Exhibit 99.1



For Immediate Release
                                                        For Further Information:

                                    Timothy G. Merrick, Vice President - Finance
                                                     Coast Dental Services, Inc.
                                                    2502 Rocky Point Drive North
                                                                      Suite 1000
                                                           Tampa, Florida  33607
                                                                  (813) 288-1999


                COAST DENTAL INTENDS TO DEREGISTER COMMON STOCK


TAMPA, FLORIDA, March 24, 2004 - Coast Dental Services, Inc. (Nasdaq SmallCap:
CDEN), announced today that the independent members of the Company's Board of
Directors have approved the filing of a Form 15 with the Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC") to deregister its common stock and suspend its
reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange
Act").  The Company intends to file the Form 15 with the SEC on April 7, 2004
to provide additional time for the Company's common stock to be bought or sold
on the Nasdaq National Market.  Upon the filing of the Form 15 with the SEC,
the Company's common stock will be delisted and will no longer trade on the
Nasdaq SmallCap Market.  The Company expects that the deregistration from the
Exchange Act will become effective within 90 days of the filing of the Form 15.

     The Company will file its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2003 with the SEC today and will be available at www.sec.gov.
However, the Company's future reporting obligations to file periodic and
current reports such as 10-K's, 10-Q's and 8-K's with the SEC will be suspended
immediately upon filing of the Form 15.

     The Company anticipates that after the filing of the Form 15 to deregister
and the delisting from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market that its common stock will be
quoted on the "Pink Sheets" (www.pinksheets.com) an electronic quotation
service for over-the-counter securities, but only to the extent that market
makers decide to make a market in the Company's shares.  While the Company
currently intends to provide market makers information necessary for the
Company's shares to be quoted on the "Pink Sheets," there can be no assurance
that market makers will quote the Company's shares or that an active trading
market will ever develop on the "Pink Sheets."  The Company's stock has been
very thinly traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.  There is generally less
liquidity and greater stock price volatility on the "Pink Sheets" as compared
to the Nasdaq SmallCap Market.

     The independent members of the Company's Board of Directors carefully
evaluated whether remaining a public company warranted the significant costs
and expenses and loss of operational productivity related to the regulatory
burdens of being a public company as well as

the potential benefits of being a public company.  The Company's out-of-pocket
costs in 2003 associated with being a public company were approximately
$725,000 and such costs were expected to continue to increase.  These costs do
not include the salaries and time the Company's employees were required to
devote to public company reporting and compliance obligations.  The independent
members of the Board of Directors unanimously determined that the disadvantages
of being a public company significantly outweighed the potential advantages of
remaining a public company and concluded that it was in the best interest of
the Company and its shareholders to deregister and become a private company.
Upon deregistration, the Company will then be able to focus on and devote its
time to improving its operations, implementing cost reduction and cost
containment initiatives, attaining profitability and meeting its long term
business goals.

     In January of this year, the Company implemented a comprehensive cost
reduction and cost containment program.  The Company realized savings in Dental
Center labor costs in February 2004 and anticipates that several of the cost
containment and cost reduction initiatives will begin to yield significant
savings in the near-term.  The Company believes that it can reduce its cost
structure and achieve profitability in 2004.  However, there can be no
assurance that the cost reduction and cost containment initiatives will be
successful or that the Company will achieve or sustain profitability.  The
Company has not been profitable since 1999.

     About Coast Dental:  Coast Dental Services, Inc. is a leading provider of
comprehensive business services and support to general dentistry practices.
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the Company currently provides comprehensive
business services and support to 108 dental centers located in Florida,
Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.  Coast Dental's website address is
www.coastdental.com

     This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's
future plans, expectations and objectives.  Words such as "may," "will,"
"expects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "could" and "estimate"
and variations of these words and similar statements are intended to identify
forward-looking statements.   Forward-looking statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially.
Some of these risks are discussed in the Company's 2003 annual report on Form
10-K that will be filed today with the SEC and will be available at
www.sec.gov.  Readers of this press release are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements.  The Company undertakes no obligation
to publicly update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to
reflect changed events or circumstances after the date of this press release.