11 Dental Hygiene Recall Statistics That May Just Transform Your Practice

Maxillo Team
Aug 27
4 min read

Dental hygiene recall is one of the most reliable drivers of patient retention and revenue growth. Yet many practices overlook its financial potential. By understanding the impact of recall and applying proven strategies, your practice can improve patient care and unlock significant revenue. Below are 11 evidence-based dental hygiene recall statistics every dentist and office manager should know.

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1. Patient Recall Improvement Yields Revenue Gains

Improving recall systems leads to a 10–15% increase in patient retention, equating to $4,000–$5,000 more in monthly hygiene production. Additionally, about 20% of exams uncover restorative needs averaging $500 per patient, adding another $2,000–$3,000 monthly. (1)

2. Average Hygiene Appointment Income is $471

Each hygiene visit (including the doctor’s exam) generates about $471 in income, and a single new patient provides around $4,500 in lifetime revenue, not including referrals. (2)

3. Hygiene Reactivation Pays Off

Contacting patients who haven’t visited in 9–24 months yields results: 35–40% schedule and attend when reactivated. For every 50 inactive patients contacted, that’s 15–20 appointments, or roughly $3,000 in hygiene production. (3)

4. Recall Drives Utilization and Production

Most practices maintain a 65–70% hygiene recall rate, but boosting that to 85–90% dramatically improves utilization, retention, and production. Even a modest 1% increase in case acceptance can drive 3–7% more practice-wide revenue. (4)

5. U.S. Dental Visit Rates Remain Low

Only 45% of the U.S. population visited a dentist in 2022, with just 40% of adults aged 19–64 attending. This represents a huge opportunity for practices to engage patients through recall programs. (5)

6. Insurance Increases Visit Rates for Seniors

Among adults over 65, 69.6% with dental insurance had a dental visit in the past year, compared to 56.4% without coverage. Insurance access strongly supports recall success. (6)

7. SMS & Phone Reminders Improve Attendance

Reminders matter. Appointment attendance rates jump to 78.6% with SMS reminders and 80.3% with phone reminders, compared to 67.8% without reminders. (7)

8. No-Shows Cost Practices Dearly

On average, 15% of dental practice revenue is lost due to missed calls and inefficient scheduling. Recall systems are essential for reducing this loss. (8)

9. Technology Tools Drive Revenue Growth

The average U.S. dentist generates $2.4 million annually. Practices using patient engagement platforms report an additional $73,000 in yearly revenue from improved recall and scheduling. (9)

10. Solo Practice Revenue is Impacted by Recall

A single-dentist practice generates about $343,584 annually, with 72% going to expenses. Retaining patients through effective recall has an outsized effect on profitability. (10)

11. Patient Attrition Averages 17% Annually

The typical dental practice loses about 17% of patients each year. Without recall efforts, patient bases steadily shrink. Robust recall programs are key to counteracting attrition. (11)

Why These Numbers Matter

Together, these statistics show that recall is not just about filling hygiene chairs—it is about practice growth. Strong recall programs ensure steady hygiene utilization, reduce attrition, and open the door for restorative treatment acceptance. For practices aiming to expand revenue, recall is one of the highest-ROI strategies available.

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Recommended Action Items for Dental Practices

Audit Your Hygiene Recall Rate – Calculate your current recall percentage (patients booked vs. due). Aim for 85–90% recall utilization.
Reactivation Campaigns – Target patients who have not been seen in 9–24 months. Even reactivating 15–20 patients a month can add $3,000+ in hygiene revenue.
Track Lifetime Patient Value – Use metrics to remind your team that each hygiene visit can generate $471 and each new patient up to $4,500 lifetime value.
Strengthen Reminder Systems – Implement SMS and phone reminders to improve attendance rates by up to 12 percentage points.
Leverage Technology Tools – Consider engagement platforms that can automate recall and reminders, potentially adding $70,000+ annually.
Focus on Insurance Patients – Encourage seniors with dental coverage to stay consistent with recall, since they are statistically more likely to attend visits.
Measure No-Show Impact – Quantify lost revenue from missed calls and appointments. Reducing no-shows by even a few percentage points can reclaim thousands in revenue monthly.
Train Team on Case Acceptance – Boosting acceptance by just 1% can yield a 3–7% revenue lift. Recall appointments are the best time to discuss treatment.
Plan for Attrition – Assume 17% of your patient base will leave annually and use recall to backfill these losses.
Set Monthly Recall Targets – Build team goals tied to recall performance, linking them directly to revenue benchmarks.

Dental Hygiene Recall Statistics Summary Table

#	Key Insight	Revenue Impact / Value
1	Improved recall retention	+$4k–$5k/mo hygiene; +$2k–$3k/mo restorative
2	Hygiene appointment value	$471 per visit; $4.5k lifetime from new patient
3	Reactivation of inactive patients	~$3k from 15–20 reactivated appointments
4	Boost recall to 85–90%	Higher utilization, retention, production
5	Low overall dental visits	Major recall opportunity
6	Insurance increases recall	+13.2 percentage pts in visit rate
7	Reminder effectiveness	+~12 percentage pts attendance vs no reminder
8	Missed scheduling costs	~15% revenue loss
9	Revenue tools help	+$73k/year using RevenueWell
10	Solo practice averages	$343k revenue, 72% expenses
11	17% attrition/year	Recall crucial to offset patient loss