Background information provided by ADP for its NASDAQ listing, 1998

See: http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/company/american-dental-partners-inc-2517-4492

OVERVIEW

American Dental Partners, Inc. is a leading provider of dental practice management services to multi-disciplinary dental group practices in selected markets in the United States. The Company seeks to affiliate with leading dental groups that provide a comprehensive range of dental care services, have outstanding reputations for quality and have proven records of financial performance. Since its inception through February 28, 1998, the Company has successfully completed affiliations with ten dental group practices and currently operates 83 dental facilities with 617 operatories in six states.

The Company's rapid growth has resulted primarily from these affiliations, which consisted of three dental group practice affiliations completed in 1996, six dental group practice affiliations completed in 1997 and one dental group practice affiliation completed in 1998. For the year ended December 31, 1997, the Company generated $53.3 million in net revenue and $1.1 million in net earnings.

The Company's affiliation model is designed to create a partnership in management between the Company and the affiliated dental group practice that allows each party to maximize its strengths and retain its autonomy. When affiliating with a dental group practice, the Company acquires substantially all of its assets and enters into a long-term service agreement to manage the non-clinical aspects of the dental operations. The Company supports its affiliated dental group practices with a broad range of services designed to enhance practice revenue, improve operating efficiencies and expand operating margins. The Company shares the best practices of its network with each affiliate and provides assistance with information systems, budgeting, financial reporting, facilities management, third-party payor contracting, supplies and equipment procurement, quality assurance initiatives, billing and collecting accounts receivable, marketing and recruiting, hiring and training support staff.

The Company's objective is to be the leading dental practice management company in the United States. The Company's strategy for achieving this objective is to: (i) expand into carefully selected and diverse geographic markets which have favorable demographics and projected economic growth; (ii) affiliate with leading dental group practices which have reputations for quality care and proven records of financial performance; (iii) increase market penetration in each of its markets through additional affiliations, recruitment of dentists and new facility development; (iv) add value to each affiliated dental group practice by assisting the practice in improving operating performance; and (v) pursue various initiatives to ensure the highest quality of care and service.

DENTAL CARE INDUSTRY

The market for dental care is large, growing and highly fragmented. The United States Health Care Financing Administration estimates that expenditures for dental care were approximately $45.8 billion in 1995 and will reach approximately $79.1 billion by 2005, representing a compound annual growth rate of approximately 5.6%. The Company believes that the growth in expenditures for dental care will continue to be driven by both increases in costs and increases in demand for services due to: (i) improved dental benefits offered by employers; (ii) increased availability and use of dental insurance, including preferred provider organization ("PPO") plans and capitated managed care plans; (iii) increased demand for dental care from an aging population; and (iv) increased demand for cosmetic and preventative procedures. The Company believes that this growth will benefit not only dentists, but companies that provide services to the dental care industry, such as dental practice management companies. However, the failure of any of the foregoing factors to materialize could offset increases in demand for dental care, and any such increases may not correlate with growth in the Company's business.

Unlike many other sectors of the health care services industry, the dental care industry is in the early stages of consolidation. Although dental care is typically offered by solo practitioners, the trend towards group practice is growing. According to the American Dental Association ("ADA"), in 1995, 11.8% of the approximately 153,300 dentists in the United States were practicing in groups of three or more, up from 4.1% in 1991. The Company believes this consolidation trend will continue.

Most dental care performed in the United States is categorized as general dentistry. Based upon a 1990 survey by the ADA, general dentistry was estimated to represent approximately 83% of all dental services performed in the United States. General dentistry includes preventative care, diagnosis and treatment planning, as well as procedures such as fillings, crowns, bridges, dentures and extractions. Specialty dentistry, which includes orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics and pediatric dentistry, represented the remaining 17% of dental care services.

Historically, dental care was not covered by insurers and consequently was paid for by patients on a fee-for-service basis. An increasing number of employers have responded to the desire of employees for enhanced benefits by providing coverage from third party payors for dental care. These third party payors offer indemnity insurance, PPO plans and capitated managed care plans.

Under an indemnity insurance plan, the dental provider charges a fee for each service provided to the insured patient, which is typically the same as that charged to a patient not covered by any type of dental insurance. The Company categorizes indemnity insurance plans as fee-for-service plans. Under a PPO plan, the dentist charges a discounted fee for each service provided based on a schedule negotiated with the PPO. Under a capitated managed care plan, the dentist receives a fixed monthly fee from the managed care organization for each member covered under the plan who selects that dentist as his or her provider. Capitated managed care plans also typically require a co-payment by the patient.

The National Association of Dental Plans estimated that approximately 117 million individuals, or 45.7% of the population of the United States, were covered by some form of dental care plan in 1995. This compares to approximately 96 million individuals, or 40.5% of the population of the United States, in 1990. Of the 117 million individuals with coverage, 70.3% were covered by indemnity insurance, 17.7% were covered by capitated managed care plans and 12.0% were covered by PPO plans. The remaining 139 million individuals, or 54.3% of the population of the United States in 1995, did not have dental benefit coverage. The Company believes that the number of individuals with dental benefits will continue to increase and that the majority of this growth will be in PPO and capitated managed care plans. For instance, according to the National Association of Dental Plans, the number of individuals covered by capitated managed care plans increased from 7.8 million in 1990 to 20.7 million in 1995, representing a 21.6% compound annual growth rate.

The Company believes that the increased prevalence of dental benefits and the shift of those benefits from traditional fee-for-service to non-fee-for-service plans has increased the complexity of operating a dental practice and has led dental practices to begin to affiliate or consolidate with  entities, such as the Company, that: (i) allow dentists to focus on the clinical aspects of dentistry by providing management resources to conduct the business and administrative aspects of dentistry; (ii) provide information and operating systems that are required to effectively manage in an increasingly complex reimbursement environment; (iii) assist with third-party payor contracting; (iv) realize economies of scale in purchasing and provide access to capital; and (v) provide dentists the opportunity to realize value for their practices.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

The Company's objective is to be the leading dental practice management company in the United States. In order to achieve this objective, the Company's business strategy is to:

Expand into carefully selected markets. The Company plans to expand its network of affiliated dental group practices into carefully selected and diverse geographic markets. The Company focuses on markets that: (i) offer the opportunity to gain market share leadership; (ii) have a prevalence of dental group practices; (iii) have favorable demographics and projected

economic growth; and (iv) have access to dental schools. To date, the Company has identified approximately 125 markets that currently meet its market selection criteria. The Company believes that operating in multiple markets increases the attractiveness of the Company and its affiliated

dental group practices to third party payors who seek to contract with dental providers that are strategically located in attractive markets and that offer a comprehensive range of multi- disciplinary dental care services.

Affiliate with leading dental group practices. In entering a new market, the Company seeks to affiliate with a leading dental group practice in that market as a platform for expansion. A "platform" dental group practice is one which has a reputation for quality care, provides a comprehensive range of dental services, has a significant market presence and has a proven record of financial performance. The Company believes that by affiliating with leading dental group practices it will become more attractive to other practices, dentists and payors.

Increase market penetration. The Company seeks to be the market share leader in each market in which it operates. After affiliating with a leading dental group practice, the Company seeks to increase its market share by assisting the affiliate in recruiting new general and specialty dentists, expanding its patient base and opening new facilities. Additionally, the Company may affiliate with other dental practices or with specialty group practices that complement the platform dental group practice.

Add value to each affiliated dental group practice. The Company supports its affiliated dental group practices with a broad range of services designed to enhance their practice revenue, improve operating efficiencies and expand operating margins. The Company shares the best practices of its network with each affiliate and assists each affiliate with an analysis of its revenue and payor mix, capacity, utilization, staffing, scheduling and productivity. The Company also provides its affiliates assistance with information systems, budgeting, financial reporting, facilities management, third-party payor contracting, supplies and equipment procurement, quality assurance initiatives, billing and collecting accounts receivable, marketing and recruiting, hiring and training support staff.

Focus on quality care. The Company pursues various initiatives to help its affiliates provide the highest quality of care and service. The Company's goal is to have each affiliated dental group practice become accredited by the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. ("AAAHC"). Through its National Professional Advisory Forum, the Company provides its affiliated dental group practices with the opportunity to share clinical knowledge and best clinical practices. The Company also implements comprehensive patient satisfaction surveys administered by independent third parties. The Company believes that its focus on quality care enhances: (i) its affiliates' relationships with patients; (ii) its affiliates' ability to recruit dentists; (iii) the Company's ability to attract new dental groups as affiliates; and (iv) the Company's attractiveness to third party payors.