The landscape
Nine sources, one platform.
Dental industry data splits into layers: who exists (the NPI registry), who can practice (state licensure), what care pays (Medicaid fee schedules and Medicare claims), who is barred from federal programs (OIG exclusions), where supply falls short (HPSA designations and Census demographics), and the malpractice climate around it all (NPDB). Each layer below links to its authoritative origin, with our extraction methodology and refresh cadence.
CoverageAll 50 statesRefreshWeeklyRecords277,853 dental
The National Plan and Provider Enumeration System is the federal registry of every healthcare provider in the United States. Each provider receives a unique 10-digit NPI number that serves as the universal cross-reference key across all other data sources. ProviderSignal extracts dental-specific records using taxonomy codes (122300000X and subtypes) and loads the full provider profile: name, address, specialty, entity type, sole proprietor status, parent organization, authorized official, secondary specialties, enumeration date, and state license numbers embedded in the 50 Other Provider Identifier fields.
Methodology
Bulk CSV download (~9.3GB extracted). State license numbers are parsed from Other Provider Identifier slots into JSONB for direct matching against state board records. Weekly diffs detect deactivations, reactivations, and address changes.
Coverage42 states + DCRefreshDaily to weeklyRecords147,339 enriched
State dental board data provides the enrichment layer that transforms a basic NPI directory entry into an actionable provider intelligence record. 42 states + DC are live, including all top markets (CA, TX, FL, NY, IL, OH, PA, NJ, MA, GA, NC, MI, WA). ProviderSignal matches board records to NPI entries using a six-tier strategy: exact license number match (from NPI Other Provider Identifier fields), name + ZIP fallback, fuzzy name + city with nickname expansion, relaxed multi-provider address match, name-only with confirmation signals, and a former last name retry for name-change cases.
Methodology
Key fields extracted: license number, status (active / expired / revoked / suspended), expiration date, birth year, graduation year, dental school, county, disciplinary action flag, anesthesia and sedation permits with dates, practice description, practice types, and remedial plan status. Daily or weekly diff engine compares snapshots to generate license_events and trigger_events for the alerts feed and rep trigger digest.
State Medicaid Fee Schedules
State Medicaid programs (all 50 states + DC)·www.tmhp.com/ CoverageAll 50 states + DC + GPCIRefreshQuarterlyRecords50 states + DC + 110 GPCI
State Medicaid fee schedules provide the actual reimbursement rates dental providers receive for procedures billed to Medicaid. Unlike Medicare, which pays $0 for dental (Medicare does not cover dental services), Medicaid programs set state-specific fee-for-service rates for CDT procedure codes. ProviderSignal loads Medicaid dental fee schedules for all 50 states plus DC, with adult and pediatric rate splits and multi-locality breakdowns where states publish them, plus the CMS Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) data for all 110 localities nationwide.
Methodology
Rates stored with facility and non-facility distinctions. Adult and pediatric splits where applicable (FL, AR, LA, CT, NJ, KY). GPCI components (work, practice expense, malpractice) loaded for rate adjustment calculations. Quarterly diff detects rate changes above a 5% / $5 threshold and writes events to the Market Signals feed.
CoverageNationwideRefreshMonthlyRecords~180 dental exclusions
The List of Excluded Individuals and Entities names providers barred from participation in federally funded healthcare programs (Medicare and Medicaid) for program fraud, patient abuse, or license-board actions. An excluded provider cannot bill federal programs, which changes the calculus for anyone selling to, acquiring, or partnering with the practice. ProviderSignal matches the exclusion list against dental NPIs monthly and flags exclusions across search, scoring, exports, and the map.
Methodology
Monthly bulk CSV load matched on NPI. The is_federally_excluded flag gates UI surfaces, applies a scoring penalty, and annotates exports, so an excluded provider never silently surfaces in a call list or target shortlist. Roughly 180 dental providers currently carry an active federal exclusion.
CMS Medicare Part B Claims
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)·data.cms.gov/ CoverageNationwideRefreshAnnualRecords51,287 / 11 yrs
Provider-level utilization and payment data from the Medicare Part B program. While most dental services are not covered by Medicare, oral surgeons and medical-benefit dental procedures (for example jaw fracture repair, tumor excision) generate Medicare claims. These records serve as a volume proxy: providers who appear in Medicare Part B data are actively treating complex cases and generating insurance-billable procedures.
Methodology
Auto-download pipeline builds URLs for 2013-2023 datasets from data.cms.gov. Records include NPI, HCPCS / CPT code, place of service, beneficiary count, service count, average submitted charge, average Medicare payment, and average allowed amount. 51,287 rows across 3,975 unique dental NPIs spanning 11 years, $366M lifetime Medicare tracked.
NPDB (National Practitioner Data Bank)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services·www.npdb.hrsa.gov/ CoverageNationwideRefreshQuarterlyRecords~2,800 state-year aggregates
The National Practitioner Data Bank collects reports on medical malpractice payments and adverse actions taken against healthcare practitioners. The NPDB Public Use Data File is anonymized by federal law and contains no NPI numbers, names, or individually identifiable information. ProviderSignal processes the raw file into aggregate statistics: malpractice payment counts and amounts by state and year, adverse action trends, and basis-of-action breakdowns.
Methodology
Individual provider-level discipline data comes from state dental boards (disciplinary action flags), not NPDB. The aggregate NPDB data provides regional risk context. State-level trends display on provider profiles as contextual malpractice climate indicators. A 3-year rolling average detects anomalous years (>20% spike) and writes events to the Market Signals feed.
HRSA HPSA Designations
Health Resources & Services Administration·data.hrsa.gov/ CoverageNationwideRefreshQuarterlyRecords~13,000 designation records
Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations identify geographic areas, populations, or facilities with a shortage of dental providers. HPSA designations carry significant implications: providers practicing in HPSAs may qualify for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, Medicare bonus payments, and J-1 visa waivers. For DSO expansion planning, HPSAs represent underserved markets with built-in federal incentives.
Methodology
Downloaded from data.hrsa.gov CSV export. Each designation includes the HPSA name, score (higher = more severe shortage), designation type (geographic, population, facility), status, and county / ZIP mapping. HPSA overlays appear on the interactive map and factor into whitespace analysis.
CoverageZCTA nationwideRefreshAnnualRecords~33,800 ZCTAs
The American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates provide ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level demographics essential for market analysis. ProviderSignal loads population counts, median household income, median age, and age distribution breakdowns nationwide. This data powers the whitespace analysis engine, demographic map overlays, and the per-capita ratios on the public data pages.
Methodology
Fetched via Census Bureau API using ACS 5-Year Detailed Tables. Population and income data combined with provider density calculations to produce provider-per-capita ratios at the ZIP level. ZIPs with high population and low provider counts surface as underserved market opportunities.
CoverageNationwideRefreshQuarterlyRecords~2,500 opportunities tracked
Grants.gov aggregates federal grant opportunities across all agencies. ProviderSignal searches for dental and oral health-related opportunities and surfaces active funding for community health centers, dental education programs, workforce development, and underserved population outreach. SAM.gov provides federal contract opportunities including dental service contracts for VA facilities, military bases, and federal prisons.
Methodology
Grants.gov REST API v1 (search2 endpoint) filtered for dental / oral health keywords. SAM.gov Opportunities API v2 filtered for dental NAICS codes and keywords. Both stored in the grant_opportunities table with title, agency, funding amount, application deadline, and direct link to the opportunity page.