract renewal.
Frequently Asked Questions About New-Patient Acquisition for Dental Practices
How many active patients does a dental practice need?
Depending on the practice model, cost structure and treatment focus, a dental practice often requires between 1,000 and 1,500 active patients per dentist. Private and elective-care practices may already operate successfully with 800 to 1,000 active patients due to higher revenue per treatment case.
How many new patients does a dental practice need per year?
The required number depends on annual patient attrition and the practice's growth objectives. With a loss of 10 to 20 percent, a practice with 1,000 active patients needs approximately 100 to 200 new patients per year simply to maintain a stable patient base. Additional patients are required to achieve further growth.
Why does a dental practice lose patients every year?
Typical reasons include relocation, personal changes, changes in insurance, switching to another practice, postponed treatments and changing expectations regarding accessibility, service and appointment availability.
How much does it cost to acquire a new patient?
Depending on the marketing channel, location, competition and treatment focus, costs may range from approximately €150 to €400 per acquired new patient. Across several channels, average acquisition costs are often in the range of €200 to €300.
What does Customer Acquisition Cost mean for a dental practice?
Customer Acquisition Cost, or CAC, refers to the average marketing and sales expenditure required for a practice to acquire one new patient. It is calculated by dividing total acquisition costs by the number of new patients gained.
What is Patient Lifetime Value?
Patient Lifetime Value describes the long-term economic value of a patient to a practice. It takes into account not only the first treatment, but all future services used by the patient throughout their relationship with the practice.
Why are patient reviews important for dental practices?
Patient reviews build trust and help potential patients choose a practice. Recent, authentic and verified reviews can also improve the digital visibility and perception of a practice profile.
What role does online appointment booking play?
Online appointment booking allows patients to schedule appointments outside regular opening hours. It improves practice accessibility, simplifies appointment management and can help reduce missed enquiries.
How can a dental practice improve new-patient acquisition?
Important measures include a professional online presence, search engine optimisation, up-to-date practice information, verified reviews, high-quality photographs, simple online appointment booking and a clear presentation of treatment specialisations.
How many new patients do DentalAce member practices acquire?
Active DentalAce member practices acquire an average of approximately 100 new patients per year through the platform. The most successful member practice acquired more than 700 new patients through DentalAce in 2025.
How does DentalAce support dental practices?
DentalAce combines an SEO- and AI-optimised practice profile, Google Ads, online appointment booking, verified patient reviews, social media content, performance statistics and digital patient communication in a specialised platform for dentists and patients.
