What Sources Does ChatGPT Use to Recommend Dentists? (2026 Data)
In our 2026 scans of US dentists, ChatGPT cited Reddit, Zocdoc and Healthgrades in most answers and almost never cited map listings. Google AI Mode did nearly the opposite and leaned on Google Business Profile.
The short answer: what sources does ChatGPT use to recommend dentists?
When we asked ChatGPT to recommend dentists in US cities, it cited Reddit in 100% of its distinct answers, Zocdoc in 83% and Healthgrades in 70%. Google and Apple map listings appeared in only 3%. Forums and healthcare directories, not map listings, are where ChatGPT looks.
Google AI Mode was close to the reverse. Google Business Profile appeared in 83% of its dentist answers, while review sites appeared in just 4%.
The two engines read different parts of the web. A dental practice that wants to be named by both needs two different sets of profiles in good shape. These figures cover the US dentists we scanned from July 13 to October 4, 2026.
Most dentists we scanned are not named by AI at all
Before the sources, the stakes. Only 30% of the dentists we scanned were named in at least one AI answer to the questions we asked for them, counting every engine we ran for those practices. The average dentist was named in 9% of their own answers.
That is a low bar, and most practices in our data did not clear it. An AI answer names a limited set of practices, and a practice left out of that answer is not in front of the patient reading it. The sources an engine cites are the clearest public signal of where it looks before choosing those names.
ChatGPT vs Google AI Mode: how often each one names a dental practice
ChatGPT named 23% of the dentists we scanned at least once, and on average a dentist appeared in 11% of their ChatGPT answers. Google AI Mode named 14% at least once, with an average of 7% of answers.
Show the data
| Series | Value | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Any AI engine | 30% | 30 |
| ChatGPT | 23% | 30 |
| Google AI Mode | 14% | 28 |
Source: ClientRadar scan data, n = 28 to 30 businesses, July 13 to October 4, 2026.
The samples here are small: 30 dentists on ChatGPT and 28 on Google AI Mode. A few practices more or less would move these percentages noticeably, so we read the gap as a direction, not a precise measurement. We covered the broader pattern across trades in ChatGPT vs Google AI Mode for local business recommendations, and you can browse which businesses AI recommends to compare dentists with other trades.
Inside ChatGPT's dentist answers: Reddit, Zocdoc, Healthgrades and Opencare
ChatGPT cited at least one source in 100% of its dentist answers, and it cited a lot of them: an average of 32.5 links per answer. Each recommendation rests on a wide sweep of pages.
Show the data
| Series | Value | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | 31 | |
| Zocdoc | 83% | 31 |
| Healthgrades | 70% | 31 |
| Opencare | 53% | 31 |
| Wikipedia | 33% | 31 |
| Map listings (Google, Apple) | 3% | 31 |
Source: ClientRadar scan data, n = 31 businesses, July 13 to October 4, 2026.
Forums and directories show up in nearly every answer
Reddit appeared in 100% of ChatGPT's dentist answers, and forum pages (Reddit and Quora) made up 32% of every link it cited. That is more than directories and review sites combined.
Directories were the second pillar. Business directories and marketplaces appeared in 87% of answers. Zocdoc was cited in 83% and Opencare in 53%. Review sites appeared in 70% of answers, with Healthgrades in 70%.
Directories accounted for only 8% of cited links, and review sites for 3%. They show up in most answers, but they account for a small slice of the links in each one.
The bulk of the links fell into the broad bucket we call business websites and other sites: 52% of all cited links, present in 100% of answers. That bucket covers practice websites plus any other site we did not classify more narrowly. Our data cannot split it further, so we cannot say how much of it is dentists' own sites.
Government, education and Wikipedia pages: the background sources
Government and education sites appeared in 77% of ChatGPT's dentist answers but made up 5% of links. Wikipedia appeared in 33% of answers and accounted for 1% of links.
We did not classify what each of these pages said. A reasonable reading is that they supply context, such as facts about a city, licensing or dental school clinics, rather than ranking individual practices. A dental practice has little direct control over them, and we would not spend effort here first.
Map listings almost never appear in ChatGPT's citations
Google and Apple map listings appeared in 3% of ChatGPT's dentist answers. Rounded, they made up 0% of all links ChatGPT cited.
So a strong Google Maps presence does not, on its own, put a practice on the pages ChatGPT cites. Whether that affects who gets named is something our data does not test. One more caution: we only see citations. ChatGPT may draw on data it does not link to, and our numbers cannot rule that out.
Inside Google AI Mode's dentist answers: Google Business Profile does most of the work
Google AI Mode built its dentist answers around Google's own listings. Google Business Profile appeared in 83% of its answers. Map listings as a category appeared in 83% of answers and made up 88% of every link it cited.
Fewer sources per answer, and most of them are map listings
Google AI Mode cited at least one source in 96% of its dentist answers, averaging 14.1 links per answer against ChatGPT's 32.5. Fewer links, and most of them pointing at the same kind of page.
Everything else was thin. Review sites appeared in 4% of answers and, rounded, 0% of links; Yelp in 4%. Business directories and marketplaces appeared in 21% of answers and 2% of links, with Zocdoc at 21%. Business websites and other sites appeared in 67% of answers but made up 10% of links.
We do not have a separate Reddit or forum figure for Google AI Mode's dentist answers, so we cannot compare that source directly between the two engines.
Side by side: which sources each engine cites for dentists
The table shows the share of each engine's distinct dentist answers that cited a source at least once. The last row is the average number of cited links per answer.
| Source | ChatGPT | Google AI Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Map listings (Google, Apple) | 3% | 83% |
| Google Business Profile | see map listings row | 83% |
| Review sites | 70% | 4% |
| Business directories and marketplaces | 87% | 21% |
| Zocdoc | 83% | 21% |
| Business websites and other sites | 100% | 67% |
| 100% | not measured separately | |
| Average links per answer | 32.5 | 14.1 |
Show the data
| Series | Value | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Map listings, ChatGPT | 3% | 31 |
| Map listings, Google AI Mode | 83% | 29 |
| Review sites, ChatGPT | 70% | 31 |
| Review sites, Google AI Mode | 4% | 29 |
| Directories and marketplaces, ChatGPT | 87% | 31 |
| Directories and marketplaces, Google AI Mode | 21% | 29 |
| Business websites and other sites, ChatGPT | 100% | 31 |
| Business websites and other sites, Google AI Mode | 67% | 29 |
Source: ClientRadar scan data, n = 29 to 31 businesses, July 13 to October 4, 2026.
The platforms that appear most often on one engine barely appear on the other.
What this means for your dental practice
Our position: treat ChatGPT and Google AI Mode as two separate audiences with two separate reading lists. Work on one does not obviously carry over to the other.
For ChatGPT: complete your Zocdoc, Healthgrades and Opencare profiles and earn real mentions on Reddit
We cannot prove that a Zocdoc profile helps a dental practice show up in ChatGPT, but Zocdoc was cited in 83% of ChatGPT's dentist answers, which makes it hard to ignore. The same goes for Healthgrades and Opencare.
- Claim your Zocdoc, Healthgrades and Opencare profiles if you have not already.
- Check that name, address, phone, hours, accepted insurance and services match your website exactly.
- Fill in the details patients ask about: emergency appointments, sedation, pediatric care, languages spoken.
- Make your own website easy for a machine to read: one clear page per service and per location, with insurance and hours in plain text.
Reddit is harder, and there is no shortcut worth taking. Communities spot and remove promotional posts, and fake recommendations can backfire badly. What you can do is be the practice people mention unprompted: a memorable patient experience, a clear answer when someone asks a public question in your city's subreddit, posted openly as the practice. Given how often ChatGPT cites Reddit for dentists, genuine local mentions there are worth earning slowly.
For Google AI Mode: treat your Google Business Profile as your main AI profile
With Google Business Profile in 83% of Google AI Mode's dentist answers, your profile is the page Google AI Mode cites most often for dentists. Pick accurate primary and secondary categories, list every service, keep hours current including holidays, add real photos and respond to reviews. Google's own guidance on improving local ranking covers relevance, distance and prominence, and it is the right starting checklist.
Citations show what the engines read, not proof of cause
A cited source is a page the engine chose to show. It is not proof that the page decided which dentist got named. We counted links in answers; we did not test whether adding a Zocdoc profile or fixing a Google Business Profile changes who gets recommended. The samples are small, cover US dentists only, and come from the engines' official APIs, which closely approximate but can differ from what the consumer apps show.
How we got this data
- Who: US dentists in our scans, a mix of practices tracked with weekly runs and practices checked with the free scan. Naming figures cover 30 dentists overall, 30 on ChatGPT and 28 on Google AI Mode. Citation figures cover 31 dentists on ChatGPT and 29 on Google AI Mode.
- When: July 13 to October 4, 2026.
- Engines: the overall naming figure includes ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and any other engines tracked for these practices on paid plans; the source breakdowns cover ChatGPT and Google AI Mode only. Each engine was queried through its official API with the questions patients ask, several times each.
- How we counted: "Share of answers" is the share of distinct answers citing a source at least once. "Share of links" is the share of all cited links pointing at a source type. An answer reused for two practices counts once.
- What we did not do: we did not judge the content of cited pages, and we never name scanned practices.
The practical takeaway
If you only have an afternoon, split it in two. Spend half on Zocdoc, Healthgrades and Opencare for ChatGPT, and half on your Google Business Profile for Google AI Mode. Then check what each engine actually says about your practice, using our guide on how to check if ChatGPT recommends your business.
To see where your own practice stands on ChatGPT and Google AI Mode today, run the free scan.
Frequently asked questions
What sources does ChatGPT use when I ask it to recommend a dentist near me?
In our scans of US dentists, ChatGPT cited Reddit in 100% of its distinct answers, Zocdoc in 83%, Healthgrades in 70% and Opencare in 53%. Most links pointed at a broad mix of practice and other websites. Google and Apple map listings appeared in only 3% of answers.
Does ChatGPT use Reddit to decide which dentists to recommend?
Reddit was cited in 100% of ChatGPT's dentist answers in our data, and forum pages (Reddit and Quora) made up 32% of all cited links. That shows ChatGPT reads Reddit heavily. It does not prove Reddit alone decides who gets named, since we measured citations, not cause.
Will a Zocdoc or Healthgrades profile help my dental practice show up in ChatGPT?
We cannot promise it will, and we did not test cause and effect. What we can say is that Zocdoc appeared in 83% and Healthgrades in 70% of ChatGPT's dentist answers. A complete, accurate profile on both puts your practice on platforms ChatGPT regularly cites, though we cannot say which of their pages it links to.
Why do Google AI Mode and ChatGPT cite different sources for dentists?
The two engines draw on different parts of the web. Google AI Mode cited Google Business Profile in 83% of its dentist answers, while ChatGPT cited map listings in only 3% and leaned on Reddit and healthcare directories instead. Different reading lists can lead to different names, though we did not measure how much the named practices overlap.
How do I get my dental practice recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI Mode?
No one can guarantee a recommendation, and only 30% of the dentists we scanned were named in any AI answer. The sensible work is to complete your Zocdoc, Healthgrades and Opencare profiles for ChatGPT, keep your Google Business Profile thorough and current for Google AI Mode, and earn genuine local mentions. Then check each engine regularly to see what changes.
