How North American Dental Group Scaled Clinical Consistency

The Problem

Growing a dental service organization means more than adding practices and providers. It means building a clinical culture that feels the same in every chair, no matter the location.

For North American Dental Group, achieving that kind of consistency became a defining challenge as the organization expanded to more than 240 practices across multiple states.

“We need a consistent message and consistent opportunities across the board for every doctor.”

— Dr. Ray Scott, VP, Clinical Operations

While the organization already had an onboarding process, clinical education still varied by location and by individual initiative. New clinicians received different experiences depending on where they started.

“We need a consistent message and consistent opportunities across the board for every doctor.”

— Dr. Ray Scott, VP, Clinical Operations

Without a standardized path for continued learning, that variability began to show up as:

• Inconsistent treatment planning approaches from one practice to the next
• Uneven clinical confidence among newly onboarded doctors
• Self-directed learning that left development up to chance
• Retention risk tied to a disconnected clinical experience

Dr. Scott wanted a more intentional approach, one that would improve consistency, accelerate clinician development, and strengthen long-term retention.

The Solution: A Prescriptive Clinician Development Program

North American Dental Group partnered with Spear to build a structured, prescriptive education pathway rather than relying on self-directed learning.

Every new clinician now enters a year-long development program after completing the organization’s onboarding process. Through cohort-based education, workshops, and customized curricula, clinicians receive consistent clinical training while reinforcing the organization’s mission, values, and standards of care.

“The education is much more prescriptive. We’re able to direct doctors to the right curriculum instead of waiting for them to decide what they need.”

— Dr. Ray Scott, VP, Clinical Operations

As North American Dental Group standardized clinician development, the organization saw measurable improvement in retention, clinical confidence, and case completion.

The Result

New clinician retention rose from the 70% range to 80–85%, a shift Dr. Scott attributes in part to the organization’s expanded educational opportunities.

“When doctors participate in these programs, they feel connected to something bigger than their individual practice. That sense of community is one of the reasons they choose to stay.”

— Dr. Ray Scott, VP, Clinical Operations

For North American Dental Group, the partnership has become more than continuing education. It’s a scalable strategy for clinician development, retention, and consistent patient care across the enterprise.

The organization also began seeing stronger consistency in: