Dental Practice Business Plan 2026

A complete strategic business planning template built specifically for Australian dental practice owners and Practice Managers — 35 pages, 10 sections, covering every dimension of practice strategy from vision and market analysis through to financial planning, KPI targets, and a 12-month action plan. Written by Resolve Dental Consultancy with over 37 years of Australian dental industry experience.

Unlike generic business plan templates, this has been designed around the realities of running a dental practice — the financial structure, the KPI metrics, the regulatory environment, and the unique challenges of growing a patient base. It works side-by-side with the Resolve Practice Financial Forecast spreadsheet, with cross-references throughout so your plan and your numbers always tell the same story.

Suitable for practice owners buying or starting a new practice, existing practices completing annual planning, Practice Managers leading the planning process, and dentists buying into an existing practice.

Works alongside the Resolve Practice Financial Forecast, Resolve New Practice Startup Manual, and Resolve Practice Purchase Guide for a complete practice ownership and planning system.

✔ Fully editable Microsoft Word format
✔ 35 pages — 10 complete planning sections
✔ Pre-populated with Resolve Dental Consultancy benchmarks, example content, and guidance notes throughout
✔ Designed to integrate directly with the Resolve Practice Financial Forecast spreadsheet
✔ 2026-compliant — references Fair Work Act, Payday Super (1 July 2026), ADA Guidelines 5th Edition, AS/NZS 5369:2023
✔ Instant digital download
✔ Single-practice licence

What's Included:

Section 1 — Executive Summary
A structured one-page summary covering practice overview, business purpose, key goals for the plan period (financial, growth, operational, and team), and a funding summary for new practices. Designed to be completed last — and to be what a bank, investor, or new partner reads first.

Section 2 — About the Practice
Vision, Mission and Values framework, business structure and ownership details, practice history and background, and a full services offered list — covering general dental services and specialist/high-value services — for you to customise to your practice.

Section 3 — Market Analysis
Practice location and catchment analysis, target patient demographics table (5 segments with description, estimated % of patient base, and key needs), competitor analysis table (4 competitors with strengths, weaknesses, and your differentiation), and a full SWOT Analysis framework.

Section 4 — Team Structure and Operations
Organisation chart with all clinical and non-clinical positions, recruitment plan, training and development planning, practice hours and surgery utilisation framework, systems and technology register, and a Patient Journey and Service Standards table — covering 6 touchpoints from new patient phone enquiry through to Google review requests, with standards, responsible parties, and measurement methods.

Section 5 — Marketing Strategy
Marketing goals (new patient targets, Google rating target, marketing budget as % of GFI), Marketing Channels and Activities table (9 channels with current status, plan, budget, owner, and measurement method), new patient strategy, and patient retention strategy. Includes Resolve's benchmark: budget a minimum of 2–3% of GFI for marketing.

Section 6 — Compliance and Risk Management
Regulatory Compliance table (10 compliance requirements with responsible person, frequency, and current status), and a Key Business Risks table (10 risks with likelihood, impact, mitigation strategy, and owner — covering key dentist loss, FTA increase, new competitors, equipment failure, staff resignation, cash flow shortfall, cyber attack, cost increases, regulatory change, and pandemic/public health emergency).

Section 7 — Financial Plan
Financial assumptions, Revenue Forecast Summary (linking to the Resolve Financial Forecast), Expense Forecast Summary with Resolve benchmark ranges for every major expense category, 3-Year Financial Projection summary, Break-Even Analysis summary, and Capital Expenditure Plan. Designed to be completed after the Resolve Financial Forecast spreadsheet.

Section 8 — KPI Targets
Resolve 6 Essential KPI Targets table — covering all 14 KPI metrics across dentist production, hygienist production, surgery utilisation, new patients, recall pre-booking, and financial ratios — with Resolve benchmarks, your targets, a