Seattle-King County Dental Society

What Seattle-King County Dental Society does

The Seattle-King County Dental Society (SKCDS) is a nonprofit, component-society professional membership organization representing over 1,700 dentists practicing in King County, Washington. It is chartered within the three-tier American Dental Association hierarchy as a local affiliate of the Washington State Dental Association (WSDA) and the American Dental Association (ADA). SKCDS delivers member services including continuing education (notably the Advanced Clinical Webinar Series), peer review mediation for patient complaints, HR consulting through a retainer with The Management Trust, a peer-to-peer SKCDS equipment marketplace, advocacy representation, and access to study clubs and committee governance via a Salesforce-based member portal. The associated Seattle-King County Dental Foundation, established in 1992, has awarded more than $1.3 million in grants to community programs (including Children's Hospital, Neighborcare Health, UW School of Dentistry, and Donated Dental Services) and coordinates volunteer dental participation in the annual Seattle/King County Clinic.

The society's product surface is operational and services-oriented rather than technology-driven — there are no proprietary technology platforms described in source material, and the patient referral function is delivered through the ADA Find a Dentist system. Public-facing products include a searchable dentist directory, Find-a-Dentist referrals by location and specialty, reduced-cost clinic listings, and inclusivity resources for dental practices. Revenues come from annual member dues (passed through in part to WSDA/ADA), events and webinars, and corporate partnerships, with additional philanthropic capital flowing through the Foundation's grant pipeline; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Governance is via an Executive Council and a separate Foundation Board, with leadership including President Dr. Karla Aylen (Foundation Board), Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Doug Whitfield, and recently appointed Society Treasurer Dr. Philip Walczak.

SKCDS is geographically constrained to King County, operates from a Seattle headquarters, and serves no customers outside its local licensed dentist base and the King County public seeking dental referrals. The organization is not a venture-backed or acquirer entity — it exhibits the steady-state operating posture of an established chartered association rather than a growth-stage company.

Name

Seattle-King County Dental Society

Legal name

Seattle-King County Dental Society

Website

https://skcds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Seattle-King County Dental Society is a nonprofit component dental society serving over 1,700 licensed dentists in King County, Washington, delivering continuing education, peer review, advocacy, and member services as a local affiliate of WSDA and ADA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SKCDS generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by dentists practicing in King County. As a component society of the Washington State Dental Association and American Dental Association, membership provides access to continuing education, peer review services, practice resources, HR consulting, advocacy representation, and networking opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SKCDS is a professional membership society for over 1,700 dentists in King County, Washington, providing annual membership benefits that include a public member directory and patient referral service, continuing education through the Advanced Clinical Webinar Series, peer review mediation, HR consulting, practice resources endorsements, and access to the member-to-member SKCDS Marketplace. Its affiliated Foundation grants funds to community dental programs serving underserved populations.

Product overview

The Seattle-King County Dental Society operates as a membership organization of over 1,700 dentists in King County, Washington, functioning as a component society of the Washington State Dental Association and American Dental Association. The society offers a suite of member services centered around a searchable membership directory and patient referral system (powered by ADA computer systems), continuing dental education through its Advanced Clinical Webinar Series, and grant-making through its affiliated Seattle-King County Dental Foundation. Additional member resources include a peer review mediation committee, human resource consulting, professional liability insurance endorsements, an online equipment marketplace, inclusivity resources, and a grant submission portal for community health programs. The organization also coordinates volunteer opportunities including the annual Seattle/King County Clinic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seattle-King County Dental Foundation: The charitable arm of SKCDS focused on eliminating dental infection and pain in underserved King County populations through grants and access programs.

Products and services

• SKCDS Membership (with Patient Referral Service)
• SKCDS Advanced Clinical Webinar Series Year-long continuing education webinar series offering six virtual sessions providing evidence-based clinical education across general dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, cosmetic dentistry, oral surgery, and restorative care, awarding continuing education credits to member dental professionals.
• Peer Review Mediation Service Free mediation service staffed by volunteer dentists with at least five years of practice experience, addressing patient quality-of-care concerns about a member dentist's treatment, governed by the WSDA Peer Review Procedure Manual.
• Human Resource Consulting Service Complimentary 20-30 minute HR consultations for SKCDS members, delivered by Paul Schaber of The Management Trust, providing practical guidance on employee relations and human resource matters for dental practice owners.
• SKCDS Marketplace Member-to-member classifieds platform where SKCDS members can list and purchase used dental equipment including dental chairs, sterilizers, X-ray processors, loupes, articulators, vacuum formers, and curing lights.
• Seattle-King County Dental Foundation Grant Program Annual grant cycle administered by the Foundation for organizations seeking funding to eliminate dental infection and pain in King County underserved populations; applications accepted January 1 through December 31, reviewed in January of the following year.
• Donated Dental Services Program Foundation program connecting underserved King County populations with donated dental care services through partnerships with member dentists and community organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,700 member dentists served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington State Dental Association (WSDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKCDS is a component society of WSDA, representing dentists at the local level within the larger state organization. This affiliation provides members with state-level advocacy, continuing education tracking, peer review processes, and access to WSDA resources and programs.
• American Dental Association (ADA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKCDS is a component society of ADA, providing members with national representation, ADA CE programs, access to ADA publications and resources, and integration with ADA's patient referral system (Find a Dentist).
• Seattle-King County Dental Foundation Grant RecipientscoreOthersFoundation has awarded over $1.3 million since 1992 to organizations including Children's Hospital, Neighborcare Health, University of Washington School of Dentistry, Donated Dental Services, and 30+ other community dental programs serving underserved King County populations.
• The Management TrustminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMr. Paul Schaber of The Management Trust provides HR consulting services to SKCDS members on retainer, offering complimentary 20-30 minute consultations for employee relations and human resource services.
• Washington Association of General Dentists (Washington AGD)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSKCDS partners with Washington AGD for events such as the Spring Cleaning Shred Event, demonstrating collaborative programming between dental professional organizations.
• Seattle/King County CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKCDS is a founding supporter of the Seattle/King County Clinic, a four-day volunteer-driven clinic providing free dental, vision, and medical care. The society promotes volunteer opportunities for members at this annual event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Washington State Dental Association: The state-level parent organization of SKCDS, WSDA represents all Washington dentists and provides state-level advocacy, CE tracking, and peer review procedures. It is the most direct institutional peer and serves as the umbrella under which SKCDS operates.
• American Dental Association: The national parent organization of SKCDS, ADA provides national CE programs, publications, the Find a Dentist referral system, and policy advocacy. SKCDS is a component society of ADA, making it the broadest institutional peer and standards-setter.

Direct peers

• Washington Academy of General Dentistry: A Washington state dental professional organization that, like SKCDS, provides continuing education, networking, and member services to dentists. The two organizations already partner on joint events (e.g., Spring Cleaning Shred Event), reflecting overlapping member value propositions.
• Snohomish County Dental Society: Another Washington component dental society under WSDA, serving Snohomish County dentists. It mirrors SKCDS's structure and offering set, making it a direct geographic neighbor and structural peer.
• Tacoma-Pierce County Dental Society: A neighboring Washington component dental society serving Pierce County dentists with the same membership society structure, continuing education, and advocacy model as SKCDS. Operates as a sister component society under WSDA.
• Spokane District Dental Society: A Washington state component dental society serving the Spokane area with comparable membership, CE, and advocacy services. Represents the same organizational model in a different regional market.

Emerging players

• Washington State Orthodontic Society: A Washington specialty dental society for orthodontists that provides professional development and advocacy to a subset of SKCDS's broader dentist membership. Represents a comparable but specialty-specific membership organization model.
• Washington State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: A Washington state specialty dental society focused on oral surgery practitioners. While narrower in scope than SKCDS, it serves an overlapping dentist population with similar CE and advocacy functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SeattleKingCountyDentalSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-king-county-dental-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/skcds
• Xx.com/seattlekcds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seattle-King County Dental Society