Key Takeaways

• There has been an ever growing movement towards treating dental patients like consumers, which makes sense, as that is exactly who and what they are. Dental offices are realizing that most consumers have many options when they are deciding upon healthcare providers. Today’s dental consumer fully expects to be able to get assistance based on their schedule and be able to directly communicate with their dentist, again, on their time, when they need it. This expectation is the driver behind the convenience trend within the dental industry.
• When utilizing digital technologies to improve the entire dental workflow, dentists can expect to see both time savings of up to 50% and cost savings of up to 30% for administrative and diagnostic tasks.
•  According to Roland Berger, the dental industry can look forward to "even greater integration and personalization, as well as easier access to personal data via mobile apps." Simultaneously, varied stakeholders such as dentists, dental technicians, health authorities and insurance partners will enjoy enhanced communication and secure data sharing.

Introduction

The Rising Value of Convenience

• There has been an ever growing movement towards treating dental patients like consumers, which makes sense, as that is exactly who and what they are. Dental offices are realizing that most consumers have many options when they are deciding upon healthcare providers. Today’s dental consumer fully expects to be able to get assistance based on their schedule and be able to directly communicate with their dentist, again, on their time, when they need it. This expectation is the driver behind the convenience trend within the dental industry.
• When defining convenience within the dental industry, this can mean ensuring that the practice has some kind of portal or app that permits a consumer to schedule appointments online, make inquiries, pay their bill online or even from their mobile device, and complete any required paperwork for any procedures when it is convenient for them. It also might include some non-tech adjustments like increasing office hours to better accommodate their patients schedules, as well as considering offering additional services that will give their patients a "one stop shopping" experience that addresses all their oral health requirements, and beyond.
• When a consumer is provided with that "one stop shopping" experience, this enhances both cost and convenience for the patient and the provider. Combining medical and dental models "allow for the joint leveraging of technologies, human assets, and physical assets between the health and dental sides of the business. This decreases the financial burden for both parties under the single, greater entity."
•  Key reasons that Americans say why they avoid the dentist include "cost, fear of the dentist, and their inability to find a convenient location or appointment time." Specifically, almost 60% of adults reveal that they do not get dental care due to cost, "22% assert it is because they are afraid of the dentist, and 19% state that they do not go to the dentist because they cannot find a convenient location or appointment time."
• According to Roshan Parikh, DDS, Head of Dentistry at Walmart United States, "I am certain of one thing; time is the new commodity. Now, more than ever. Walmart Health’s practice of saving patients time and money through providing service seven days a week with a transparent, Every Day Low Prices (EDLP) cost model, combined with its structure of multi-modality healthcare (medicine, dentistry, hearing, vision, labs, mental/behavioral health all in one location) has the potential to majorly revolutionize the convenience and effectiveness of healthcare far beyond what we have become accustomed to as the industry standard."

Digital Technologies

• A dental practices' production can be increased and their workflow streamlined by 10% to 30% when the office utilizes targeted technologies, electronic services, and other tools, according to research. 
•  Dental clinics and labs could potentially "digitally replicate" their business by "fully embracing digital technologies." This would not only streamline the entire dental workflow, but create a "standardized exchange of information" from the diagnostic end right through to therapy, as well as office operations.

 

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•  Technology surrounding 3D printing has evolved to the point where use cases for this can include "dental models, orthodontic appliances, mouth guards and appliances for guided implant surgery, as well as the production of removable and fixed prosthetics."

 

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• Over the last ten years, digital management programs have progressed from "being closed, on-premise systems to cloud-based, open platform SaaS solutions." Today, the technology exists that allow dental offices to use "data encryption and authorization barriers, data analysis, patient flow management and allow for important digital patient communication, which encompasses follow-up to assess consumer satisfaction. According to Roland Berger, the dental industry can look forward to "even greater integration and personalization, as well as easier access to personal data via mobile apps." Simultaneously, varied stakeholders such as dentists, dental technicians, health authorities and insurance partners will enjoy enhanced communication and secure data sharing.
• When utilizing digital technologies to improve the entire dental workflow, dentists can expect to see both time savings of up to 50% and costs savings of up to 30% for administrative and diagnostic tasks. This will directly impact the first trend discussed in this report as dentists will find it easier to focus on the convenience factor for the consumer as their workload will be reduced, thereby "freeing up time for better dentist-patient communication and involvement of patients in their treatment journey."

 

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•  Gary J. Pickard, the senior director, government & industry affairs at Pacific Dental Services, asserts that "[w]hen I said this year could very well be the year of disruptors, I had no idea how accurate I would be. New delivery care models continue to appear and are being embraced by the masses, spurring new and unique partnerships. I think there will be greater experimentation and early adopters following a few key leaders. Technological advances are helping to drive this change, improving patient experience, transparency, and ultimately patient access and care. There are more opportunities than ever before."
• According to Aziza Abed, founder & CEO at PURE Health Dental, "Preservation of cash flow, regulatory compliance, social media, on-line scheduling, simplification of processes and enhanced technology should be a dental service organization's top priority."

Research Strategy