Public-record field guide

Who actually owns or controls this dental office?

Do not search only the brand. Reconcile the professional entity, people, Type 2 NPI, management company, real estate, equipment, employer, payee, payer-contracting entity, and related locations—then request the private agreements that public records cannot reveal.

Before searching

Build the identity worksheet.

Start with the advertised name, domain, phone, exact address and suite, former addresses, and the name variants of sellers and associates. Then record the legal name on patient statements and receipts, Type 1 and Type 2 NPIs, landlord, property owner, management, billing and payroll names, and every related location using the same logo, phone tree, privacy notice, or careers page.

Search exact names first, then meaningful fragments, addresses, phone numbers, entity managers, and prior names. Preserve the query, result, filing, access date, and direct official link. A “no result” without the query and jurisdiction is not reproducible evidence.

Official starting points

Know what each portal can—and cannot—establish.

Secretary of State / entity registry

Search and save
Legal entity names, status, dates, entity number, public managers or officers, amendments, mergers, conversions, and dissolutions.
Can support
Legal existence and whatever roles the state publishes.
Does not prove
Beneficial ownership, management control, clinical control, health, or current operation.
NASS state directory

DBA / fictitious name

Search and save
Brand and registrant through the official state or county system; save filing and expiration dates.
Can support
A public link between a trade name and registrant.
Does not prove
That the DBA is a company or the complete current structure.
SBA registration guide

Dental board

Search and save
Each dentist and hygienist, license status, public discipline, specialty where shown, and associated address.
Can support
Licensure and public disciplinary information.
Does not prove
Ownership, FTE, payer access, competence, or quality.
ADA board directory

NPI Registry

Search and save
Type 2 organization, Type 1 clinicians, other names, addresses, taxonomy, authorized official, and update date.
Can support
Identity and person-site leads.
Does not prove
Ownership, licensure, credentialing, exact-plan participation, or current clinical work.
CMS NPI Registry

County assessor and recorder

Search and save
Parcel, tax owner, mailing address, deed, mortgage, assignment, release, lien, and legal description.
Can support
Property clues; the recorded deed is stronger than the assessor field.
Does not prove
Ownership of the dental business, equipment, patient records, or goodwill.
Find official local government

UCC filing system

Search and save
Operating entity, equipment entity, management company, prior names, debtor, secured party, collateral, amendments, continuations, and terminations.
Can support
Notice that described assets may secure an obligation.
Does not prove
Equity ownership, default, payoff, or clean transfer.
NASS UCC directory

State/federal courts and bankruptcy

Search and save
Exact entities, prior names, dentists, management companies, landlords, parent parties, dockets, judgments, and bankruptcy records.
Can support
Public disputes and orders after identity is confirmed.
Does not prove
Truth of allegations, clinical quality, or identity from a name match.
Official court directories

Federal exclusions

Search and save
Individuals and entities in OIG LEIE and SAM; verify identity with available identifiers.
Can support
Current findings in the searched exclusion system.
Does not prove
Every state or payer sanction—or identity from name alone.
HHS OIG LEIE

Trademark and domain

Search and save
Practice and group brands, owners, assignments, registrar, dates, and nameservers.
Can support
Brand and assignment clues.
Does not prove
Professional-entity ownership or operational control.
USPTO search

Permits, occupancy, and radiation

Search and save
Official city/county building, business-license, fire, planning, certificate, signage, remodel, and state radiation records.
Can support
Buildout chronology, use, expansion, contractor, and facility-registration clues.
Does not prove
That every improvement was compliant or the registrant owns the practice.
Find official local government

Ownership/control graph

One office can have several different owners and controllers.

Do not force these relationships into one “owner” field.

Professional ownershipWho legally owns or governs the entity providing dental care?

Apply current state professional-ownership law and governing documents.

Economic ownershipWho receives goodwill, management fees, rent, asset value, or sale proceeds?

Trace every related entity and payment stream.

Operational controlWho controls people, banking, IT, purchasing, billing, scheduling, marketing, and payer work?

Public branding rarely answers this.

Clinical controlWho controls diagnosis, treatment planning, referrals, materials, pace, and clinical policy?

Written authority and actual behavior both matter.

Independent evidence axes

Describe the connection without hiding judgment in one grade.

Source kind

Agreement, official filing, financial record, professional record, commercial page, firsthand account, or inference.

Support relationship

Directly supports, partially supports, provides context, contradicts, or does not support this specific connection.

Verification state

Verified, partially verified, unverified, or disputed after the stated checks.

Authority and interest

What the source is authorized to establish and whether an issuer, advisor, broker, or participant has a disclosed interest.

Recency and recheck

Date of the source, date reviewed, material contradiction, next document, owner, and recheck date.

Public research should produce a private-document request.

Request current ownership ledgers, governing agreements, management/services agreements and amendments, payer/TIN contracts, payroll employer records, tax and financial statements, bank and merchant instructions, leases, UCC payoff letters, asset schedules, vendor and IT agreements, and the written clinical-authority matrix.

Ownership & control fieldbook · CSV · 43 fields · Includes one fictional example row · v2026.07

Control-risk gate

“Unresolved” is a valid answer.

If the seller or counterparty will not disclose the agreements that determine control, do not replace the missing record with confidence. Mark the node unresolved and decide whether it requires a condition, representation, consent, payoff, holdback, lower price, or walk-away.